Wass to Cockerdale and Byland Abbey

7 miles Warm and fine

We parked by the Village Hall at Wass where there is ample parking and an honesty box. We walked towards the crossroads soon reaching and visiting the tiny church of St Thomas.

The church was unlocked so we entered and found it to be clean and tidy with a capacity of about 40. Tom Scott Burns doesn't mention the building but it once served as the village school and appears to have been built using stone from nearby Byland Abbey.

St Thomas at Wass

Looks like an old railway clock

Very tidy interior

The porch was built from Newburgh Priory stone but we suspect the church stones came from Byland Abbey

Once the Wombwell Arms, now the Stapylton Arms

Neat box hedging in Wass

Climbing out of the village

TSB does tell us, however, that Wass comes from the Middle English wathes, meaning 'fords', the village having two such crossings.

We walked down to the crossroads and turned right at the Stapylton Arms. We walked away from the pub along a road that soon lost its tarmac and became little more than a track.

We passed a sign to Cam Farm and Observatory, the only sign for the observatory that we noticed, then passed through woods with Blind Side Gill to the right and Abbey Bank Noddle to the left. This was a steady climb which suddenly became steeper as we followed our path off the track to the ridge of Snever Scar.

Abbey Bank Noddle to the left

Follow the signs...

... steeply uphill to the ridge

Our path disappears in bracken for a while..

.. before emerging to follow the ridge of Snever Scar

TSB praises the surprise view of the Vale of York from Snever Scar but that has long since been spoiled by quick growing saplings. The path leads along the ridge and then descends until it reaches a track that makes its way left uphill, just before reaching a gate. There is no sign here but we remembered that we needed to take the track to the left in order to see the observatory, the approach to which is made harder today by high bracken.

The observatory suddenly comes into view

Showing signs of vandalism and neglect

"Here hills and waving groves a scene display, And part admit and part exclude the day, See rich industry smiling on the plains, And peace and plenty yell VICTORIA reigns!, Happy the MAN who to these shades retires, Whom nature charms and whom the muse inspires, Who wandering thoughtful in this silent wood, Attends the duties of the wise and good, To observe a mean, be to himself a friend, To follow NATURE and regard his end"

Slightly saddened by the continuing deterioration of the observatory we retraced our steps to the point marked Camp Holes on the map above. We suspect this name has links to the mighty battle fought here in 1322, when King Edwards II was defeated by Sir Robert de Brus of Scotland. The King only escaped by 'the very pity of Christ' leaving behind in his flight the royal treasure and the crown jewels. Nearby Scotch Corner's name possibly also refers to the same Battle of Byland.

Our path led us to Cam Farm where we had to keep a lookout for way markers, before reaching Cockerdale Wood. As we passed through the wood we went left from the forest track on to a small path that descends steeply through the wood perimeter, where we saw Cockerdale Farm standing below a large meadow.

Cam Farm ahead

Rams run to greet us at Cam Farm

Cam House

Cockerdale Wood ahead

Turn off the tyrack at the sign ...

... to descend steeply through the wood

Looking down on Cockerdale Farm from the wood's edge

We walked down to the farm and keeping the building to our left we crossed a couple of large fields before stopping out of the breeze and with a fine view back to Cockerdale Woods. Here we sat for a while and enjoyed our coffee and scones.

The boys get some shade

Saying hello at Cockerdale Farm

Keep the buildings to our left

A scone with a view

Refreshed, we set off once more and soon reached a track at Mode Hill and here we turned right to climb sharply to the little chapel at Scotch Corner. TSB tells how this was built by the sculptor John Bunting,with stone from an old farmhouse and that it is dedicated to three pupils of Ampleforth College killed in WWII.

Chapel at Scotch Corner

John Joseph Bunting sculptor and artist of Ryedale built this chapel 1957 + died 19 November 2002 aged 75

Sign at Scotch Corner Memorial Chapel

The chapel was padlocked so we retraced our steps, finding the going much easier downhill and we carried on to join a tarmac road for a hundred yards before turning left past the impressive building of Oldstead Hall, built by John Wormald who also constructed The Observatory. Here we paused to say hello to a friendly donkey.

No ponies today. A local explained 'they come and go', she believed they had other fields

"Don't pass me by"

Oldstead Hall

Our path climbs to the side of the hall

We passed the hall and walked through fields before turning right onto the tarmac of the Oldstead to Byland Road, then left to walk through fields once more and passing by Oldstead Grange Farm and then Cam Heads Farm. Here we saw large numbers of free range pigs that are a new addition to the farm.

Oldstead Grange Farm

Man-eaters!

Chillin' at Oldstead

Leaving Cam Heads Farm

Run wild, run free..

Various pig breeds

Follow the sign towards Byland Abbey

We now crossed a series of linking field tracks to reach the ruins of Byland Abbey. It is still apparent what an imposing building this must have been in its day.

TSB tells us that the church, in itself 330 feet long, was fringed by chapels and columns, only traces of which remain. When the Abbey was dismantled in 1540 after the suppression of the monasteries by Henry VIII it housed 25 monks as well as the Abbot. An interesting webpage about the monastery, showing a reconstruction of how it looked in its heyday, click here.