Rievaulx Abbey ~ Easy Walk

 

Distance: 2.5 miles   Time to complete walk: 1.5 hours

Safety Tips: Take a walking stick if walking after heavy rain. Be prepared for a steady climb in the middle of the walk. Take money for the car park which is £4.00 however you get half price entry to the Abbey if you keep your parking ticket stub.

A peaceful walk from Rievaulx Abbey, one of Yorkshires finest Abbeys. Throughout the walk you will be able to see the Abbey from different viewpoints. The Abbey is well worth a visit at the end of your walk and there is a coffee shop inside and also a museum. Moderate climbing in the middle of the walk, the walk is classed as easy due to its short length.

 

 

The Rievaulx Abbey walk

 

 

Getting There

 

 

From Middlesbrough, travel up Ormesby Bank and follow the A172 to Stokesley. Take the left turning on the roundabout before Stokesley, which will take you through Great Broughton which is the B125. Follow this scenic route until just before Helmsley. Look for a right turn down to the Abbey ignoring the sign to the terraces. Parking can be busy in peak periods. Parking is £4.00 for all day. Your parking fee will be refunded when you purchase a ticket to the Abbey which is £8.00 for adults. There is a coffee shop and toilets at the Abbey.

 

 

 

Map of the Rievaulx Abbey Walk

 

 

The Walk

 

 

From the car park, turn right and follow the road until you come to a gate to the left with a signpost for Bow Bridge next to it. The gate may be open, if not climb over the gate into a small paddock area with stables.

 

 

 

Gate signposted to Bow Bridge

 

Walk through the paddock ahead and over a waymarked gate into a field. 

 

 

Waymarked gate

   

Continue into another field through another waymarked gate.

 

 

Go through another waymarked gate

 

Soon you will join the River Rye. Go through the gate ahead beside the river a while and through a meadow.

 

 

 

 

Go through gate beside the river

 

Go through the gate and through the meadow

 

 

Bear right to a waymark to leave the meadow through a gate.

  

 

Gate to the right

 

 

Go through the gate and turn left onto a gravel path.

 

 

 

Turn left onto gravel track

 

Follow the track over Bow Bridge

 

 

 

Go over Bow Bridge

 

 

Keep on the gravel track and look for a signpost to Ashberry to the left.

 

 

Signpost to Ashberry to the left

 

 

Follow the direction of the signpost through a meadow over a stile and onto a field until you come to a gate to enter Ashberry Woods. (You are at marker 1 on the map)

 

 

Gate into Ashberry Woods

 

Follow the path, steadily climbing at the edge of the woods. Look for a perfect view of Rievaulx Abbey to your left through the trees.

 

 

 

Rievaulx Abbey through the woods

 

 

As you climb over the crest of the path, take the left fork of the path downwards and look for a seat to the right, handy for a pitstop and to take in the view!

 

 

Take the left fork on the path

 

 

Bench to the right to take in the view!

 

 

Descend the path until you come to Ashberry Farm. Go through the gate turn right and turn left and go over a bridge.

 

 

 

Go over the bridge  





 

Look for another turn off to the left signed to Rievaulx and follow this road back to the Abbey.(You are at marker 2 on the map). Now enjoy a visit to the Abbey. There is a museum in the grounds and brilliant facilities.



 

 

Turn left signed to Rievaulx

 

Follow the road back to the Abbey

 

 

Views of Rievaulx Abbey

 

 

 

Rievaulx Abbey

 

Rievaulx Abbey /riːˈvoʊ/ ree-VOH is a former Cistercian abbey in Rievaulx, near Helmsley in the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England. Headed by the Abbot of Rievaulx, it was one of the wealthiest abbeys in England until it was dissolved by Henry VIII of England in 1538. Its ruins are a tourist attraction, owned and maintained by English Heritage.

Rievaulx Abbey was founded in 1132 by twelve monks from Clairvaux Abbey as a mission for the colonisation of the north of England and Scotland. It was the first Cistercian abbey in the north. With time it became one of the great Cistercian abbeys of Yorkshire, second only to Fountains Abbey in fame.
Its remote location was ideal for the Cistercians, whose desire was to follow a strict life of prayer and self-sufficiency with little contact with the outside world. The patron, Walter Espec, settled another Cistercian community, founding Wardon Abbey in Bedfordshire on unprofitable wasteland on one of his inherited estates.
The abbey lies in a wooded dale by the River Rye, sheltered by hills. The monks diverted part of the river several yards to the west in order to have enough flat land to build on. They altered the river's course twice more during the 12th century. The old course is visible in the abbey's grounds. This is an illustration of the technical ingenuity of the monks, who over time built up a profitable business mining lead and iron, rearing sheep and selling wool to buyers from all over Europe. Rievaulx Abbey became one of the greatest and wealthiest in England, with 140 monks and many more lay brothers. It received grants of land totalling 6,000 acres (24 km²) and established daughter houses in England and Scotland.
By the end of the 13th century the abbey had incurred debts on its building projects and lost revenue due to an epidemic of sheep scab (psoroptic mange). The ill fortune was compounded by raiders from Scotland in the early 14th century. The great reduction in population caused by the Black Death in the mid-14th century made it difficult to recruit new lay brothers for manual labour. As a result, the abbey was forced to lease much of its land. By 1381 there were only fourteen choir monks, three lay brothers and the abbot left at Rievaulx, and some buildings were reduced in size.
By the 15th century the Cistercian practices of strict observance according to Saint Benedict's rule had been abandoned in favour of a more comfortable lifestyle. The monks were permitted to eat meat, and more private living accommodation was created for them, and the abbot had a substantial private household.

 

 



 

Fewston Reservoir ~ Easy Walk

Distance: 3.75 miles   Time to complete walk: 2 hours

Safety Tips:  A very safe walk. Dogs should be kept on a lead. Be aware there are two reservoirs beside each other and this walk is around Fewston Reservoir.

A nice and simple walk around the periphery of Fewston Reservoir. A great introduction to walking and ideal if located in the Harrogate area or visiting Harrogate for the day. Great for bird watchers and dog owners, the walk can be completed all year round.  

 

The Fewston Reservoir walk

Getting There

From Middlesbrough take the A19 south to meet the A1 southbound. Look out for Junction 47 and take this turn off from the A1 to Harrogate which is the A59. Go through Harrogate and follow the A59 signed to Skipton. There are a number of turn offs for Fewston and these can be very narrow roads. All the turn offs are on the left off the A59. Follow the road until you reach Swinsty Moor & Fewston Reservoir Car Park. The car park has toilet facilities and is the start of the walk.

 

 

Map of the Fewston Reservoir Walk

 

 

The Walk 

 

From the car park turn right and follow the road that crosses the dam. Follow the road until you come to the house at the end.

 

 

  

Follow the road to the right of the house and look for some steps immediately to the left and climb to the top.

 

 

Climb the steps

 

Turn left at the top and ignore the gate to the left as this path is for anglers and not walkers. Follow the path into the trees but keeping close to the reservoir.

 

 

Follow the path into the trees

Follow this path for about a mile,(you will pass marker 1 on the map) keeping to the left at a fork to keep you close to the reservoirs edge. Towards the end of the path you will eventually converge onto the A59 briefly.

 

View of the reservoir

 

Stay to the left at a fork in the path

 

 

Go up some steps onto a path beside the A59 and turn left to cross a bridge. Go down some steps to a small car park and then turn left again.

 

 

Follow the path next to the A59

 

Descend the steps to the car park

 

Follow the path to the left which swings around the bay of the reservoir. (you will pass marker 2 on the map) Keep an eye out for birdlife here,  I spotted finches and a robin.

 

 

 

Views of the reservoir

 

 

Look out for birdlife

 

 

 

 

Follow the path

 

Keep to the path and follow it round the reservoir. (You will pass by marker 3 on the map) Continue over a bridge and as you come back to the end of the reservoir, look for a sign and a path to the right. Follow this path to the road and the car park again.

 

 

Follow the path to the right back to the car park

 

Car park

 

 

Fewston Reservoir

 

 

Fewston Reservoir is located in the Washburn valley north of Otley and west of Harrogate in Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1879. The capacity is about 3.5 million cubic metres. It can be found from the A59 road.
The overflow from the reservoir feeds directly into the adjoining Swinsty Reservoir. Formerly, this overflow was encircled by a metal walkway from which floodboards could be lowered, but this has since been removed.
The reservoir was built by the Leeds Waterworks Company under the management of Robert Brooks. Consultants were Thomas Hawksley of Westminster and Edward Filliter of Leeds. Work began in 1874 and was completed in 1879.
Early in the work, Fewston Mill was demolished, as was West House Mill at Blubberhouses, with the stone going to build a wall around the reservoir.Much of the machinery, including the locomotives for the narrow gauge railway, came from the construction of neighbouring Swinsty Reservoir.


 

 

 



St Gregorys Minster ~ Medium Walk

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

 

 

St Gregory's Minster is an Anglo-Saxon church with a rare sundial, in Kirkdale near Kirkbymoorside, Vale of Pickering, North Yorkshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
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.

 

 

 

 

Strid Wood to Barden Tower ~ Medium Walk

Distance: 5 miles   Time to complete walk: 2.5 hours

Safety Tips: Be extremely careful when on the banks of the River Wharfe on the return journey of the walk. The Strid part of the river is one of the most dangerous parts of a river anywhere in the UK. This stretch of the river has a 100% fatality record due to the underwater caverns and  strong currents. Stay clear from the edge of the river - it may seem calm on the surface, however the powerful force of the river lies well beneath the surface. 

A magical walk to complete on a fine Autumn day, or in fact all year round.  Starting from the Cavendish Pavillon near the magnificent Bolton Abbey, you will discover amazing views of the river valley along the way. Woodland paths take you through the Strid Wood and towards the mysterious Barden Tower and back on a return journey where you get to hear and see the River Wharfe up close and personal. A walk that you will want to come back and complete again and again.

 

 

The Strid Wood to Barden Tower walk

 

 

Getting There

 

From Middlesbrough follow the A66 to Darlington and then follow it to the A1 Scotch Corner. Keep on the A1 south bound and look for Junction 47 which is signposted to Harrogate. Follow the A59 road through Harrogate and follow it out of Harrogate until you come to a roundabout for Bolton Abbey on a right hand turn. Drive past the Bolton Abbey car park and look for the Cavendish Monument on the right. Follow the road down to a toll booth- the price of admission is the same as Bolton Abbey and is £8.00. Park in the car park just outside the café and near the bridge.

 

 

 

Map of the Strid Wood to Barden Tower walk

The Walk

 

From the car park walk over the bridge which is opposite the Cavendish Pavilion and turn immediately to the left to commence the walk on the path ahead.

 

Turn left over the bridge

 

 

The path follows the river upstream. Go through a gate and then take the stepped path which is to the left.

 

 

 

 

Take the path to the left

 

 Follow the path until you come to Posforth bridge. Cross over the bridge.

 

 

Posforth Bridge

 

Cross over the footbridge 

                                                                                                                            

After crossing over the footbridge keep on the path which rises gradually. You will soon come to a stone shelter and you will have an excellent view of the river below.

 

 

 

Shelter 

 



Follow the path which continues high above the river below. As well as excellent views there are plenty of seats if you need to stop for a break or to take in the amazing view.

 

 

View of the river

 



The path will soon fall and then leave the wood into a clearing and then will   head towards a bridge.

 

 

Head out of the wood

 

Bridge

 

Don't cross the bridge and follow the path ahead into an open meadow until you come to another bridge.

 

 

Follow the path into the meadow

 

Go over the bridge

 



Go over the bridge and follow the road ahead which climbs steeply. Look for a stile to the left which leads to Barden Tower. There is a café near the tower and is an interesting diversion on the walk. There is a history of the tower on a plaque on the furthest side of the tower.

 

 

 

Barden Tower



 



Retrace your steps down the road and before you come to the bridge, look for a small gate to the right to join the path back to the riverside.

 

 

Gate to the right

 



Follow the path past the bridge and over a footbridge over the stream and back into Strid Wood.

 

 

Footbridge into Strid Wood

 

Ignore a track to the right and after rising to a view point at a fork take the lower path which will take you down closer to the river.

 

 

Take the lower path to the left

 



At another split take the lower path to the left again which will take you to near the river at a point called The Strid. This is a dangerous spot, you will see danger signs, however if you keep away from the river edge you will see the river in all its glory.

 

 

 

Take the lower path

 

Views of the Strid

 



Downstream ignore the path to the Ludstream Islands and take the path ahead and you will then emerge back at the Pavilion Café- time for a Cappuccino and some cake maybe?

 

 

Take the path to the right

 

Cavendish Pavilion

 

The Strid

 

 

The Strid (Grid Reference: SE064565) is a series of waterfalls and rapids associated with a deep underwater channel caused by the dramatic narrowing of the River Wharfe from approximately 30 ft (9 m) wide just to the north of the start of the Strid, to the width of a long stride less than 100 yd (91 m) later. It is especially dangerous as both banks are undercut, and it has been the scene of a number of fatalities including those of a honeymoon couple. The Strid walk is very popular and is accessed from the car park at Bolton Abbey.

 

 

Barden Tower

 

Barden Tower is a fine ruined hunting lodge on the edge of the road leading up Lower Wharfedale between Bolton Abbey and Burnsall in the Yorkshire Dales.

Nearby attractions include Barden Bridge (where a road forks over the River Wharfe to Appletreewick) and the treacherous channel of river known as "The Strid" (actually part of the Bolton Abbey estate). [N.B. Barden lends its name to the so called "Barden Triangle" an area of supposed supernatural activity which includes the magical Elbolton Hill near Thorpe and the nightmarish ravine that is Trollers Gill near Appletreewick.] Above Barden, and to the west is Barden Moor and Barden Fell.