Yorkshire Wolds

The Yorkshire Wolds are a group of low hills in East and North Yorkshire, England. They are the northernmost chalk hills in Great Britain and contain the northernmost chalk stream in Europe, the Gypsey Race. On the western edge, the Wolds rise to an escarpment which then drops sharply to the Vale of York. The highest point on the escarpment is Bishop Wilton Wold (also known as Garrowby Hill), which is 807 feet (246 m) above sea level. To the north, on the other side of the Vale of Pickering, lie the North York Moors, and to the east the hills flatten into the plain of Holderness. The hills are separated by many dry dales, formed during the last ice age and where many springs rise. The largest town in the Wolds is Driffield, with other places including Pocklington, Thixendale and Kilham, the original 'capital' of the Wolds. The highest village on the Yorkshire Wolds is Fridaythorpe at 550 feet (170 m) above sea level. The market town of Beverley lies on the eastern slopes, along with the village of Molescroft. On 8 October 2024, Natural England launched a statutory and public consultation for proposed plans to designate part of the Yorkshire Wolds as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).