Kirby Knowle to Felixkirk and Boltby
8.5 miles Sunny spells
We last walked this at the same time of year and I was rewarded with home made jam from a stall in Thirlby. Hoping to repeat the experience we approached Kirby Knowle from the Knayton A19 turn-off and parked at the side of the road opposite St Wilfred's Church.
As we were so near to the church we decided to start the walk with a look round the old building.
The church was rebuilt in the 1870's on the site of a much older building, traces of which are still to be seen. Just inside the door there is a 12th century grave cover, then walking into the church we admired the windows, old and modern.
We left the church and walked out of the village towards Upsall (up-salir, Old Norse 'high dwellings') along the tarmac road. Over to our right, high on the hill, we saw the imposing castle of 'Newbuilding'.
Although it is called Newbuilding, Tom Scott Burns explains that it actually dates from the 13th century. It is sometimes referred to as Newbiggin and has been restored and modernised but still contains many of its original features.
Just before Upsall we turned off the road into fields and followed a little walked path to Turton Beckstead. 'Beckstead' means 'a farm near a river' and as we reached the beck we saw a large stone on which we could just make out the words engraved, 'The Turton Beckstead.' This old stone is deteriorating lying in the stream and covered with moss. We resolved to bring a wire brush to clean it up, the next time we walk here. There are other stones lying about and we think these must be the remains of an old bridge at this point.
Leaving the church and retracing our steps to the road junction we turned right and climbed the lane to pass the lodge to Mount St John, and turned right again down a lane. Coming to a fork we turned right to head towards Cinque Cliff House passing through a herd of very frisky cattle to reach a diverted path around the rear of Cinque Cliff House.
Here, on a gently sloping meadow, we sat to enjoy our coffee and scones with a fine view towards Thirlby with Whitestone Cliff to the left.
We climbed above the manor house into Westow Plantation and followed a muddy track behind Ravensthorpe Manor, which was now invisible to us because of the plantation's trees.
As we were so near to the church we decided to start the walk with a look round the old building.
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| Today's walk from The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills |
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| St Wilfred's, Kirby Knowle |
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| Rear view |
The church was rebuilt in the 1870's on the site of a much older building, traces of which are still to be seen. Just inside the door there is a 12th century grave cover, then walking into the church we admired the windows, old and modern.
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| 12C grave cover |
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| Altar window |
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| Rear wall |
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| Modern window dedicated to Doctor Jane Rajan. |
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| Physicians |
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| Walking towards the altar |
We left the church and walked out of the village towards Upsall (up-salir, Old Norse 'high dwellings') along the tarmac road. Over to our right, high on the hill, we saw the imposing castle of 'Newbuilding'.
Although it is called Newbuilding, Tom Scott Burns explains that it actually dates from the 13th century. It is sometimes referred to as Newbiggin and has been restored and modernised but still contains many of its original features.
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| Walking towards Upsall and Newbuilding |
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| Newbuilding or Newbiggin |
Just before Upsall we turned off the road into fields and followed a little walked path to Turton Beckstead. 'Beckstead' means 'a farm near a river' and as we reached the beck we saw a large stone on which we could just make out the words engraved, 'The Turton Beckstead.' This old stone is deteriorating lying in the stream and covered with moss. We resolved to bring a wire brush to clean it up, the next time we walk here. There are other stones lying about and we think these must be the remains of an old bridge at this point.
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| Through this gate into fields |
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| No margin left for walkers |
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| Into trees of Miller's Wood for a while... |
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| A fallen tree covers the old stones |
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| Clive scrapes off the moss... |
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| ... to reveal The Turton Beckstead |
TSB relates a strange story that happened here. In the 1860s some mourners were carrying a body to Kirby Knowle for burial. The bearers set down the coffin to briefly rest at this spot, but on lifting it again it felt much lighter and they discovered that the corpse had disappeared. The empty coffin was buried and the site at Beckstead Wood became known as Lost Corpse End.
Climbing out of the wood we entered a field and saw a deer standing motionless on our path, about 100 yards ahead. Unfortunately I had a 22mm lens on my camera and so couldn't zoom in for a good look. He suddenly bounded across the field and we resumed our walk. As we passed the point of the hedge where he been standing we heard a commotion behind us and whirling round saw two more deer, an adult and a fawn, running across the field to join the other one. What a nice sight it made.
We climbed gently over Carr Hill and approached the village of Felixkirk through overgrown fields.
We reached the tarmac road at Mount View and turned right to walk into Felixkirk and the church of St Felix which we found to be locked. A cursory look around the building and graveyard was the best we could do before heading back along the road. |
| Is that a deer?? |
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| It spots us |
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| Off it goes, over the field |
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| Soon followed by two more... |
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| We know we're on the path! |
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| The gate is wired up, we have to climb the fence |
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| This tree has swallowed the wire fence |
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| A slippery bridge into wild undergrowth, Clive wonders whether shorts were a good idea today! |
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| St Felix, first time we've found it locked |
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| The rear of St Felix |
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| We found this open cupboard in the porch - a leather fire hose with sections riveted together |
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| A servant's grave |
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| The tragic Hannah Cornforth 'Twenty years I was a maid, 1 year I was a wife. 18 hours a mother, and then departed life' |
Here, on a gently sloping meadow, we sat to enjoy our coffee and scones with a fine view towards Thirlby with Whitestone Cliff to the left.
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| Looking back from the tarmac road, Newbuilding can just be made out |
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| The gates of Mount St John |
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| The gate lodge to Mount St John |
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| I send Clive ahead to negotiate... |
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| We are fixed by many a baleful eye as we pass |
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| They're just curious, says Clive... |
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| Coffee and scones calm the nerves |
We set off once more and our diversion rejoined the track below Cinque Cliff House to follow a grassy lane to the road, where we turned left and walked into Thirlby.
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| We can just see Boltby Scar from our coffee spot |
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| Cinque House |
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| A green lane towards Thirlby.... |
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| ... opens into another cattle field. They are as startled as us and hare off... |
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| ... leaving a couple of calves behind |
Thirlby is a very pretty village and the road is bordered with neat rural cottages. One of these, Keeper's Cottage, had a road-side stall selling home made jam last year but sadly this year it was not to be.
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| Weather vanes in Thirlby |
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| Keeper's Cottage, but no jam |
Walking down the high street we came to Pear Tree House where Thirlby's own woodcarver lives; Bob Hunter, who worked with Mouseman Thompson at nearby Kilburn, and whose trademark is the wren.
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| I wonder why they call it Pear Tree House??! |
We continued along the lane through the village, crossed the ford and left the tarmac at Thirlby Farm, turning left to follow a track through a grassy meadow.
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| Crossing Gurtof Beck in Thirlby |
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| Pretty Gurtof Beck |
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| Looking back through Thirlby |
We followed our path, sometimes across fields and sometimes through woods, steadily approaching Boltby.
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| Boltby Scar |
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| Unusual stile |
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| Out of the trees, not more cattle! |
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| Clive introduces a pet lamb to the joys of Jakeman's Chest and Throat lozenges |
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| Overgrown bridge |
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| Boltby appears in the distance |
We turned left at the packhorse bridge and walked through the pretty village of Boltby before turning right at a waymarked sign at the lane between Spring Garth and Gurtof House.
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| Packhorse bridge |
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| Cottage in Boltby |
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| Clive shares an apple |
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| Hang on, there's enough for everybody |
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| I didn't get any.. |
We followed a series of field boundaries to reach the modern mansion of Ravensthorpe Manor, which can't really be seen on our approach.
We climbed above the manor house into Westow Plantation and followed a muddy track behind Ravensthorpe Manor, which was now invisible to us because of the plantation's trees.
The path became easier and we walked gently downhill, eventually emerging in Kirby Knowle near the old school house, where we turned left and walked back to the car.
This is a nice walk taking you through pretty villages but needs some navigation preparation as many paths appear unwalked.
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| Through Westow Plantation |
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| Follow that sign |
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| Toadstool in Westow Plantation |
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| Er, Footpath or bridleway? All roads lead to Kirby Knowle |
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| New weather vane in Kirby Knowle |
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