Last Thursday walked my fourth section of the River Hull (from mouth to source), this time from Weel Bridge, Beverley to Pulfin Bog nature reserve between Beverley and Wolfholme. From Weel Bridge to Hull Bridge (on the Bridlington Rd.) I the narrow road running beside the River’s meanders going out and the grassy west bank on my return. From this west bank Swinemoor pastures may be studied – large pools of shallow water, a huge flock of Brent and Canada geese, horses of all sizes grazing and the river-bank itself littered with semi-restored river boats of all types and sizes. From Hull Bridge I walked the east bank of the River out to Pulfin Bog ,and back. No moored craft beyond Hull Bridge, and mostly arable land across the riverine lowlands. Pulfin Bog is a nature reserve inside a meander in the River and run by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. It is a SSSI site and includes a large lake detached from the River.
Just south of the nature reserve on the west facing slope of a mound of till is the site of Eske deserted medieval village (as at Meaux Abbey site a couple of miles to the south-west this site may be grazed but not cultivated). Mounds and depressions evidence the lay-out of the medieval village. The site was studied in 1979 by Keith Miller and is referenced in the Humber Wetlands Survey of the 1990s.
The weather was kind and before leaving Beverley investigated the culvert under Beverley Beck that was dug and constructed (in the form of three narrow tunnels) when Barmston Drain was excavated. As well as the above see Sheppard, J.A. The Draining of the Hull Valley (East Yorkshire Local History Soc., 1958).
Next time hope to walk from Pulfin Bog to Tophill Low – probably on the west bank.