Thixendale is a tiny village nestled in a valley in the beautiful Yorkshire Wolds. We are about 10 miles south of Malton, 10 miles north of Pocklington and 20 miles east of York.
We can be found on the OS Landranger 1:50,000 series map, sheet 100 (Malton and Pickering), at grid reference SE843611.
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Multi Media Mapping.
You can go to an on-line map of the area here.
The population of the parish is around 130, which includes the surrounding farms, but excludes the sheep. These outnumber us by a large margin.
We have the reputation for being isolated, particularly in the winter, with all incoming roads being single track. However many visitors, cyclists and walkers find it a worthwhile village to seek out and explore.
There is controversy over the meaning of the name 'Thixendale'. Some suggestions are:
Many people ask about the curious undulating landscape of the area. As many know, the Wolds form part of a chalk belt running from the English Channel to Flamborough Head. The chalk is made from the shells of sea creatures which fell to the sea-bed millions of years ago. It appears that the tremendous earth movements which created the Alps had the effect of raising the sea-bed upwards to create the landscape we now see.'Sixteen' Dales: there are said to be 16 dales that lead in to Thixendale. See how many you can find! Click here for some help.
'Sigsten's Valley': Sigsten is an old Scandinavian name.
