Centenary Way

Walking the Centenary Way: A Journey Through Yorkshire’s Hidden Heart

Map of the Centenary Way

The Centenary Way is a 83-mile (134 km) celebration trail that traverses some of Yorkshire’s most beautiful yet often overlooked landscapes. Created in 1989 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of North Yorkshire County Council, this route connects York with the Cleveland Way National Trail at Filey, passing through the gentle Howardian Hills, across the rolling Yorkshire Wolds, and alongside peaceful river valleys. It’s a trail that reveals Yorkshire’s quieter side—a landscape of elegant country estates, deserted medieval villages, ancient forests, and timeless agricultural countryside.

The Route and Character

Beginning in the historic city of York and ending at the coastal resort of Filey on the North Sea coast, the Centenary Way creates a natural west-to-east traverse of North Yorkshire. The trail strategically links several other long-distance paths—it connects with the Foss Walk near York, meets the Yorkshire Wolds Way, and culminates by joining the Cleveland Way National Trail for its final stretch to the coast.

Most walkers complete the Centenary Way over six to seven days, covering 12-15 miles (19-24 km) daily. This comfortable pace allows time to explore the trail’s numerous historical sites, enjoy the varied landscapes, and appreciate the subtle beauty of the Yorkshire countryside. The terrain is predominantly gentle, with rolling hills rather than dramatic peaks, making this an accessible trail for walkers with moderate fitness who prefer landscapes that invite contemplation rather than demand exertion.

Trail Highlights and Landscapes

Castle Howard and the Howardian Hills

One of the trail’s early highlights is Castle Howard, one of Britain’s most magnificent stately homes. This baroque masterpiece, familiar to millions as the setting for Brideshead Revisited, sits amid 1,000 acres of landscaped grounds featuring temples, fountains, and woodland gardens. The house remains the home of the Howard family and showcases exceptional architecture, art collections, and interior design. The trail passes through the estate’s parkland, offering views of the house’s distinctive dome and the surrounding designed landscape.

The Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty provides the trail’s first distinctive landscape zone. These gentle, rolling hills are characterized by mixed woodland, small villages built from honey-colored limestone, and a patchwork of agricultural fields. The area’s relative obscurity compared to the nearby North York Moors means peaceful walking through quintessentially English countryside.

The River Derwent and Foss

The trail follows sections of both the River Derwent and River Foss, two of Yorkshire’s most important waterways. These riverside sections provide flat, easy walking through deep valleys where the rivers meander through pastoral landscapes. The wooded valley sides create sheltered corridors rich in wildlife—watch for kingfishers, herons, and otters along the riverbanks. The combination of water, woodland, and meadow creates habitat diversity that supports numerous bird species, making these sections particularly rewarding for nature enthusiasts.

Wharram Percy Deserted Medieval Village

One of the trail’s most atmospheric and historically significant sites, Wharram Percy is Britain’s best-known deserted medieval village. Managed by English Heritage, this archaeological site preserves the earthwork remains of a village that thrived from the 10th to 16th centuries before being gradually abandoned. The ruined church of St. Martin still stands, its roofless walls a poignant reminder of the community that once worshipped here.

Walking among the house platforms, streets, and field systems—all visible as earthworks in the grass—provides a tangible connection to medieval life. The site has been extensively excavated, revealing insights into how ordinary people lived during the Middle Ages. Interpretation panels explain the village’s history and the reasons for its abandonment (likely a combination of economic changes, plague, and the shift from arable farming to sheep grazing). The peaceful valley setting adds to the site’s haunting beauty.

The Yorkshire Wolds

The trail crosses the Yorkshire Wolds, a range of low chalk hills that create a distinctive landscape of rolling open countryside, dry valleys (formed during ice age conditions), and vast skies. The Wolds have a unique character—less dramatic than the Yorkshire Dales or North York Moors, but possessing a subtle beauty and sense of space that rewards attentive walkers.

The chalk geology creates well-drained soils that have been farmed since prehistoric times. Bronze Age burial mounds dot the hilltops, while the remains of Iron Age settlements and Roman roads speak to millennia of human activity. The open landscape and big skies create excellent conditions for watching birds of prey—look for buzzards, kestrels, and occasionally red kites soaring on the thermals.

In spring and summer, the chalk grassland supports wildflowers including various orchids, cowslips, and harebells. The Wolds’ relative lack of woodland means you can see for miles, with views extending across the Vale of York to the Pennines on clear days.

Forest Tracks and Woodland Walking

The trail incorporates sections through ancient and planted woodland, providing welcome shade on hot days and shelter in poor weather. These forest tracks pass through mixed deciduous woodland where oak, ash, and beech predominate, alongside coniferous plantations. Spring brings bluebells, wood anemones, and wild garlic, while autumn delivers spectacular color and the chance to see fungi fruiting on the forest floor.

The woodland sections also provide excellent bird watching opportunities—listen for the drumming of woodpeckers, the calls of nuthatches and treecreepers, and in summer, the songs of various warbler species.

Historic Towns and Villages

York – One of Europe’s most historic cities, York deserves at least a day’s exploration before or after your walk. The medieval walls, magnificent York Minster, the Shambles (medieval street), numerous museums, and vibrant cultural scene make this a compelling start or finish point.

Stamford Bridge – This village marks the site of the 1066 Battle of Stamford Bridge, where King Harold defeated the Viking army just weeks before the Battle of Hastings. A memorial stone commemorates this pivotal moment in English history.

Malton – Known as Yorkshire’s food capital, this market town on the River Derwent offers excellent local produce, artisan food shops, and a monthly food market. The town’s Roman origins (it was the fort of Derventio) and Georgian architecture add historical interest.

Filey – The trail’s coastal terminus, Filey is a traditional seaside resort with a long sandy beach, elegant Edwardian seafront, and the dramatic Filey Brigg promontory extending into the North Sea. It provides a satisfying conclusion to the walk, with the opportunity for a celebratory paddle or fish and chips on the seafront.

Charming Villages – The trail passes through numerous small villages including Terrington, Sheriff Hutton (with its impressive castle ruins), Hovingham (home to Hovingham Hall and an annual music festival), and Wintringham, each with its own character, historic church, and often a welcoming pub.

Planning Your Walk

The Centenary Way is waymarked with distinctive circular markers, though the waymarking can be inconsistent in places, particularly where the route crosses farmland or follows minor roads. Good navigation skills and appropriate OS maps (Explorer 290, 300, and 301 cover the route) are recommended. The trail guide published by North Yorkshire County Council provides detailed route descriptions and is worth obtaining.

Accommodation is available in the towns and larger villages along the route, with options including B&Bs, country inns, and small hotels. However, accommodation is more limited than on some better-known trails, so advance booking is essential. Some sections require planning, as villages may be several miles off-route. Camping options are limited, and wild camping is not generally permitted without landowner permission.

Terrain and Conditions: The paths vary from well-maintained tracks to field edges and minor roads. After wet weather, some field sections can be muddy, and the chalk paths on the Wolds can become slippery. Good walking boots are recommended. The trail includes numerous stiles and gates, and some sections cross working farmland—respect crops, livestock, and follow the Country Code.

Transport: York is excellently connected by rail to the rest of Britain. Filey also has a railway station with regular services, making the linear walk logistically straightforward. Bus services connect some of the villages along the route, though services can be infrequent, particularly on Sundays.

Best Time to Walk: Late spring (May-June) offers wildflowers, nesting birds, and generally drier conditions; summer (July-August) provides long days and warm weather, though some field paths may be obstructed by crops; early autumn (September-October) delivers beautiful light, harvest colors, and fewer midges; winter walking is feasible but expect muddy conditions and shorter days.

Historical and Cultural Context

The Centenary Way passes through landscapes shaped by thousands of years of human activity. From prehistoric burial mounds and Iron Age settlements through Roman roads and medieval villages to Georgian estates and Victorian railways, the layers of history are visible throughout the walk.

The deserted medieval villages (Wharram Percy is the most famous, but earthworks of others are visible) tell stories of economic change, plague, and the enclosure movement. The great estates like Castle Howard represent the wealth and power of aristocratic families who shaped the landscape according to their aesthetic visions. The market towns grew prosperous on agricultural trade, while the coastal terminus at Filey developed as Victorian railways made seaside holidays accessible to the masses.

Wildlife and Nature

The varied habitats along the Centenary Way support diverse wildlife:

Rivers and Wetlands: Kingfishers, grey herons, little egrets, various duck species, and if you’re lucky, otters. Dragonflies and damselflies patrol the water margins in summer.

Woodland: Great spotted and green woodpeckers, nuthatches, treecreepers, tawny owls, and in summer, various warbler species. Roe deer are present but often elusive.

Open Farmland and Wolds: Skylarks, lapwings (increasingly rare), grey partridges, yellowhammers, and birds of prey including buzzards, kestrels, and sparrowhawks. Brown hares are relatively common on the Wolds.

Hedgerows: Important corridors for wildlife, supporting small mammals, nesting birds, and in autumn, providing berries for thrushes and other species.

The chalk grassland on the Wolds supports specialized plant communities including various orchid species, while the ancient woodlands contain bluebells, primroses, and wood anemones in spring.

Connecting Trails

The Centenary Way’s strategic position means it can be combined with other trails:

• Foss Walk: Connects near York, following the River Foss
• Yorkshire Wolds Way: The Centenary Way crosses this National Trail, allowing extensions north or south
• Cleveland Way: The final section to Filey uses part of this National Trail, and you could continue north along the spectacular North Yorkshire coast
• Ebor Way: Another trail celebrating Yorkshire’s heritage, which can be linked for extended walking

Why Walk the Centenary Way?

The Centenary Way offers something increasingly rare: a long-distance trail through beautiful countryside that remains relatively quiet and undiscovered. While the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors attract thousands of walkers, the Centenary Way provides a more contemplative experience through landscapes that reward patient observation rather than demanding attention through dramatic scenery.

This is a trail for those who appreciate the subtle beauties of the English countryside—the play of light across rolling wolds, the quiet mystery of a deserted medieval village, the elegance of a Georgian estate, the peaceful flow of a river through wooded valleys. It’s walking that allows your mind to wander as your feet follow the path, creating space for reflection and genuine relaxation.

The historical richness adds intellectual interest to the physical journey. Walking from York—a city that has been continuously important for 2,000 years—through landscapes bearing the marks of every subsequent era, to the coast where geological forces continue to shape the land, creates a journey through both space and time.

For walkers who’ve completed the more famous trails and seek new territory, or those who prefer their long-distance walking without crowds and with a strong sense of discovery, the Centenary Way represents Yorkshire walking at its most authentic and unreconstructed. It’s a trail that doesn’t shout about its attractions but quietly reveals them to those who take the time to look.

The Centenary Way proves that a trail created to commemorate an administrative anniversary can transcend its origins to become a genuine celebration of a region’s landscape, history, and character. It’s Yorkshire as the locals know it—beautiful, historic, and welcoming, but without the tourist crowds.

Interactive Map of the Centenary Way