Mount Grace Priory ~ Medium Walk

Distance Covered:  3 miles Time to Complete Walk: 1.5 hours

Suitable for dog walking: No

A short yet vigorous walk from the amazing Mount Grace Priory- the best preserved Carthusian monastery in Britain. Explore the priory with its beautiful architecture- (do not miss the Monks House to the left of the grounds). Then walk up Mount Grace Woods to visit the wonderful Lady Chapel with its unique fifteen stations of the cross markers along the route to the chapel. Then return back to the priory for a coffee in its cafe!. A great walk for Autumn/Winter!

General Safety Tips: Be careful through the woods - take a walking stick and negotiate the path carefully. Try and do the walk after a few dry days. 

     The Mount Grace Priory Walk

Getting There

From Middlesbrough, follow the A19 northbound until just before the Osmotherley turnoff, turn left signposted to Mount Grace Priory. Parking is ample and costs £3.00 all day which you can pay with the entrance fee to the Priory. Visiting costs £12.50 or £15.50 including parking fees. If you book ahead you can save money.

Maps of the Mount Grace Priory Walk

The Walk

From the car park head out and past the cafe, turn left and then right into the building and the ticket office.

Explore the Priorys peaceful grounds and the remains of the monastery, dont miss the Monks Cell to the left of the grounds.

After you have fully explored the Priory head out back to the car park and look for a stile to your left and enter the field

Shortly after you enter the field go over another stile on your left and over a wooden bridge and into the woods.

Follow the obvious path through the woods over another small bridge.

The woodland path rises gradually diagonally to the left

Climb to the top and over a stile onto a path near a field

Follow the track near a fence and then climb up to your left onto the field.

Follow the path keeping to the side of the field and ahead onto a track

At the top. follow the path around to the left and to a waymarked gate.

Head towards the farmyard and through another gate.

Head right walking through the farmyard and then take a sharp right onto the Cleveland Way.

Follow the path until you come to a sharp left which is the path to the Lady Chapel.

Keep ahead on the track looking out for a plaque on your left.

The path to the chapel is made more special with the fifteen stations of the crosses added to the side of the track.

The chapel is a nice peaceful place and you can enter the chapel to light a candle or gather your thoughts!

After you have finished visiting the chapel head back to the priory. Dont forget to head down to the left to enter the woods on the way back. The cafe at the priory is well worth a visit to end your walk!

Mount Grace Priory

The Mount Grace Charterhouse was founded in 1398 by Thomas Holland, 1st Duke of Surrey, the son of King Richard II's half-brother Thomas, Earl of Kent. It was the last monastery established in Yorkshire, and one of the few founded anywhere in Britain in the period between the Black Death (1349–50) and the Reformation. It was a fairly small establishment, with space for a prior and a total of twenty-three monks.

The monastery consisted of a church and two cloisters. The Great Cloister, to the north of the church, had seventeen cells for monks ("choir monks") whilst the southern Lesser Cloister had six cells for the lay brothers.

Following the abdication and eventual murder of King Richard II, Holland and others of the king's supporters attempted to assassinate his recently crowned successor, Henry IV, at New Year, 1400, but were captured and executed. Holland's body was eventually recovered and, in 1412, re-buried in the charterhouse that he had founded. Orphaned by these events of its founder and bereft of the income that had been granted to it by Holland and King Richard, Mount Grace was obliged to depend upon royal largesse for its income for more than a decade.

Lady Chapel

This holy and historic chapel is the diocesan shrine for the Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough. Located on the edge of the North York Moors National Park and overlooking the scenic village of Osmotherley, the site affords panoramic views over Teesside, Bilsdale and, on a clear day, as far as the Pennine hills.

Built by Carthusian monks from nearby Mount Grace Priory in the 15th century, it was until recently cared for, on behalf of the Diocese of Middlesbrough, by Benedictine monks from Ampleforth Abbey.  It is now under the pastoral care of St Mary’s Cathedral, Middlesbrough.

On this site you will find information relating to the Shrine’s history and its connection with Queen Katherine of Aragon, details of weekly Mass times and pilgrimages, how to request prayers at the shrine and how to plan a visit or book a wedding. All are welcome.

Surrender Bridge ~Medium Walk

Distance Covered: 5 miles Time to Complete Walk 2 hours

Suitable for dog walking: Yes 

Famous for appearing in the opening titles of the ever popular All Creatures Great And Small, Surrender Bridge is the starting point for this amazing walk which takes you to the remains of lead mining in the Dales in 18th and 19th centuries at Old Gang Mill. The setting is spectacular as you walk above the valley with plenty of Yorkshires rich lead mining history to visit along the way. Parking is above the bridge and is free. The walk is a there and back walk - so easy to follow.

General Safety Tips: Keep off the walls of the remains of the mill which may be unstable. The drive up High Lane at Heelaugh is on a very narrow road.  Drive carefully. 

The Surrender Bridge Walk

Getting There

From Middlesbrough follow the A66 to Darlington and join the A1 southbound. Leave the A1 at the Richmond turn off.  Follow the B6271 through Richmond onto Reeth Road or the A6108. Join the B6270 and follow this through to Heelaugh. In Heelaugh look for a sharp right turn up High Lane. Follow this through a gate and the car park is on your right above Surrender Bridge.

Maps of the Surrender Bridge walk

The Walk

From the car park, turn right and head down to Surrender Bridge below.

Walk past the bridge and turn left onto a path which is above the valley.

Soon you arrive at Old Gang Mill which is fascinating. There are plenty of buildings to explore.

When you have finished rejoin the path ahead and pass a building with seating attached to it - a great spot for a picnic.

Follow the path as it passes another bridge on your left.

Keep on the right hand path at a signpost to Level House Bridge.

Keep on the path alongside the stream.

Go through a gate and take the right hand fork in the path at Level House Bridge.

Keep on the path passing another abandoned building.

Go over a ford.

Looking around you can see evidence of the mining activity in the area. Once you arrive at a bridge on your right, turn back and follow the path back to Surrender Bridge.

Once back at the bridge, turn left at a gate - this will take you to the Surrender Lead Smelt Mill. Once finished head back to the car park.

Surrender Bridge

Why is it called Surrender Bridge? Well a couple of theories abound one that there was once a Surrender Mine there or that mine workers carrying wares had to surrender a toll before crossing. Either of these sound plausible.

Old Gang Smelting Mill

Interestingly, whilst the Old Gang mill was one of the largest in the area, a search of the archives has failed to reveal either when it was built or closed. Nevertheless, there are some clues. For example, the mill is shewn on the first edition of the O.S. 1/10560 sheet for the area, which was surveyed in 1854. Moreover, because the Old Gang mill’s flues unite before being led into the old flue via the New mill’s southern hearth, the Old Gang mill could be built without interrupting smelting. The New mill would have to stop working, however, when the connection was made and any openings were sealed up. The only detectable break in smelting was between February and April in 1846 which, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, is the date proposed for the transfer of smelting to the Old Gang mill.

As with many similar ventures, the mill was not suddenly closed but it limped on for around fifteen years. Dr Raistrick wrote that it had stopped serious smelting by 1885, which is reasonable, but gave no date of closure. Clough, on the other hand, noted that, according to Mr Hannam Place, “the last ore was smelted in 1898, but for several years prior to this date very little work had been done”. The Government mineral statistics show that the Old Gang mines ore yielded about 74 per cent lead until 1888 and it was only 54 per cent thereafter. This change coincided with the demise of the Old Gang Mining Company and the start of the Old Gang Mining Company Ltd, which also sold parcels of its ore to outside smelters. Nevertheless, the mill smelted in small way until at least October 1899, and possibly until 1903. By 1913, however, the mill had closed and the mine was selling its ore to John Walton & Co. at Castleside.