Walking in North Yorkshire: May 2017

Slingsby Castle and Fryton from Hovingham

10.5 miles Very hot and sunny

Tom Scott Burns says in The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills that this route of woodland paths, open lanes, and the villages of Hovingham and Slingsby, with its ruined castle will calm the most distraught mind. Sounds just what we need.

It's a new walk to us and we drove via Helmsley along the B1257 to Hovingham where there is ample parking space at the village hall.

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

TSB goes on to say that Hovingham was given to Roger de Mowbray by William the Conqueror and came to the Worsley family in 1563, with the present hall dating from 1745.

We decided to begin our walk with a visit to the Church of All Saints, which is a fascinating looking building that has retained its Anglo Saxon tower and a Saxon doorway. The stained glass windows show scenes from Revelations. It was unlocked and we looked around but didn't take as long as usual, as we had a long walk ahead of us.

All Saints Church, Hovingham

Looking towards the altar

Scenes from Revelations

We left the church and headed back to the High Street and noticed the entrance to Hovingham Hall. The Hall is not open to the public until June and then only to organised groups and is not easy to see from the road.

We walked past the large stone gateway to the Hall upon which is the inscription, "virtus in actione consistit" (virtue consists in action) and then swung right just beyond the Worsley Arms Hotel and followed the road for a short distance before entering fields and then following a small stream parallel with the road.

We could now see the rear of the Hall and passed an attractive bridge and waterfall feature which must have been built to be viewed from the Hall.

Hovingham Hall gatehouse

Gatehouse dragon

A short distance on tarmac...

... before entering fields. Rear view of Hovingham Hall

Walking through fields

A bridge to nowhere.

Attractive water folly

We rejoined the road for a short time and turned left into Mill Wood, our path following the course of a stream before rejoining the road near to Hovingham Lodge.

Mill Wood

Walking through Mill Wood

Follow the sign for Scackleton

Hovingham Lodge

We followed the tarmac to Scackleton Lane and turned left across fields towards Airyholme Farm, whose sign proudly proclaimed it to be the Home of the Flitwick Flock.

We made the right guess here..

Across field tracks

Young horse chestnut trees at Airyholme

The Flitwick Flock rams wilt in the heat

Just after the farm we passed a large fish pond and found a nice shaded spot to sit and enjoy our coffee and scones, before continuing our path, now alongside Fryton Moor plantations.

A nice spot for coffee and scones

We join the Centenary Way for a while

The woods were still full of bluebells

Eventually we reached Bank Lane and a long gentle descent to Slingsby. Just as we reached the village we saw a gardener, who was sitting on a stool, topple backwards, legs in the air. It became apparent he wasn't able to get up so we walked over and Clive gave him a hand up. He told us he was 97 years old and, after asking where we were from, told us that he and his wife were also from Middlesbrough and had left Baxter Street 60 years ago.

Descending to Slingsby

Clive lends a hand

Saying cheerio to the gardener and his wife we walked through the pretty village, chuckling at the novel use for the phone box. We were then surprised to see a brightly coloured Maypole where TSB reports Plough Monday sword dancers cavorted and the Slingsby Temperance Society held a great demonstration in 1851.

The Methodist Chapel, built 1830

Village School and the Green Hulk!

The Maypole on the village green, Slingsby

We continued through the village to reach the ruins of Slingsby Castle, which is only visible from the neighbouring road. It was built by Sir Ralph Hastings in 1343 and enlarged by his grandson Lord William Hastings, who was beheaded for treason in 1483. There wasn't much to see so we passed on by to the nearby Church of All Saints, which is mainly 15th century in style, with Victorian modifications.

By the time we reached the church we were wilting in the intense heat and it was a great relief to step inside the old building. It has beautifully painted ceilings and we enjoyed looking round while our body temperature returned to normal! Sadly we didn't really have time to look at the graveyard and must save that pleasure for next time.

Ruins of Slingsby Castle

The castle from near to the church

The Church of All Saints

Looking towards the altar

Old oil lamp chandelier

Altar window

Clive cools down at the rear of the church

Beautiful ceiling

Victorian coffin bier

Weather vane and crenellations

Returning to the heat of the day we walked past Castle Farm to cross fields to the hamlet of Fryton where we turned left to Fryton Lane for a long, and by this time slow, climb that took us back to the woodlands of Fryton Moor.

Across fields to Fryton

Fryton

Resident of Fryton

The long climb back to Fryton Moor

Clive resorts to extreme measures

Poppies at Fryton Moor

On reaching the trees we turned right and our path led us through trees for a mile and a half before gradually descending across fields to Hovingham where we were delighted to find the Worsley Arms open for business. We took our pints of Black Sheep into a shady spot in the Beer Garden to reflect on today's walk.