Historic Walks in North Yorkshire

This book combines both scenic and historical appeal in 20, mostly circular, walks. They take you from open moorland and exposed sections of hillside and cliff to the more sheltered dales and the streets of York. Walks include Skipton Castle, Ripon and Fountains Abbey, Ripley Castle, Castle Howard, Whitby Abbey, Bolton Abbey and Aldborough Roman Town.

Walking is one of the most popular and rapidly growing leisure pursuits in Britain. When partaking of this most pleasurable of pastimes it is almost impossible not to be aware of our historic past, which makes its presence felt at virtually every fold and turn of our landscape. Whether it be a prehistoric mound or stone circle, dating back to the first inhabitants of these fair islands; a ruined castle or monastery; a relic from medieval times; or a magnificent country house built in a more recent period and decorated with the most ornate and elaborate stone and iron work, our past is everywhere. The number of people visiting these historic sites has also increased enormously in recent years, largely due to the hard work of The National Trust, English Heritage, and The Historic Houses Association, not to mention the numerous buildings and sites in private hands. Conservation and preservation, documentation and decoration are constantly taking place in order to maintain the wealth and variety of historic sites that adorn this land. Many of these sites would probably have otherwise vanished by now, either under concrete and brick, through clearance schemes for forest or reservoir, or through local council acts proclaiming them unsafe.

The purpose of this book is to combine these increasingly popular interests in 20 walks, which have both a scenic and historical appeal. The majority of the walks are circular with only two being linear. In the latter case, suitable transport is available to return you to the start and, in the case of Pickering Castle, this is aboard the splendid North Yorkshire Moors Steam Railway. None of the walks is particularly demanding, the longest walk being a little short of 12 miles, however, some of them venture out onto open moorland and exposed sections of hillside and cliff. Here weather conditions can change dramatically in a very short space of time; always be prepared by carrying appropriate clothing. Although this book is intended as a step-by-step guide, you are advised to carry the relevant OS map in case you require an alternative to the prescribed walk.

North Yorkshire is blessed with some of the most magnificent and assorted scenery in Britain along with a legacy of historic remains from every age of man’s presence in this land. Covering almost 2000 square miles, it boasts two National Parks, where the landscape varies from high heather- and bilberry-clad moorland to rich, green, limestone valleys; from windswept peaks with steep scree-littered slopes to golden wave-washed beaches and dramatic sea cliffs.

Set within the folds of the land or perched high on a rocky bluff are thriving towns and villages (like Richmond, Skipton, Pickering and Helmsley) where Norman barons chose to construct their fortified houses and castles. The castles of Yorkshire are quite remarkable for their number, strength and legends linked and woven into the closest strands of our national history. Deep in the isolated valleys or perched high on windswept cliffs, the monastic orders set about building their beautiful abbeys and priories: Bolton, Whitby, Rievaulx, Jervaulx, Kirkham and the most impressive of all – Fountains. Without a doubt, many of these structures were among the finest built anywhere in the Christian world and turned North Yorkshire into a cradle of Christianity.

During the troubled times of Henry VIII, the dual power of Church and Crown were the over-riding authorities in all men’s lives, but this faltering partnership and the rift between the King and Pope resulted in the dissolution of these splendid edifices. Since then, the ravages of time and the tenuous fingers of decay have taken their toll, leaving us with the most evocative and beautiful of ruins.

Running almost north to south through the county, and dividing the North York Moors from the Yorkshire Dales, is the Vale of York. This lush and green patchwork of fields is amply watered by the Nidd, Swale and Ure, which unite to flow as one through the splendid city of York. Steeped in history and famous the world over for its rich and varied heritage, York attracts more visitors than any other city, other than London. Its Roman origins and medieval character are still apparent and it is, in many ways, unequalled by any other city in the kingdom. The many narrow streets, imposing gateways, superb town walls, quaint buildings and magnificent Minster have all been relatively little affected by the passage of time.

Set gem-like in the fertile pastures of the Vale are some of the county’s stately mansions and halls (such as Beningbrough, Shandy, Newby and of course Castle Howard), all packed with treasures and works of art of the finest quality. Castle Howard, Vanbrugh’s baroque masterpiece, was described by Horace Walpole as ‘a palace, a town, a fortified city’. Not only do we see works from the great masters in the media of stone, paint, porcelain, wood and landscape design, but many of the sites and buildings are closely associated with some of the greatest names in English history: Henry VIII, John Wesley, Captain James Cook, William the Conqueror, Mary Queen of Scots, the Bronte sisters and Oliver Cromwell, names and characters as diverse as the sites themselves.

The chapters of this book attempt to reveal some of the splendours of this land of the ‘broad acres’, with a series of walks which combine landscape with architecture, natural beauty with history, our heritage with our diverse and complex culture. By approaching these historic sites on foot, a greater appreciation of their being, purpose and geographical setting is gained, along with the satisfaction of reaching the place under your own steam, watching its contours and outline unfold, as well as sharing an experience common to the ancient and ancestral people who once developed, built and inhabited them.