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Navigation: To Do - Danes Dyke Walk.

Danes Dyke Nature Trail

Type: Easy / Moderate chalk paths and steps.
Length: 1½ miles (2.5km) approx.
Car Park: Danes Dyke (pay & display).
Facilities: Toilets, picnic area and seasonal snack bar.

This walk is an ideal nature ramble and features a wide range of plants and wild life. It starts in the car park. Head down the roadway towards the beach for about 10 meters and turn left onto the chalk path. Follow this round to a wooden bridge, which crosses the small gully you are tracing. The concrete steps at the other side will give you your first taste of what is to follow.

The path leads to the cliff top and forks. Take a right, which will bring you to the steps down to the beach. Here is a wonderful viewing point (see map), looking out across the vast waters of Bridlington Bay. The cliff edge is the only place on the trail with natural grassland and has it's own community of wildlife and plants. You may notice the shrubs and bushes are stunted as they are exposed to the prevailing South Westerly winds. These still provide important feeding and nesting areas for the resident bird life.

Continue down the steps into the ravine, the beach is to your left. This natural feature formed the basis of the ditch and bank earthworks, which stretches over 2½ miles (4km) Northward until reaching the cliff edge at the North side of Flamborough Head.

After ascending the other side of the ravine, you walk through tranquil woodland under the canopy of tall trees. These are mainly Beech and Sycamore. After approximately ¼ of a mile you will come across another footpath to your left. This leads off and takes you through the Links Golf Course to Bridlington - but that's another walk! Continue on the short distance, until you reach the steps on your right. This point is decision time. You can cut the walk short and follow these steps back across the ravine, another wooden bridge, and up towards the car park or carry on.

If you continue, again under the canopy you eventually reach a small valley where a small stream joins near the bridge. Here you can see where it has cut through the boulder clay to expose the chalk beneath. Continue to the steps, which climb the bank onto the access road and up the other side. You have now reached the massive earthwork known as Danes Dyke. Follow the top of this until it re-joins the access road briefly before another section of footpath leads off. This will lead you back to the car park, passing the remains of Danes Dyke House and garden. The snack bar and toilets are the only standing remains and were the stables and outhouses.

History
Danes Dyke House - was built for Frances Elizabeth Cotterell Dormer (Lady of the Manor at Flamborough) in 1873. The area was much more open at the time as early pictures show. The woodland must have flourished only in the last 100 years or so. The house was demolished in the 1950's with only the stables and outhouses surviving. The surviving steps lead to the old garden layout.

Danes Dyke - the origins of which are still not certain. The only thing agreed, was that it was not built by the Danes. Some of the experts date it as being built between 1200 and 1600, the Dark Ages. Others date it as 1000 years older being built by Iron Age people. The Southern end follows a natural ravine with the earthworks to the Eastern side. The last 2 miles of the Northern end is man made. The ditch was dug 60 feet (20m) wide and 20 feet (6m) deep. The excavated soil was thrown on the Eastern side to form a rampart between 16 and 18 feet high.

Script and pictures by:
Simon Robson.

This website has been set up by Flamborough Community Environmental Action Group with funding through:

English Nature and The Shell Better Britain Campaign.