Byland Abbey and Oldstead Observatory ~ Hard Walk

Distance Covered: 5 miles   Time to complete walk: 2h 30m

Safety Tips: Be prepared for the steep parts of the walk, take a walking stick and plenty of water and take regular stops. Also be aware of the steep decline part of the walk from the observatory and make use of your walking stick.

This walk starts at the splendour of Byland Abbey and along the way passes Oldstead Observatory at its highest point on Mount Snever. The walk is challenging due to its steep incline on Mount Snever and will take around 3 hours to complete with time to explore the Abbey and the Observatory.

Getting There

From Middlesbrough head up the A19 north until you reach the A170 turning 9which will take you up Sutton Bank. Then look for the right turning to Wass or Byland Abbey and follow the road through the village of Wass past the abbey and to the car park near the Byland Abbey Inn.

 

Oldstead Observatory   

 

The Walk

 

 

Route of the Byland Abbey to Oldstead Observatory walk

 

 

After leaving the car park you can either start the walk or visit Byland Abbey first to explore its ruins and take a few photos.

 

 

Byland Abbey

 

Now head back up the road you drove on into the village of Wass. In Wass look for a lane to the left which will lead you into Abbey Bank Wood. At the top of the lane look for a gate signed Carn Farm, Observatory.

 

                                                                                                                          

 

 

Signpost to Observatory and Carn Farm

 

 

The path climbs and then leaves the wood edge to rise to a terrace. After a stile, take the L-H path, following Carn Farm. The path is a steep incline. Go straight ahead at two junctions, uphill to reach a large open space. Turn right and just before a waymarked metal gate turn left along the wood edge. Follow the path to Oldstead Observatory bearing left through the wood.

 

 

 

 

 

Oldstead Observatory

 

The Observatory was built in 1838 for astronomers and the inscription on the plaque reads:

  Here hills and waving groves a scene display
And part admit and part exclude the day
See rich industry smiling on the plains
And peace and plenty tell VICTORIA reigns!
Happy the MAN who to these shades retires
Whom NATURE charms and whom the muse inspires
Who wandering thoughtful in this silent wood
Attends the duties of the wise and good
To observe a mean, be to himself a friend
To follow NATURE and regard his end.

 

Continue your walk by passing to the left of the observatory through the wood. Follow the path which drops steeply to a signpost.

 

Turn right on the track signed "Oldstead". Follow the path as it curves left to become a metalled lane. Turn left at the T junction and left onto the road by a seat. Have a well earned pitstop!

 

Just before the road narrows sign turn left. Go through gateposts and over a cattle grid. Then as the avenue of trees ends, take a sharp turn right uphill at a signposted footpath. Climb up to a stile, bending to the left beside the woodland to a gate. After the next gate, keep ahead through two gates and onto a metalled road.

 

 

 Bull Sign on gate

 

Turn right, then, just beyond the road sign which indicates a bend, take a track to the left by the Oldstead Grange sign. Pass the house and go between barns and through a gateway. Bear right downhill on the track, bending right on a track to a gateway with a waymarked tree.

 

Straight after the gateway, turn left through the wood to a Byland Abbey signpost. Follow the path as it bends left by another sign, cross a stile, then the field with its hedge to the left, bending left then right at the end to a signpost. Go through an opening beside a metal gate and along the field with a hedge on your right.

 

Go over two stiles then bear slightly left to another stile. Go across the field to a signpost in the hedge by a metal gate. Follow the fence, then go onto the road by a wooden stile. Turn left back to the car park opposite the Abbey.

 

 

 

View of the Abbey from the road

 

 

Byland Abbey

 

It was founded as a Savigniac abbey in January 1135 and was absorbed by the Cistercian order in 1147. It wasn't an easy start for the community who had had to move five times before settling at New Byland, near Coxwold in 1177. Its early history was marked by disputes with no fewer than four other religious establishments: (Furness Abbey, Calder Abbey, Rievaulx Abbey and Newburgh Priory). However, once it had overcome this bad start, it was described in the late 14th century as "one of the three shining lights of the north". Its financial success was not as great as that of places like Rievaulx, but it was famed for its sheep rearing and wool exports. Its church was said to be among the finest 12th-century churches in Europe.
It was dissolved on 30 November 1538. In 1539, its site was granted to Sir William Pickering.

 



 

 

 

 



 

Richmond ~ Easy Walk

Distance Covered: 6 miles   Time to complete walk: 2h 20m

Safety Tips: Be prepared for a steep walk back into Richmond

An easy walk round Richmond which passes by Easby Abbey and ends up at the spectacular Richmond Castle - Richmond itself is steep but this walk avoids steep inclines until the very end. The walk can be completed in a few hours and extra time can be spent exploring the Abbey and Castle.

Getting There

From Middlesbrough and Stockton take the A66 to Darlington and then follow the A1 to Scotch Corner. Then look for the A1608 which will take you to Richmond town centre.

The Walk

 

Richmond Castle

 

 

Richmond Walk route

 

 

There's ample parking spaces at the Nuns Close car park which is situated past the cricket club as you follow the A1608 and turn right into Hurgill Road signposted as a long stay car park.

 

Leave the car park and turn right and then left to follow the road you just drove down until you reach the first roundabout. At the roundabout go straight ahead down Ryders Wynd.

 

Ryders Wynd

 

At the bottom of Ryders Wynd turn left then go right into Station Road. Just past the church take a left into Lombards Wynd.

 

 

Lombards Wynd

 

Turn right at the next junction and follow the track until you eventually pass the Drummer Boy Stone on your right.

 

                                          Drummer Boy Stone

At the end of the18th century, the story says, soldiers in Richmond Castle discovered a tunnel that was thought to lead to Easby Abbey. They sent their drummer boy down it, beating his drum so they could follow him from above ground. His route is beside the river towards the Abbey. At the spot now marked by the Drummer Boy Stone, the drumming stopped and he was never seen again.

Bear right after the gate, still parallel with the river, bearing right again to a gate, then alongside the Abbey in the village of Easby.

 

You can now see the full splendour of Easby Abbey to your left. You can make a detour here to explore the Abbey through the gate to your left.

 

 

 

Easby Abbey

 

In 1152 Roald, the Constable of Richmond Castle, granted land to a group of Premonstratensian canons to build an abbey on the banks of the River Swale, within sight of the soaring towers of his castle. Roald did not own the castle, but administered it on behalf of his patron, Conan, Earl of Richmond. But Roald was certainly a wealthy man, probably through marriage to Garsia, widow of Enisan Murdac, who held large estates around Richmond after the Norman Conquest.

The new abbey may not have been the first religious foundation at Easby; circumstantial evidence suggets that there was a community of priests here in the Saxon period, perhaps associated with a minster church. It is unusual that Roald chose to establish a Premonstratensian house, though.

 

Beyond the car park in the Abbey turn right along the track and follow the track with the wall to your left to Love Lane House.

 

 

                                                               Love Lane House

Turn right over the old railway bridge.

 

View from railway bridge

 

Follow the track bed for a while until you come to The Station. The Station is a leisure and shopping complex with its own bakery, cinema, some shops and a café. Ideal for a pitstop!.

 

 

The Station

 

Turn left up the road and then turn right into Priory Villas and bear right to go in front of the houses.

 

 

Priory Villas

 

Go through three waymarked gates keeping parallel to the river. you should have a great view of Richmond Castle to your left.

 

                                                           View of Richmond Castle

Continue passing some playing fields and a clubhouse. This will then bring you onto a road- turn left and go over Richmond Bridge. Then look for the Castle Hill turning to your left- this is very steep and will take you to the town square. From here you can then enter Richmond Castle and explore its remains.

 

Views from Richmond Castle

 After you have left Richmond Castle make your way back to the car park by leaving the main town square and ending up on Ryders Wynd and re trace your steps to the car park.

Richmond Castle

In 1069 William the Conqueror had put down a rebellion at York which was followed by his "harrying of the North" - an act of ethnic cleansing which depopulated large areas for a generation or more. As a further punishment, he divided up the lands of north Yorkshire among his most loyal followers. Alan Rufus, of Brittany, received the borough of Richmond and began constructing the castle to defend against further rebellions and to establish a personal power base. His holdings, called the Honour of Richmond, covered parts of eight counties and amounted to one of the most extensive Norman estates in England. The Dukes of Brittany became the owners of the castle as Earls of Richmond though it was often confiscated for various periods by English Kings.
A 100-foot (30 m)-high keep of honey-coloured sandstone was constructed at the end of the 12th century by Duke Conan IV of Brittany. The Earldom of Richmond was seized in 1158 by Henry II of England. It was King Henry II who probably completed the keep which had 11-foot (3.4 m)-thick walls. Modern visitors can climb to the top of the keep for magnificent views of the town of Richmond. At the same time that the keep was probably completed, Henry II considerably strengthened the castle by adding towers and a barbican. Henry III and King Edward I spent more money on the site including Edward's improvements to the keep interior.
In addition to the main circuit of the wall, there was the barbican in front of the main gate which functioned as a sealed entry space, allowing visitors and wagons to be checked before they gained entry to the castle itself. On the other side of the castle, overlooking the river, was another enclosure or bailey called the Cockpit, which may have functioned as a garden and was overlooked by a balcony. A drawing of 1674 suggests there was another longer balcony overlooking the river side of Scolland's Hall, the Great Hall.

 

 

Richmond Castle had fallen out of use as a fortress by the end of the 14th century and it did not receive major improvements after that date. A survey of 1538 shows it was partly in ruins, but paintings by Turner and others, together with the rise of tourism and an interest in antiquities, led to repairs to the keep in the early 19th century.
In 1855 the castle became the headquarters of the North Yorkshire Militia, and a military barracks block was constructed in the great courtyard. For two years, from 1908 to 1910, the castle was the home of Robert Baden-Powell, later founder of the Boy Scouts, while he commanded the Northern Territorial Army but the barracks building was demolished in 1931.
The castle was used during the First World War as the base of the Non-Combatant Corps made up of conscientious objectors - conscripts who refused to fight. It was also used to imprison some conscientious objectors who refused to accept army discipline and participate in the war in any way. These included the "Richmond Sixteen" who were taken to France from the castle, charged under Field Regulations, and then sentenced to death, but their death sentences were commuted to ten years' hard labour.

 

As presented today Richmond Castle has one of the finest examples of Norman buildings in Britain including Scollands Hall, the Great Hall of the castle. The keep has a restored roof and floors but is shown with the original 11th century main gate arch unblocked. This arch is now in the basement of the later 12th century keep which was built in front of it, the main gate then being moved to its present position which was dominated by the adjacent keep while the original arch we see today was filled-in to secure the keep.
The castle is a Scheduled Monument, a "nationally important" historic building and archaeological site which has been given protection against unauthorised change. It is also a Grade I listed building and therefore recognised as an internationally important structure. Today the castle is in the care of English Heritage which publishes a guidebook written by John Goodall PhD FSA. English Heritage provides a visitor centre for the castle with an informative exhibition containing artefacts form the castles history, they also hold regular events there throughout the year.
According to legend, King Arthur and his knights are sleeping in a cave underneath the castle. It is said that they were once discovered by a potter named Thompson, who ran away when they began to awake. Another legend tells that a drummer boy was lost while investigating an underground tunnel, and that his ghostly drumming is sometimes heard around the castle.

 

 

 

 

 

Ainthorpe to Danby Castle ~ Medium Walk

Distance Covered: 3.5 miles   Time to complete walk: 1h 45m

Safety Tips: Use your GPS if you feel you are off the path of the walk

This walk includes open moorland walking and fine views of the moors and passes the remains of Danby Castle and includes a detour to the Moors Centre in Danby - it roughly takes about two hours and is just over 3 miles long.

Getting There

From Middlesbrough go up Ormesby Bank and take the left turning at the roundabout onto Middlesbrough Road. Follow this road to Whitby on the A171 until you see the signposted right turning to Danby. Go through Danby either park in Danby or in Ainthorpe which is just past the Esk Valley railway line.

                           
                                                  Remains of Danby Castle

The Walk

 

Ainthorpe to Danby Castle walk route

After parking either in Ainthorpe or Danby take the road to the left signposted as Ainthorpe and climb to the top of this steep road.

 

Road signposted as Ainthorpe

 

 

Walkng up this road you soon come to the Fox and Hounds pub - stop for a pint before re-commencing your walk...

 

 

Fox and Hounds Inn

 

Follow the road uphill passing a tennis court. At the second signposted public footpath turn right and the walk joins the moor. Follow the moorland path over a stile until you come to a wooden makeshift bridge.

 

Makeshift bridge

 

Cross over the bridge onto the narrower moorland path which will take you to the crest of the moor. When you reach the crest there are some stunning views.

 

 

The path now makes its way steeply down onto the road below with a cattle grid to its left. Turn left and follow this road until you come to the remains of Danby castle. The castle is used for functions such as weddings now.

 

                                                   Remains of Danby castle

Passing the castle you will come to a road junction.

 

Junction in road

Turn right at the road junction and walk down to the river. You will then come across Duck Bridge which you can then cross if you wish to take a detour to the Moors Centre for refreshments.

 

Duck Bridge

 

If you want to take the detour to the Moors Centre cross the bridge and take the first left turning until you come to the Moors Centre, which has a café, open space events and activities and an interactive museum and gift shop.

 

 

The Moors Centre

 

If you don't wish to take the detour or after you have visited the Moors Centre take the left turn just after Duck Bridge before you crossed it and this road will take you back into Ainthorpe.

 

Danby Castle

 

Danby Castle was built to replace an earlier castle at Castleton. It is a quadrangular castle - essentially a rectangular building with a central courtyard and towers at each corner. This type of castle was quite common in the north of England at the end of the fourteenth century, and Danby Castle is normally dated to that period, or to the early years of the fifteenth century.

This fits well with a change of ownership at Castleton. For most of the fourteenth century it was owned by the Latimer family. However, in 1381 the last Latimer died without a male child. He did have a daughter, Elizabeth, who had married John Neville of Raby. They inherited the castle in 1381. Neville died seven years later, leaving Elizabeth in control of the estates until her death in 1396. The estate was then inherited by her son, another John. In 1396 he was only seventeen, so had to wait until he came of age in 1400 to gain control of his estates. John Neville was not his fathers oldest son - that honour went to Ralph Neville, some thirty years old than John, and Earl of Westmorland since 1397. To mark the establishment of his own family, John soon took the title of Lord Latimer. He was probably the builder of Danby Castle, although it is also possible that his father built it to provide a home for his new child, or that Elizabeth built it after the death of her husband, to provide herself with a more comfortable home than that provided by the older building at Castleton.
The most famous inhabitant of Danby Castle was Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's final wife, who survived him by one year. John Neville, third Baron Latimer (1493-1543) was her second husband. They married in 1534, two years before the Pilgrimage of Grace, a rebellion against Henry triggered by his attacks on the Catholic church. This rebellion caused Catherine and her family great problems. Late in 1536 the rebels seized John Neville at his main home of Snape Castle (south of Bedale) and forced him to join them (although Snape was their main residence, Dandy was an important estate centre, and would still have been used by the family). He was not an enthusiastic rebel. The rebels were soon convinced that he was about to betray them to the king, and returned to Snape, where they took Catherine and Neville's two children by an earlier marriage hostage. Neville was able to use his influence with the rebels to get his family released, but by now Henry was convinced that he was a traitor. Ironically, it was Catherine's family's influence with the king that saved Neville, just as his influence with the rebels had saved Catherine! Unsurprisingly, after this experience the family moved south, and Catherine rarely returned to the north. Neville died on 2 March 1543. Four months later, on 12 July, Catherine married Henry VIII.
Although the castle is ruined, quite a bit of it still survives. Three of the four towers still exist in some form - the two northern towers as ruins, the south-eastern as part of the modern farmhouse. The south wing also survives intact and contains the Court and Jury rooms for the Court Leet. This is a rare example of a manor court still in operation. Every October the court meets to administer the common rights on the Danby Estate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Falling Foss ~ Medium Walk

Distance Covered: 2.5 miles   Time to complete walk: 1h 30m

Safety Tips: Take a walking stick - an essential in muddy weather

One of my favourite walks, this woodland walk takes you to the spectacular Falling Foss waterfall, and the tea gardens above the waterfall - a hidden gem. Along the way you will come across The Hermitage a sandstone refuge but the walk is worth doing just for experiencing the Falling Foss waterfall for the first time.

Getting There

You need to follow the A171 road to Whitby and go past Whitby and look for the B146 turning which is a right turn and then when on this road take a very sharp left to be on the May Beck Farm Road- follow this road down until you reach a car park which is the starting point for the walk.

The Walk

From the car park cross the bridge and then turn downstream  along a signed footpath to Falling Foss. The path rises and passes through a gate into thicker woodland and then crosses a side stream. At a fork in the path bear left returning to May Beck at a ford. Carry on a little further to a stone bridge.

Continue North and cross over the wooden bridge below:

 

 

                                     Falling Foss Walk route
You will pass in front of Midge Hall which is also the home of the Falling Foss tea rooms - definitely stop in the summer when its open for a pot of tea and sandwiches with the waterfall as its backdrop.

                       Falling Foss waterfall
Forking left beyond Midge Hall you will find a grand view of the Falling Foss waterfall. Stop for as long as you like before sticking with the main path above. You will come to a junction on the path and go left where the sign is signed to Littlebeck.

Follow this path which passes through another junction until you come to The Hermitage.

                        
                              The Hermitage

Have a look inside the building which is made of sandstone and sit on the bench inside - handy if it starts to rain to take shelter. Perched above The Hermitage are a couple of  "chairs"- sit in one and make a wish in the other to make it come true according to local folklore. The initials above The Hermitage belong to George Chubb who was a schoolteacher in the nearby village of Littlebeck.

Turn around as if to retrace your steps but instead immediately bear right. on the path to descend to the stream below. Cross the bridge over May Beck but ignore a second bridge later on and instead follow a path climbing from the valley. At it reaches its crest it swings right falling to cross a side brook. The path then winds on to meet a gravel track.

You can revisit Falling Foss from here (its worth another look) otherwise the way back to the car park is to the right. Abandon the path almost immediately  in favour of a path on the left that meanders through the wood. Ignore two stiles you come across and on the third stile you encounter which is beside a bridle gate, go through this gate and descend the path back to the car park.


Falling Foss

After heavy rainfall, Falling Foss is a spectacle. Its over 50 foot high. The nearby cottage Midge Hall  was built by Sir James Wilson for his gamekeeper, but at the beginning of the 20th century was opened by Mrs Robinson as a tea room. After years of dereliction and a brief spell as a museum, it has been restored and once again offers tasty home cooked hospitality to walkers who are passing through.

Middleham Castle -Medium Walk

Distance Covered: 7 miles   Time to complete walk: 2h 30m

Safety Tips!  Take care when returning back to Middleham on the road, stick to the grass verge!

Recently featured in the Tour De France Yorkshire leg- this walk starting at Middleham Castle which was Richard III's favourite castle is a medium walk and you can take your time exploring the castle or the charming village of Middleham

Getting there

From Middlesbrough/Stockton follow the A19 southwards until you reach Thirsk, then take the A61 towards Ripon.  Before you reach Ripon turn right onto the A1608 and keep on the A1608 until you reach Middleham. Parking is limited so if struggling to park, go down a residential street and you will find a parking spot.

                                            Middleham Castle


The Walk

 

Middleham Castle Walk route

Start the walk to the left of the castle tea rooms and keep left of the castle along a walled track to a gate. Either explore the castle now or after your walk. Take some great pictures of course!

 

 

Bear left across the big field following the sign for the stepping stones. You should come across this lonely tree in the field you are walking in.

 

 

 

Cross two more fields over waymarked stiles. After the third stile follow the field edge above a steep bank. At a crossing wall turn right down to the River Cover by the stepping stones.

 

 

Have a walk on the stepping stones and then turn back to the rivers edge and turn right to continue your walk. The path takes you through the wood and a field. A gate leads to some steps and an elevated section. You will then end up back on the river bank and cross a stile into a field. After another stile turn immediately right. Climb steeply to a marker post.

Turn left and follow the edge of the wood. At the end of the field go left through the trees then left on a descending path. Cross a stile and turn left to Hullo Bridge.

 

 

Hullo Bridge

 

 

 

Cross the bridge and turn right on a permissive path crossing three stiles. At a crossing wire fence turn left. Cross another stile. Where the fence bends right, go ahead up a steep bank to reach a gate onto a lane. Turn right and descend to Coverham bridge. Cross the bridge and turn right onto a track.

 

Before iron gates, turn left through a small gate climbing beside a waterfall into the churchyard.

 

 

Turn right at the church onto the main road and walk back to Middleham for a pint in the local pub!

 

A history of Middleham Castle

 

Middleham Castle in Wensleydale, in the county of North Yorkshire, England, was built by RobertFitzrandolph, 3rd Lord of Middleham and Spennithorne, commencing in 1190. It was built near the site of an earlier motte and bailey castle. In 1270 it came into the hands of the Neville family, the most notable member of which was Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, known to history as the "Kingmaker", a leading figure in the Wars of the Roses. Following the death of Richard, Duke of York, at Wakefield in December 1460, his younger sons, George, Duke of Clarence, and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, came into Warwick's care, and both lived at Middleham with Warwick's own family. Their brother King Edward IV was imprisoned at Middleham for a short time, having been captured by Warwick in 1469. Following Warwick's death at Barnet in 1471 and Edward's restoration to the throne, his brother Richard married Anne Neville, Warwick's younger daughter, and made Middleham his main home. Their son Edward was also born at Middleham and later also died there.
Richard ascended to the throne as King Richard III, but spent little or no time at Middleham in his two-year reign. After Richard's death at Bosworth in 1485 the castle remained in royal hands until the reign of James I, when it was sold. It fell into disuse and disrepair during the 17th century. It was garrisoned during the Civil War, but saw no action. The ruins are now in the care of English Heritage.