Kirkham Priory Walk: Everything You Need to Know

Oh my good god. This walk from Kirkham Priory was intense, and not in a good way. It could have been lovely, and maybe it once was. Maybe it will be again. But right now, it’s pretty aggressive….

A pretty arched bridge over the river, at the start of the walk at Kirkham Priory. There are lots of green leafed trees on the other side of the river.

Looking across the river to the ruins of Kirkham Priory, at the start of the walk.

What I’m going to do in this guide, is first give you an overview of what to expect on the circular river walk from Kirkham Priory, with all the logistics. Then I will go on to describe the route, with lots of photos, so you can see what I mean. I’m not saying don’t do it. You just need to be very prepared.

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What to expect on the Kirkham Priory circular walk

The walk starts off at the ruins of the Kirkham Priory, on the edge of the River Derwent. So far so good. You will then cross the railway, and make your way uphill through the woods.

Looking over the tall grass and plants, to the river, with the ruins of Kirkham Priory on the other side, at the start of the walk. There are two people walking down by the river.

A small brick walled station building, with light blue steps leading up to the door. There is a red sign over the4 door saying 'Kirkham Abbey' in white writing.

A dirt trail leading through the woods, filled with green leafy trees.

The route then takes you through a variety of fields, country lanes, and more woodland with a little bit of stinging nettle overgrowth.

Looking across the undulating fields of green, and orange.

A narrow trail through a mass of stinging nettles.

A field with tall orange hay grass, and a lonely tree in the middle.

Then after another railway crossing, where the gate is manually operated (something I have not seen before), you will head back to the River Derwent. This is where it starts….

The overgrowth.

I have experienced a lot of overgrowth in my walking life, but nothing like this. For the whole walk back to Kirkham Priory along the river, I was engulfed. It’s so extreme, that you barely actually see the river.

A mass of green overgrown plants winding the trail, on the walk back towards Kirkham Priory.

A mass of green overgrowth on the river side section of the Kirkham Priory walk.

A small dirt trail under a fallen tree branch, on the circular walk back to Kirkham Priory.

By the time I had finished, my legs were raw red and covered in scratches. Now, overgrowth can be fixed. Someone just needs to do it. I just don’t know when (or if) that will happen.

On a positive note, there were some pretty bits, with bridges and flowers.

A wooden bridge surround by overgrown green grass and plants, when walking back to Kirkham Priory.

A narrow dirt trail through the tall grass, with a strip of pink and white flowers along the right side of it.

A wooden bridge, surrounded by greenery, flowers, and trees, on the walk towards Kirkham Priory.

How long is the Kirkham Priory circular walk?

The Kirkham Priory circular walk is just under 5 miles. It took me about 1h40min to complete.

Is the Kirkham Prior walk hard?

The Kirkham Priory circular route itself is easy. It’s the overgrowth that makes it hard. There is one main hill at the start. The rest is mostly level or downhill.

Looking across the river, with cottages on the other side, with a mass of woodland behind them, at the start of the walk from Kirkham Priory.

A gravel path lined with tall grass, and green plants, with a view to trees and fields in the distance.

A large green grass field, leading to a lighter green field, part way through the Kirkham Priory circular walk. There are tufts of grass in the field.

Is Kirkham Priory free to visit?

For this walk, you don’t go inside Kirkham Priory. However, if you want to explore it, Kirkham Priory is English Heritage, which is free if you are a member. For everyone else, it’s £5.90 per adult and £3.10 per child (at the time of writing). There is discount for families.

Find out prices for English Heritage Membership here

Fun Fact: Kirkham Priory is an Augustinian Priory, and was founded by Walter I’Espec, who also built Rievaulx Abbey.

Rievaulx Abbey, and Whitby Abbey, both in the North York Moors, are also English Heritage. So you could use your membership there too.

Read more: Helmsley to Rievaulx walk guide

Parking for the Kirkham Priory Walk

There is a free parking area right next to the Kirkham Priory.

The ruins of Kirkham Priory, on the edge of the gravel car park, at the start of the walk. — This is the parking place

Tips for the Kirkham Priory walk

Take trousers. You don’t need to wear them the whole way. Just for the river section of the walk back to Kirkham Priory.
Take a little picnic. The section of river next to Kirkham Priory is so lovely, and very picturesque with the bridge and the priory on the other side of the river, and would be a lovely place to hang out after the walk.

Take snacks and enough water in general. During the summer months there is an ice cream truck, and up the road there is a pub. Otherwise, there is no where else to buy food.
Don’t do it.
Just joking. If you take trousers, and it’s not a crazy hot day, it might not be too bad. Maybe a bit adventurous.

Logistics

Start/Finish: Kirkham Priory
Where is it: Kirkham Priory is located in the Howardian Hills AONB, which is connected to the North York Moors, in Yorkshire.
Distance: 4.8 miles

Time: 1h 40min
Terrain: Dirt, road, grass, overgrowth.
Difficulty: Easy in theory

Amenities: There is a pub, called the Stone Trough Inn further up the road. Toilets somewhere at Kirkham Priory. I didn’t see them, but I didn’t look. Occasional ice cream van.
Time of year: I walked the Kirkham Priory circular in summer

Map for the Kirkham Priory Circular walk

You can find my more detailed route map for the Kirkham Priory walk on Alltrails.

Route description for the Kirkham Priory circular walk

Starting from the car park next to Kirkham Priory, walk over the bridge, and follow the road over the railway, and up the hill.

A road curving ahead to the left, lined with green bushes and hedges. There is the top of a cottage visible over the bushes ahead.

The Kirkham Abbey train station building next to the road. It has brick walls, and light blue steps leading up to the entrance.

A short way up, look out for the wooden gate and trail signpost to the left.

The road on the right, and a wooden gate leading into the mass of green woodland to the left.

Uphill through the woods

Through the gate, you will be on a dirt trail through the woodland. Keep on the main path, which will soon take you uphill, all the way to reach the road.

A dirt path through the woods. It's dark, with rays of light shining through.

A dirt trail split in the woods, with green leafy plants lining the paths. — Keep right here

A yellow arrow on a tree trunk, with masses of green leafed plants around the bottom of the tree.

At the road turn left, then a short way along, take the path leading off it to the left. You should see a partially hidden trail signpost here.

A road leading ahead and to the right with a trail offshoot to the left. The road is lined with strips of green grass. — Take that left trail off the road

A wooden trail signpost engulfed by the green leafy bush, with a metal gate to the left.

Now you will be walking along the edge of a field, with nice countryside field views to your right and back.

A track trail leading along the edge of a field, with tall green bushes on the left, partway through the Kirkham Priory circular walk.

A flattened area of dead orange and yellow grass, with green leafy woodland trees ahead.

Keep following the track, which will lead you into the woods again.

Overgrowth part one

To get into these woods, I was faced with a mass of stinging nettles. I had some waterproof trousers in the bottom of my bag. They live there for emergency situations, however, I was too lazy to get them out. Plus, we were in the middle of a heat wave and I didn’t want to put them on. So I carefully tried to slide through, minimising skin contact.

The trail leading through a mass of stinging nettles, at the entrance to the woods.

Luckily, the stinging nettle overgrowth was only to get into the woods. Once in, the path was nice and clear…for a bit.

The next section is pretty flat, along a woodland trail. I came across the odd moment of slight overgrowth. Nothing a bit of sideways walking couldn’t handle.

A dirt trail leading through the woods, with tall trees. The path is lined with green leafy plants.

The fields and railway line

When you reach the gate, go through it and turn right. Now, follow the perimeter of the field which will lead you down to the road, where you then continue straight along it.

A metal gate surrounded by the bushes of the woodland, leading to the open fields.

A grass trail along the right side edge of a field, with a wire fence and woodland to the right of the trail.

A yellow on a wooden stump, pointing ahead down the hill covered in overgrown grass. There is a view to fields and trees in the distance.

The road, curving ahead, with fields on the right and left of it.

At the cattle grid, there is a really bizarre set of stiles. They lead to no where. Just take the cattle grid.

A cattle grid on the road, with a wooden stile on the left side of it.

A gravel road, with a green crop field to the right, and wire fence4 and grass field to the left. There is a sheep standing on the other side of the fence. There is a big tree ahead next to thee road.

At the end of this road, turn left, and keep going to reach the railway line.

A road junction, with a green hedge and orange crop field on the other side. — Turn left here

A road curving to the right ahead. The road is lined with overgrown green grass and plants.

The road leading to a closed white gate next to the railway line, part way through the Kirkham Priory circular walk. There is a train on the track, and a small brick walled train building on the other side of the tracks.

The gates were closed when I got there, so I waited for the train to pass. After it did, the train man came out of his hut to open the gates. I had never seen this before. He then starts asking me if I was here to see the King. I thought he was making some sort of joke that I didn’t get. So I just smiled.

He then asked me if I understood. I said no. He then asked me if I was English. I said yes. Once he realised that I had no idea what he was talking about, he explained that the King actually was nearby, and would be on a train running through here.

I didn’t really feel like seeing the King, so continued on my way.

Walk to the river to head back to Kirkham Priory

Over the railway line, continue along the road, looking out for the trail signpost on the right. It points you through the crop field to the left.

A road leading straight ahead, with a trail signpost on the right side, pointing left to a crop field. There are green tree leaves overhanging the frame.

A thin trail through a crop field on the circular walk back to Kirkham Priory.

The trail through the crop field is nice and easy. I always enjoy these crop field trails. You’re sort of engulfed, but not.

On the other side, go through the gate, and keep going straight, through a couple more gates, to reach the river. At the river, turn left to walk back towards Kirkham Priory.

A wooden gate, with a yellow arrow pointing ahead to the field on the other side.

A green grass field, with tufts of grass, and a wooden gate in the green hedge ahead.

A barfly visible trial through the tall grass, and woodland trees ahead.

The grass trail through the tall grass, leading to a wooden gate. There is a mass of green bushes and trees on the other side of the gate.

Walk along the river back to Kirkham Priory

Straight away, I was faced with a mass of overgrowth. I had it in my head that this was just a short messy bit I needed to get through, then the rest of the walk back to Kirkham Priory would be a lovely riverside stroll.

A barely visible trail through the green leafy overgrowth, on the river side walk back to Kirkham Priory.

As such, I still refused to put my trousers on, and ploughed on through. It wasn’t too bad to start. Some overgrowth, some clear(ish) path. Lots of butterflies.

A barely visible trail through the green overgrowth, with white hogweed.

A mass of green overgrowth with white and pink flowers, on the river side walk towards Kirkham Priory.

A trail disappearing into the over growth, with the river to the right, on the walk back to Kirkham Priory. — One of the few river sightings along the Kirkham Priory walk

There were no stinging nettles so far. Although, there was a lot of Hogweed. I couldn’t tell wether this was the innocent kind, or the burning kind.

A mass of green with a large hogweed at the front.

Giant Hogweed does something to your skin. If it touches you, then you are exposed to sun, you get sever burns. Some of the Hogweed looked a bit giant, so I just tried to avoid those ones.

Never ending overgrowth

Once the trail took me along the edge of a field, I felt relieved. Thinking that the overgrowth was over. I was also aware though, that the sun was hitting me hard. I hoped that that hogweed hadn’t got me. But I was also too hot and fed up to care too much.

A large field with tall grass and yellow flowers.

Once I saw that the trail was about to take me through more overgrowth, my heart sank. There was no getting out of it at this point, so I put my head down and fought my way through.

A mass of overgrowth, with some pink and white flowers.

It continues like this for a little. Overgrowth riverside path, mixed in with edge of field walking.

I realised at this point that I had barely seen the river, despite being right next to it. It might as well have not been there.

A thin dirt trail along the edge of a crop field on the left, with tall grass and weeds to the right, and woodland trees ahead. — This is one of the few views I got of the river

There did come a point in the overgrowth, where there was a bit too much stinging nettle for my liking, so I gave in and put my trousers on. Although, by now it was too late. My legs were already pretty scratched up.

Once on, I stuck my arms in the air, and powered on through. After I was through that section, I decided to keep my trousers on. I didn’t trust that there wouldn’t be more overgrowth soon.

And sure enough there was more. A lot more. With the occasional field and woodland relief.

A barely visible trail through the mass of green tall overgrown grass and plants, with white and pink flowers.

A dirt trail through the tall grass, with woodland trees ahead.

A thin dirt trail along the left side of a green crop field., on the walk back towards Kirkham Priory.

A wooden bridge engulfed by green leafy plants.

Reaching the end of the Kirkham Priory walk

The whole ordeal goes on for about 2 miles, pretty much all the way back to Kirkham Priory. In fact, as soon as you get your first view of the priory, this is when it stops.

The ruins on Kirkham Priory on the other side of the river, at the end of the walk.

A dirt trail lined with green leafy plants, grass and bushes.

Once I walked through the gate, with Kirkham Priory on the other side of the river, I felt such relief. It was over.

I walked over to the river to look at the water cascading down. Taking my trousers off, my legs sweaty and stingy, I wanted nothing more than to jump in the river. Then I remembered I had a full bottle of water in my car, so hurried on back and poured it all over me.

Water cascading down to the right, at the end of the Kirkham Priory walk.

The ruins of Kirkham Priory visible through some straggly tree branches.

More walks near Kirkham Priory

I came to walk Kirkham Priory straight after this route from Terrington. It’s only 10 min drive away.

The best I have done in the Howardian Hills, is this route to Castle Howard. You don’t go into the castle itself, but rather walk through the fields around it, with wonderful views of it.