Old Byland to Nettle Dale and Scawton

7.5 miles                             Fine and Sunny

Tom Scott Burns describes how in 1143 the Norman baron Roger de Mowbray granted land in Ryedale to some wandering monks from Furnace Abbey in Lancashire.  They moved about the dale for a few years before settling in a site they called Bellalanda, or Byeland.  We approached Old Byland from the B1257 Bilsdale Road via Rievaulx Abbey and parked at the roadside.

Today's walk from The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills

The All Saints Church is hidden behind houses on the village green and we decided to look around it before we started our walk.  We were impressed by the beautiful brass weather vane and as the church was unlocked we stepped inside.  There were bat droppings around the altar but generally the church is in good shape.  We noticed the ancient carved pagan stones set into the wall of the church that TSB mentions, dragons with knots in their tails and horned-headed men.  He tells us these emblems are associated with the old fertility religion of Europe.  As we left the church we noticed another interesting weather vane on a house opposite, of a running fox.

All Saints Church, Old Byland

Pagan carved stones

We walked away from the church and as we left the village we bore left through a gate and into the woods of High Gill.  The track was badly overgrown and thick with nettles and gradually descended to Ashberry Pasture, a wild-flower sanctuary maintained by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.  The path through the woods and pastures was little used and wet, even though we have been enjoying dry weather, and after a couple of miles emerged onto the road where we walked past Ashberry Farm.

"Where's the path?!"

Faint path through the nettles

Ashberry Pastures

Ashberry Farm and duck pond

We stayed on the tarmac road as it flanked Ashberry Farm and crossed a bridge before passing Hagg Hall where we saw a handsome bull in the field.

Bull near Hagg Hall

Our route turned left off the road into a woodland track which wandered through Nettle Dale, past several large lakes which seemed to run into one another.  We have never seen so many ducks, the lake and ground nearby was covered in them.

The track through Nettle Dale forms part of the Cleveland Way

Beautiful stretches of water through Nettle Dale

We leave Nettle Dale

Our path headed uphill through Spring Wood and emerged on the road leading to Scawton.  We past the Church of St Mary without calling in, as time was passing and we were ready for our break.  In the centre of the village we found a wooden bench and settled down to enjoy our coffee and scones, but this was soon interrupted by a couple of handsome pigs who left the comfort of an old barn to come and stand behind and make their presence felt.  It was apparent what they were after and Clive fed them a couple of Rich Tea Biscuits, which they loved. I stood next to him to take a photograph and the big ginger pig sneezed over us both, leaving spots on our trousers that dried to an unpleasant greenish colour. 

Church of St Mary, Scawton

Biscuits?

Me too!

While we enjoyed our coffee a local stopped to chat and pointed out to us that our path out of the village was to our rear, hidden behind the telephone box.  We went back through the gate he had shown us and into fields which led down through another wooded valley to skirt the village of Cold Kirby.

Our gate is behind the phone box

Little used track

Through Flasson Dale

      
Eventually our path once again approached Nettle Dale and its lakes.  A large shooting party passed us in several Jeeps, waving to us as they went by.  We left the path here to double back and climb through Callister Wood.  As we emerged at the top we saw the field to our right had beaters with red flags.  We stood and watched as they moved slowly forward driving pheasants and partridges in front of them.  We moved on again as the guns in Nettle Dale began to sound.

Pheasants and feeding stations near Flasson Dale

Bridge into Callister Wood

Beaters above Callister Wood

Our faint path led us across several fields and after crossing through the nettles of Low Gill entered Old Byland at the other end to our starting point.  We were amused by an accommodation sign on a holiday let, did it apply to the property or the landlady? 

Old Byland appears in the distance

Low Gill

Spacious accommodation?

We walked back through the village to our car.  Today's walk was very enjoyable but we agreed it should only be a dry weather walk.