Along the Old Drovers' Road from Osmotherley

6 miles                                 Cold and Dry

            

In the Domesday Book Osmotherley was known as Asmundrelac, which means 'Asmund's clearing'.   We parked in front of Thompson's Shop which has been a general dealers for 200 years but now stands empty, awaiting renovation.

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

Awaiting renovation

We park conveniently close to The Queen Catherine Hotel

Tom Scott Burns notes that the village was ravaged by William the Conqueror in 1069 and was still described as waste land in its entry in the Domesday Book in 1085.

He also relates that the village was raided by the Scots on several occasions and a raid in 1315 was so severe that the village was excused all taxation because of the distress it had suffered. A few years later, in 1348, the Black Death carried off nearly half the population of Osmotherley.

We walked to the market cross and turned left along Quarry Lane until arriving at an unusual square walled garden just before Rueberry Lane.  Tom Scott Burns tells us that this is a 'pinfold' and in olden times beasts that were found straying were impounded here until their owners paid a fine.

Looking into the pinfold

Weather vane in Osmotherley

We turned into Rueberry Lane and quickly gained height until we looked back down on Osmotherley.  A little further, when the lane becomes a track, we came upon Lady Chapel founded by Queen Catherine of Aragon in 1515.  It is still a religious retreat and we followed the twelve stations of the cross as we approached it.

Osmotherley from Rueberry Lane

Station of the Cross among the snowdrops

Lady Chapel

Lady Chapel from front

The modern house adjoining the chapel was built around 1725 and restored by Sir Hugh Bell in 1916. 

We continued through the chapel grounds and back down to our track, at which point we could have branched off to see Mount Grace Priory, but for shortage of time and lack of the entrance fee.  Instead we continued along the path, following the Cleveland Way up to the transmitter masts on Beacon Hill. 

Leaving the grounds of Lady Chapel

A nice walk with fine views to the left

The Tontine Hotel from our path

At last an additional sign warning that the C2C follows Cleveland Way from this point

Clive surveys the Vale of Mowbray

When we walked past this transmitter station in 2014 we noticed a nice sign on the old gate which is mentioned by Wainwright in his 1973 Coast To Coast Guide.  Unfortunately the gates have been replaced in the last couple of years and the sign thrown away with the old post.  Fortunately I photographed it as we walked by.

Through birch trees to the transmitter masts

New gates

Sign on old gates said by Wainwright to have been placed by Ripon C.S.School, 21st June 1968

Our track continued straight past the transmitter masts at Beacon Hill and directly onwards until we reached the gate to Scarth Wood Moor.   We followed the Cleveland Way path across Scarth Wood Moor, all the time enjoying a fine prospect towards the Cleveland Hills, and in the foreground Whorl Hill.

Eventually we reached a wooden sign at the deep trough of Scarth Nick, pointing towards Cod Beck Reservoir, and we left the Cleveland Way to soon join a tarmac road that runs from Swainby to Sheepwash.  

Unfortunately others are using the bridleway, time to hitch up our trousers

Whorl Hill in the distance, Swainby below

Hardy cattle free to graze on the moor

A nice new coat of dolomite along the path to Scarth Nick

TSB explains that during the Ice Age of approximately 20,000 years ago, a glacier from the north enveloped an area 20 - 30 miles wide and 1,000 or more feet thick.  It failed to cover the moors but crept into Scugdale depositing materials from Scotland, Cumbria and Durham. Sand, gravel and stones left by meltwater formed the conspicuous mound of Round Hill, the present car park at Sheepwash.

Reaching the water splash at Sheepwash we sat by the stream and enjoyed coffee and scones.

We leave the Cleveland Way for Sheepwash

The Lyke Wake Walk also uses this path

Scarth Nick and the road to Sheepwash

Coffee time

After enjoying a break we crossed the beck and climbed up Pamperdale Moor, our path running alongside the woods that drop down to the reservoir.  This path is known as High Lane and is the old Drovers' Road.  TSB suggests that it was probably used by prehistoric man, the Romans and, before the present day road was made, as a corridor through the Cleveland Hills.  Just as we reached the tarmac road from Osmotherley we saw the ruins of Solomon's Temple, which was built by the eccentric Solomon Metcalf in 1812 and had images of the sun, moon and stars on its walls.

Shortly afterwards we reached Chequers Farm.  This interesting building was an old inn and held a licence for 300 years until 1945. When it was a hostelry it was famous for keeping an old peat fire alight for 150 years!  The sign of the Inn was a chequers board signifying that it would change money for the drovers and on the sign was the cryptic message  "Be not in haste, Step in and taste, Ale tomorrow for nothing.'   Of course tomorrow never comes.  The old sign has been mounted behind glass on the farm wall.

The Old Drovers' Road

Ruins of Solomon's Temple

Chequers Farm

The Old Inn Sign still stands

TSB informs us that the drovers used to bring vast herds of cattle from the Highlands of Scotland across the Hambleton Hills on their way to the markets of East Anglia, the Midlands and London.  Their average pace was just 2 miles per hour.  

Just beyond Chequers Farm our path turned sharp right leaving the drove road and heading gently downhill to the two small reservoirs at Oakdale, where we crossed the beck by an old packhorse bridge.

Looking back at Chequers

We walk away from the Drove Road

We are under surveillance near Oakdale

Oakdale Lower Reservoir from the road

Leaving the reservoir we joined the farm road across Slap Stone Beck (apparently this name refers to slippery stones at the ford) and admired an attractive conifer garden before entering Green Lane to pass by White House Farm.

Attractive conifer garden

Arty sign near conifers

Nice new weather vane near Slap Stone Bridge

White House

At this point we rejoined the Cleveland Way as we headed back towards Osmotherley.  Our path descended past White House Farm and then continued across a small bridge over a stream and steeply uphill to where our path crossed a field and into Osmotherley.

Bridge over Cote Ghyll

Cote Ghyll at the bottom of Middlestye Bank

We climb 'Paul's Steps'

Field path to Osmotherley

Entering the village

Entering the village along narrow alleyways we noticed an old chapel in the terraced row of cottages, obviously still in use.  Tom Scott Burns tells us that John Wesley preached in Osmotherley in 1745 and the chapel was built nine years later.  Wesley returned to preach again at Osmotherley in June 1761, and probably used this chapel.

Wesleyan Chapel

We emerge onto the High Street

We crossed the road and went behind the Queen Catherine Hotel to look at the 12th Century St Peter's Church, which is almost hidden from view on the High Street.


It was unlocked and we went inside to look around.  The tower is 15th century and the walls were built on Norman remains.  There are fragments of Saxon crosses and part of a hogback in the porch.

St Peters

Interesting use of the word Relict, an archaic term meaning widow or widower

Fragments of Saxon Crosses

Looking back from the altar

First War memorial window

We liked this felted picture of Osmotherley

... which even has Chequers Farm in the top right corner

St Peters from School Lane

'Long afflictions did my life attend, but patience brought it to an end, Death from this world has set me free, Prepare my friends to follow me'

We spent a little time exploring the village and then found that our feet had taken us to the Queen Catherine so we popped inside to discuss the walk over a pint.

Weather vane in Osmotherley

The smartest public toilets in North Yorkshire

"Did you just drink out of my glass..?!"