Free Castle Howard Circular Walk from Welburn

This walk takes you on a circular route from Welburn, and over towards Castle Howard, to join the Centenary Way, which is a long distance walking trail. You will walk across pretty countryside fields, and through woodland, passing some wonderful sights along the way.

Looking across the pond, past the mass of green leafy trees towards Castle Howard, partway through the walk.

A big tree with straggly branches, in the middle of a field with yellow buttercups, on the Castle Howard circular walk.

A brown and white horse grazing in the field, on the Castle Howard circular walk. There are woodland trees, on the other side of the field, in there background.

This was my first walk in the Howardian Hills, so it was quite fitting that I started with the families castle they were named after.

Fun Fact: Construction of Castle Howard took over 100 years to complete, and 8 generations of the Howard Family have lived there.

The Howard Family also own Arundel Castle, located in the very south of England.

What I’m going to do in this guide, is first give you an overview of what to expect on the Castle Howard circular walk, with full logistics and a map. Then I will go on to describe the route step by step with lots of photos.

What to expect on the circular Castle Howard walk

So, first things first, you don’t actually go to Castle Howard on this walk, but rather, walk around the outer grounds, with impressive views towards it. Passing by the Pyramid on St Anne’s Hill, Temple of Four Winds, the Castle Howard Mausoleum, and will walk over the ornate New River Bridge.

(I will tell you a bit more about each of these structures, when I describe the Castle Howard walk route below).

A pyramid on top of a hill, on the walk towards Castle Howard. The field is an orange colour, then turns to green at the top.

The Castle Howard Mausoleum sticking out above the trees, part way through the walk.

Looking across the pond to a fountain ahead. The pond is surround by tall grass and green leafy trees.

The Temple of the four winds sitting on top of a hill, on the Castle Howard circular walk. There is a stone wall surrounding the temple.

This walk felt very different to anything I have done so far in Yorkshire. There are no moors, cliffs, crags, valleys or gorges. Just pure fields, undulating hills, and prettiness. It felt very much like I was walking in the South of England, which is my stomping ground. It reminded me of home.

Looking across the green grass fields, with trees dotted about in the distance.

Do you have to pay to do the Castle Howard walk?

No. As you don’t go into the main Castle Howard grounds, this walk is completely free. If you do want to visit the castle and main grounds, you can find out more about tickets here.

How long is the walk?

The Castle Howard circular walk is just under 5 miles, and took me about 1h 30min to complete.

Looking across the grass field towards an ornate bridge.

Is the walk from Welburn to Castle Howard hard?

The walk from Welburn to Castle Howard is very easy. There are a few gentle hills, but it’s mostly flat. The majority of the route is along a well maintained path, with a little bit ruggedness through the crop fields, and a touch of woodland dirt trail thrown in.

A path on the right, and fields with small trees and bushes to the left. The Castle Howard Mausoleum is visible in the distance to the left, on to of a hill.

Is the Castle Howard circular walk dog friendly?

The are no stiles on the full Castle Howard circular, and I didn’t see any loose livestock, however, I saw a couple of signs saying to keep dogs on lead when walking towards and through the woodland.

A sign saying 'dogs to be kept on leads' nestled within the tall grass and plants.

Parking for the Castle Howard walk

There is no official car park in Welburn, but you can just park on the street for free.

Logistics

Start/Finish: Welburn. Post code is YO60 7ED
Where is it: Welburn and Castle Howard are located in the Howardian Hills, which borders the south of the North York Moors.
Distance: 4.7 miles
Time: 1h 30min
Difficulty: Easy
Terrain: Path, road, gravel, dirt, grass
Amenities: In Welburn there is the Crown and Cushion pub, and a cafe. Nothing along the route.
Time of year: I walked the Castle Howard circular in summer

Welburn to Castle Howard walk map

You can find my more detailed route map for the circular Castle Howard walk on Alltrails

Route description for the Castle Howard circular walk

Starting in the village of Welburn, walk to Castle Lane, which is opposite the village hall. It’s a very small village, so you won’t miss it.

Looking across the road to some stone walled houses, with a tall hedge in front. There is a road sign saying 'Water Lane'.

Follow Castle Lane, which will lead you onto the path (it’s the left one at the fork).

A road with green grass and hedges to the right and a stone wall and hedges to the left, at the start of the walk towards Castle Howard.

A split in the path, with the right path leading through an open gate, and the left path leading along the4 edge of a field.

Now follow this path all the way to the woods on the other side.

A long path leading straight ahead, with a large grass field to the left, and bushes on the right, with a field on the other side. There are woodland trees ahead in the distance.

A trail leading towards a mass of woodland. There is a man in a blue t-shirt walking towards them.

Along here, you will be walking surrounded by fields, with a view to the Pyramid on St Anne’s Hill over to the left. Then further along, you will get your first view towards Castle Howard, and if you timed the walk for summer, you might see all the red poppies as well.

Looking across the grass fields towards a pyramid on a hill in the distance, on the walk towards Castle Howard.

Looking across a field with tall grass and poppies, near the start of the walk, with part of Castle Howard poking out through the trees in the distance.

The woods

It was a relief to be in the woods, and out of the blazing sun. We were currently in a heat wave, so any woods makes me happy right now. They don’t last long though.

In the woods, you will start to make your way uphill, then keep going straight at the junction, and this will lead you back out into the open.

A dirt path leading through the woods. It is dark, with rays of light shining through.

A wooden trail signpost in the bushes on the right. with the path to the left.

A dirt trail surround by tall grass and plants, with fields and trees visible in the distance.

All the great things

Once out in the open, you will get a view to everything. The Pyramid on St Anne’s Hill to your left, the Castle Howard Mausoleum to your right, and Castle Howard ahead.

The Castle Howard Mausoleum sticking out above the trees, part way through the walk. There is a large field in front of the woods and Mausoleum, with a few people walking on the path that runs through it.

Looking above the plants and across the field, to Castle Howard in the distance, partway through the walk.

When you reach the road junction, turn left, then almost immediately right, where there is a trail signpost.

A wooden trail signpost sticking out of the bushes, with a path to the left. There are a few people walking along the path.

Before you go that way though, you can go and see the Pyramid. It’s free to visit. I didn’t go and look, but over there you will find a large bust of Lord William Howard.

The long road and bridge

Along here, you will have a really cool view all the way straight along a long track, to the New River Bridge at the end. You need to wait until you are on the other side to see the bridge properly though.

A long path leading straight ahead into the distance. It is lined with tall grass and white hogweed

When you reach the bridge, walk to the top, where you will have a wonderful view to your left of Castle Howard, past the Temple Basin waterfall, and Temple of the Four Winds up on the hill.

A pond on the left, and a grass hill field on the right, with the Temple of the Four winds on top of the hill, on the Castle Howard circular walk.

Over the bridge, to your right you will see a path leading to the Castle Howard Mausoleum, so feel free to walk over there to take a look.

Looking across the grass field, towards the Castle Howard Mausoleum on the hill ahead, partway through the walk. There is a mass of green leafy trees to the left.

Fun Fact: The mausoleum is the burial place for the Howard family.

Once you are done, come back and walk up the hill to the Temple of the Four Winds.

Temple of the Four Winds

I was hoping to be able to go into it, however, once there I saw it was surrounded by locked fence….I prefer these things from the outside anyway.

Fun Fact: Temple of the Four Winds was originally used as a place for refreshments and reading. There is a cellar beneath it, where servants would prepare food for the family above.

Funny story about this temple. A year or so ago, down in Surrey, Ollie and I headed out on a walk which would take us passed Temple of the Four Winds. A different one. We had looked it up online, and saw many photos of this Temple, but completely missed the fact that these photos all linked to Yorkshire. Once we arrived at said Temple, there was nothing there, just the base where it used to be. We were highly confused. It wasn’t until later, when we looked it up again, that we realised there were two temples with the same name. I said that one day I would come to this one…then forgot about it.

That walk itself was still great. The Temple part was only something en route to the main star of the walk. You can read about it here.

What’s even funnier, is that when I set off on this Castle Howard walk, I had no idea that this is where Temple of the Four Winds was, until I got to it.

Walk around the Castle Howard perimeter

After the Temple, follow the perimeter of the wall surrounding the Castle Howard Estate. There were some people walking along the wall top. Looking up at them, I felt like the peasant.

A grass trail leading straight ahead, with a stone wall to the left and field to the right. There is a lonely tree to the right of the trail.

Following the wall, you will be lead to a gate, and then through a little bit of woodland to reach the next junction.

The path leading though a small wooden gate and big metal gate, with a stone wall to the left, and woodland on the other side.

A wide woodland path, lined with tall grass and trees.

A path across the frame, with a field filled with yellow buttercups on the other side. — Turn right here

At the junction, turn right.

Follow the rugged road

For quite some time now, you will be walking along an off-road like this. If you see any trail off shoots, ignore them and stay on the main road path, all the way to reach the farm structures.

A wide path, with green bushes to the right and a tree grass field filled with yellow buttercups to the left.

A wide path through the grass field, leading to woodland trees ahead.

A path leading to the right, with a dirt trail offshoot to the left. The paths and trail are surrounded by green bushes, trees and grass. — Stay straight here

The path as it curves around a farm shelter.

Every time I see a farm, my anxiety level rises a little, ever since that time I was chased by a farm dog. So I proceeded with caution…

The farm

When I saw the houses, they looked abandoned, so I felt safe for a moment. No one was living here. Which then felt a bit creepy.

A group of stone walled houses and sheds, with the dirt path running around them. — Make sure to take the left path around the house

However, as I made my way through the houses on the right sided path, I realised there were indeed people living here. This was a home, and I was walking right into it. The dog fear resurfaced and I rushed back out and along the left path, which IS the correct path.

More views to Castle Howard things

Past the farm house, you will now be walking with a view to the Temple of the Four Winds in the distance to your right, and soon, the Castle Howard Mausoleum.

A wide path leading straight ahead, lined with a green hedge to the left and grass fields to the right.

Looking across the grass fields and trees, towards the Temple of the four winds on top of the hill in the distance, along the Castle Howard circular walk.

The dirt road winding ahead, lined with green bushes and trees.

A dirt road curving to the left, with grass fields to the right, and the Castle Howard Mausoleum on the hill in the distance, partway through the walk.

Keep going, staying on this main road path, to the next lot of farm buildings. You may get to see some horses here.

A dirt road leading up to the left, lined with a wooden fence.

A white horse on the other side of a wooden fence.

At the trail sign post, follow it to the right, keeping the farm buildings to your left, and you will be lead up a small hill, to then reach the road. At the road, turn right.

A wooden trail signpost on the corner of a wooden fence. It is pointing right, along the gravel path. There is a big farm building on the other side of the path on the left.

A dirt road leading through the woodland, lined with bushes and trees.

A road leading straight, with a man running along it. The road is lined with strips of grass and woodland trees.

Walking along this road, you will first be surrounded by trees, and then things open up, where you will have another view to Castle Howard.

Looking across a large green field, to the top of Castle Howard through the trees in the distance, near the end of the circular walk.

Keep going, with the pointy Pyramid on St Anne’s Hill ahead. Then when you reach the rugged trail on the left, go up it. This is the trail you got here on.

A road leading straight ahead, surround by green fields, with a pyramid ahead in the distance.

The road leading to the right, with a path leading off it to the left. The is a pyramid in the distance, on top of a hill. — Turn left here

A trail leading up through the field towards a mass of trees.

The woods and the final stretch of the Castle Howard circular walk

Head back up into the woods, then when you reach the junction, you have two options. Straight will take you back to Welburn the way you came. Left will take you on a small loop through Pretty Wood.

A dirt trail through the woods, lined with leafy hogweed plants and trees, near the end of the Castle Howard circular walk.

A dirt trial split in the woods, with a wooden signpost in the middle of the split.

I decided to stay straight as I wanted to walk back to Welburn with the views of it ahead.

Looking across the grass fields, to the rooftops of Welburn, at the end of the Castle Howard circular walk.

More walks near Castle Howard

The next day I came back, and tried a couple of walks. The first one was this circular from Terrington. It’s a nice long one, taking you on a good old countryside stomp. The second one, which I did straight after, is a circular route from Kirkham Priory. That one was questionable. Kirkham Priory itself is lovely. The walk however, involves a crazy amount of overgrowth. If you wear trousers, it will be fine. If you don’t have trousers, then don’t do it.

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Castle Howard circular walking route guide.