Oddsocks Walk and Christmas Dinner - 8 December - Skipwith Common, 11am start

Start: 11am prompt from Skipwith Common. NOTE the later start time of 11:00, as many of us are booked in for the York Oddsocks Christmas dinner at Naburn Marina at 3:00.

Parking: Car park on King Rudding Lane side of Skipwith Common. King Rudding Lane is a left hand turn off the A19 near Riccall. The lane is single track with passing places. The car park is on the left hand side after Dunelm Farm, and opposite the Poultry farm

Leader: Bridie

Postcode for satnav:  YO19 6QL

What3words:  ///hopeless.socialite.pretty

(Extra Christmas bonus points for the first person to skillfully get the what 3 words into conversation at dinner)

Distance:  just under 8 miles

Time: Between 3 and 3.5 hours (with one stop for coffee / snacks, no lunch stop as we are eating later)

Level of difficulty: Easy

Refreshments and toilets: No cafes or public toilets at Skipwith Common. 

The walk: Circular walk (in a rough figure of 8) starting at Skipwith Common, heading towards North Duffield but diverting off onto minor roads, tracks and fields before returning to Skipwith Common, all easy walking, no hills.

Anyone who would like to walk but doesn't feel up to 8 miles is welcome to break the walk by diverting to the Drovers Arms in Skipwith when we get close to it and rejoining us when we get back to Skipwith Common, this would make a roughly 4 mile walk in total.

Sunday walk: Studley Roger - 10 November

Start: 10am prompt from Studley Roger village. Park at the end of the lane avoiding house verges.

Leader: Steve

Google Maps: View map

Postcode for satnav: HG4 3AY

What3Words: whizzed.excellent.vanilla

Distance: 8.5 miles

Difficulty: Easy to moderate - fairly flat 

Refreshments: Olive Tree cafe at F Tate and Sons on nearby Studley Road, heading towards Ripon.

Toilets: At Olive Tree cafe and entrance to Studley Royal.

A gentle walk in the countryside surrounding Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey. With a bit of luck we can experience the deer rut at the end of the walk as we walk through the deer park.

Optional extra: After the walk and visit to the cafe, there is an option to view the starling murmuration at the Ripon City Wetlands. The display occurs (if it occurs, its nature!) before and at dusk, so we would drive to the small car park on the Boroughbridge Road, past the entrance to Ripon City Wetlands on the right before the bridge of the river Ure - What3Words - and walk along the river for about half a mile until just outside the wetlands. There is the option to continue into the wetlands for a closer view. After dusk, walk back to car park and head home.