WTC Ways Day 2: Newbald to Pocklington

Distance: 16 or 17 miles
Ascent: 400m
Weather: warm and sunny, nice breeze
Birdlife: Yellowhammers: 2, one of which was sitting on a big manure heap. Nice. Lots of crows and pigeons, skylarks, housemartins, tufted duck, coots, kestrel, canada geese, red kite, buzzard, swan, guinea fowl, partridges, swallows, three lapwings squeaking.
Hares: 6, possibly more
Stoat: 1
Unidentified brown creature in undergrowth: 1

We left Newbald by pretty little lane and turned off up a track by the side of a pig farm, from where most alarming noises were coming (the pigs having breakfast, hopefully not of one of the other pigs.) Walking along the track by the sides of large fields, it was dry and warm in the sun. There were quite a lot of big flies in the shelter of the hedges and we saw a hare and a lot of crows. The weather was much nicer today, it seems churlish to complain about it being too warm, and we saw a lot of wildlife.

Crossing a quiet country lane signed to Goodmanham we joined Spring Dale (what looked like an old railway line, very straight and flat, lined with hawthorn and ash trees) passing St Helen's Spring, complete with a ribbon-adorned tree. There was a slight confusion that we might have taken a wrong turn at the turn off to Goodmanham, but it turns out there are two YWW options here, we followed the track and then turned back through the village to visit the Goodmanham Arms Ale House, where they are brewing today.

After a drink stop (local beer for Rob, coke for me) we left the village (more confusing signposts) and followed the path around more fields. They do have big fields round here. Saw orange tipped butterflies, white butterflies and small tortoiseshells.

We decided against stopping at the picnic spot shown on the map as it was right by a busy road, and also the tables were taken by families and group of noisy DofEers. So we crossed the road and headed down a track and across a sheep field towards a tranquil little lake, with ducks and coots, and a kestrel circling above, where we had lunch on a grassy bank in the sunshine.

We followed the path over a bridge and through the grounds of big house, bidding a polite goodday to the man with a big scythe and then walking along a lane we saw a red kite, a lot of cyclists (only one of whom said hello), a stoat, two hares, sorry four hares and two partridges in a pear tree field.

There was a brief stop by a pretty church in Nunbunhum (sorry, Nunbrunholme) for Rob to take off his baselayer as it was quite getting warm. We had a good look at a field, as the Way directed us all around three sides to avoid walking up a track along the other side. Walking up the lane from there, there were a lot of butterflies, mostly white and one that was all yellow. We walked through some more fields (big) past some cows all trying to shelter under a very small tree, a buzzard being attacked by a crow, some skylarks a singing (Higher State of Consciousness) and a green beetle.

Leaving the YWW we heading towards Pocklington, via a golf course (lots of lazy people in buggies) and down a lane near the Buddist centre and through a confusing housing estate into town. We are staying at The Feathers Hotel, and currently enjoying a pint of Yorkshire Terrier and tomorrow's weather forecast.