Thixendale
Route: Thixendale
Area: North Yorkshire
Date of walk: 2nd July 2017
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 8.8 miles
Weather: Sunny
Some time ago I’d asked wildlife artist Robert Fuller to paint a red squirrel, based one one of my photos of our favourite animal. The great day duly arrived when the painting was ready for collection, and full of anticipation we set off for Thixendale, where Robert’s gallery is based. For anyone in the area, the gallery is well worth a visit. It’s full of interest, with displays of original paintings, prints, ideas for gifts, storyboards, live webcams trained on local wildlife and much more besides. All of these show Robert’s deep love for wildlife and the understanding he has for his subjects. Best of all, entrance to the gallery is free – though maybe not, as it’s impossible to resist buying something
The squirrel painting was duly unveiled and we weren’t disappointed, it was all we’d been hoping for and more
The Yorkshire Wolds is one of my favourite walking areas and Thixendale is set in the very heart of it, so this was a good opportunity to combine our visit to the gallery with a walk. Having conducted our business, which was a pleasure, we drove over to nearby Thixendale village and set off on the ‘Thixendale Round‘
Details of the walk are contained in the link so I won’t repeat these, save to say that it’s a delight every step of the way. There are a few short road sections, but we encountered little traffic and the surrounding countryside is beautiful throughout. The Wolds are best seen against a background of ‘big skies’ and we were lucky today as the weather suited the landscape perfectly
The photos which follow will tell the story of a walk in pristine English countryside…
We leave the road to descend in the direction of the Vale of York...
2 comments
[…] The gallery is a few minutes off the Yorkshire Wolds Way national trail, a 79-mile trek through dramatic chalkland valleys and one of Yorkshire’s greatest secrets. We often get walkers making the detour to see the paintings of the wildlife that they have spotted on their travels that hang on my gallery walls. Last summer a visitor was inspired to write this detailed blog about a walk he took through the Yorkshire Wolds that circles the gallery. Click here to read it and to see some of the fantastic photographs he took of this inspirational la… […]
[…] Visitors to my gallery often like to get out enjoy the stunning scenery whilst they are here. Why not follow their lead and make the most of your visit by packing your walking boots when you come so that you can also enjoy the Yorkshire Wolds? Follow this link to download and print a guide to a short scenic route you can take directly from my gallery. Follow this link to read how one visitor did just that and see the beautiful photographs he took of … […]