Distance: 2.5 miles Time to complete walk: 1.5 hours
Safety Tips: A walking stick is essential for this walk. The return to St Gregory's Minster is through woodland and bushes which can be overgrown. Also a good idea would be to check the ford behind the church to see if it is too flooded to cross over on the return journey.
A short and sweet walk from a wonderful ancient church and over fields and then paths and a finally a steady climb back to the beginning. An ideal walk for Autumn or over the Christmas period, as you can complete the walk after a Christmas service. There is a steady and fairly challenging climb back after you leave the water mill.
The St Gregory's Minster walk
Getting There
Travelling from Middlesbrough, follow the A19 south to Thirsk. Follow the road from Thrisk which is the A170 up Sutton Bank. Follow the A170 signposted to Scarborough which will eventually pass through Helmsley. Follow the road out of Hemlsley and drive through the village of Beadlam. Just after Beadlam look for a left turn where the road bends to the right which will be signposted for the minster. Park in the overflow car park or if attending a church service park in the car park spaces outside the church.
Map of the St Gregory's Minster walk
The Walk
From the car park backtrack to just before the road you drove down and look right to a signpost which is s short climb up the field at the top.
Climb up to the field
Turn right onto the field and follow the path until you come to a gate onto a path to the right into the wood.
Go through gate and onto path in the wood
Follow the path through the trees until you emerge onto a lane. Turn right and follow the lane down passing a hidden lime kiln to the left.
Follow the lane down
Hidden kiln to the left
Soon you will arrive at Hold Cauldron. Cross a stone bridge in front of an old water mill and look for a gate on the right which will rise steadily through the trees.
Walk past the old water mill
Follow the track and at a fork bear left and continue to climb passing another fork to a junction at the top. Go left and through a gate out of the trees above. Walk away ahead across the field and at the far side of the field follow the perimeter of the field to the right. Soon you will reach a gate from which a path descends onto a track.
Take a sharp right turn and walk down into a woodland valley, keeping left at two forks in the track. Look for a three fingered bridleway sign at the bottom. Go left above the stream bed.Take the right branch at the next fork to emerge in a meadow.
Take right fork to emerge in a meadow.
Keep ahead until you come to the ford which you hopefully inspected at the start of the walk to see if it was ok to cross. Cross over and follow the grass track to a gate back to St Gregory's Minster.
Inside the church
St Gregory's Minster
The minster was built c. 1060 on the site of an earlier church, and is dedicated to St Gregory, who was pope 590–604. The church building is similar in style and age to St Hilda's, Ellerburn.
The church is open during the day and for evening services with volunteer stewards helping visitors on summer weekends. The maintenance of the fabric of the building is helped by financial contributions from The Friends of St Gregory's Minster. The Friends Annual General Meeting is followed by the Kirkdale Lecture about the parish and its environs.
The Parish of Kirkdale is a local ecumenical partnership with the church of St Hilda's, Beadlam.
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