(S/E) Once parked at Bella Farm car park walk back to the road and turn left (north) past Bella Farm on your left and up towards the village of Wharram Le Street.
On the way, where the road turns sharply to the right, continue straight north, along the track indicated by the footpath marker, towards the three sets of semi-detached houses in the distance.
(1) Once you reach the houses, exit the field via the hole in the hedge next to the footpath marker and out onto Station Road. Turn left (west) along Station Road, following the road towards the woods.
(2) As you enter the woods, stay on Station Road, following it around to the left and steeply down the hill. On your left as you go down the hill, you will see the old chalk quarry now a nature reserve. Continue to the bottom of the hill, walk past the entrance to Station Cottage, and take a left down the drive to Station House, indicated by a public footpath sign. Follow the footpath in a southernly direction, along the old railway trackbed.
(3) As you walk this section, you will see on the left the old Chalk Works with lime kilns, chalk crusher and loading bays all in plain sight. Continue south following the footpath and you will reach a footbridge bridge crossing over in front of you, beyond is the entrance to Burdale Tunnel.
(4) As you approach the footbridge, enter the field to the right, up the bank through the gate, indicated by the English Heritage sign, leading to the abandoned medieval village of Wharram Percy.
(You can turn left here which would lead you straight back to the car park about 0.3 miles away but may be worth seeing the medieval village first before turning back!). Continue up the farm track to the 18th Century Farmhouse and the abandoned church, make sure to read the many signs along the way to learn about the medieval village!
(5) Assuming you are continuing the walk beyond the village to complete the round route, continue south and you will reach the reservoir just beyond the church where the village mill would have been located, turn left before the reservoir, read the notice board about the mill before heading up and to the left, following the path diagonally, up the hill, continuing to the south. You will walk along this ridge for 0.5 miles, with the deep valley to your right handsome, continue until you reach a T-junction of footpaths.
(6) Once at the T-junction, turn sharp left (East) and head in an easterly direction along the edge of the field. Eventually, you reach a patch of woodland on the left side, the Burdale tunnel runs beneath your feet at this point, an old tunnel air shaft is present to the left-hand side of the path. There is another within the cluster of trees in the field to the right-hand side of the path.
(7) When you reach the road, continue for the short eastern section of the road which then turns sharply left (north) and this will lead you straight back to the car park (just follow the road).
If you have a bit of energy left, you can turn right just after the woods, down the road, directly south for just 0.2 miles. Where the road bears sharply right, look over the fence to the left side, down into the cutting, the southern Burdale Tunnel portal is in that valley but unfortunately is not visible from the road. In the distance you can also see Burdale chalk quarry where Burdale Station and Loco Shed would have been located.
To return to the car park, turn around, head back north and rejoin the walk, following the road back to the car park. (S/E)
