Kildale to Baysdale and its Lost Abbey
9.5 miles Hot and still
We parked at the side of the road in Kildale village before setting off towards Little Kildale. A hot day for walking with temperatures around 26C, little or no sun and no wind.
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| Today's walk fromThe Walker's Guide to the Cleveland Hills |
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| We parked at the side of the road here |
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| Kildale house |
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| We walked past Kildale Hall.. |
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| .. and turned right towards Little Kildale |
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| Little Kildale |
Tom Scott Burns informs us that Kildale is a village of great antiquity. There are several 'Kildals' in Norway and the village was probably named by the Vikings. It was called Childale in the Domesday Book. In 1156, where the church now stands, was a wooden castle built by the Percys, Earls of Northumberland. Walking through the village we turned off the road into Green Gate Lane and climbed towards Little Kildale. Reaching the hamlet we continued along our lane through Little Kildale Wood, eventually reaching Warren Farm where we turned right towards the open moor.
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| Pigeon weather vane in Little Kildale |
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| Little Kildale |
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| David Brown tractor |
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| Obviously fully operational |
As we walked towards Warren Farm we saw estate workers busy in the fields filling feeders for the pheasants which had obviously just been released and have yet to learn to avoid people.
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| Recently released |
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| Pheasant season begins 1st October so time to fill out and become more wary |
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| Cover grown for game birds |
Following the path past Warren Farm which is hidden among trees, we came to a large square chimney as we descended to Leven Vale. This is the remains of an ironstone mine that was operational between 1866 and 1874. Time and effort have been given to making this a site of interest so we stopped to look around.
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| Ironstone mine chimney |
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| Looking from the Upcast Shaft to the Downcast Shaft |
Leaving the old mine site we crossed the source of the River Leven and started a climb up through meadows towards Kildale Moor.
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| The source of the River Leven |
We now climbed steadily to Kildale Moor and having reached the top at 900 feet, we descended towards Baysdale Beck, soon reaching the remains of an old barn where the path turns sharp left.
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| Tuck your trousers in your socks! |
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| The three common ticks |
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| Looking back towards Warren Farm |
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| These signs forbidding dogs and bikes have sprung up everywhere and all have been defaced |
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| The moor gate |
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| Heather is at its best |
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| Dropping into Baysdale |
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| Turn left at the first ruined building |
At the first ruined building we turned left onto a track which runs parallel to Baysdale Beck. This is an old lime road that enabled limestone to be carried from Commondale into Cleveland, and we followed this for 1.5 miles until we reached a tarmac road.
We turned right onto the tarmac road and walked steeply downhill to pretty Hob Hole and its water-splash. The hot weather had brought families out to play and we stopped here, looking down on the water splash, to enjoy our coffee and scones.
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| The old lime road |
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| Tubs of herbicide, bracken clearing? |
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| We reach tarmac and drop downhill.. |
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| .. to reach Hob Hole |
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| Setting off after coffee |
Hob Hole was supposed to be the haunt of a mischievous hobgoblin who taunted weary travellers and TSB reports a Canon Atkinson speaking of Padfoot, "Padfoot, a precursor of death; sometimes visible, sometimes invisible, but ever and anon padding lightly in the rear of people, then again before them or at their side, and uttering a roar unlike the voice of any known animal."
Crossing the ford we headed steeply up the tarmac road, then turned right into John Breckon Road. As we walked along this narrow road we had views left down towards Westerdale.
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| Different types of heather give many shades of purple |
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| Wensleydale below - the colours are as shown (not enhanced) |
After half a mile or so we turned off John Breckon Road to follow a heather track that returned us back along the opposite side of Baysdale Beck, eventually passing a memorial to Alan Clegg 'Who loved these moors'. We arrived at Great Hograh Beck where there is a small stone footbridge and a wooden memorial seat. We were interested to see a new memorial on a piece of slate.
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| A runner passes us on Great Hograh Moor |
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| Great Hograh Beck |
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| Its bridge is the work of Rowland Close |
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| New memorial, Alan is pointing at Rowland Close's bridge |
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| Clive reads the memorial plates on the bench |
TSB notes that the footbridge was built in 1938, according to an inscription, and was the work of Rowland Close, of nearby Low House Farm.
Leaving the beck we turned right onto a wide track and followed the path across the moor. We walked downhill and passed by the above mentioned Low House Farm to descend to reach Baysdale Beck.
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| Bat Box at Baysdale Abbey |
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| Baysdale Abbey |
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| The old bridge |
Tom Scott Burns explains that in the middle ages land rents for Baysdale were paid with the heads of wolves, which were numerous in the area, and one can imagine this wild enclosed ravine in the 1300s, when cattle were over-wintered in the valley bottom. In fact, TSB explains, Baysdale is derived from Basdale meaning Cow Shed Valley. The Abbey Farm has been renovated and is now marketed as holiday lets.
The original abbey was occupied by 9 or 10 nuns from 1190 to 1539. TSB tells how in 1304 Prioress Joan de Percy had not adhered to the monastic rules and Archbishop Corbridge had to commit the custody of the nuns of Baysdale to Roger de Kellshay, rector of Crathorne. By 1307 Joan remained disobedient and was deprived of her post. She absconded from the abbey with some other nuns and Archbishop Grenfield ordered them back to the abbey "that they return without delay and not go outside the precincts of the abbey and serve God under the yoke of obedience..." . Records show that in fact Joan did return to Baysdale as a simple nun after doing a year's penance at the appropriately named Sinningthwaite.
We walked away from the buildings and crossed a quaint stone bridge which is apparently the only substantial remnant of the original abbey. Crossing the bridge we followed the road to a footpath sign where we turned right to climb steeply through fields, all the way to the dale top, at a height of 1050 feet, where we paused to admire the view back to the abbey and collect our breath. This is using the short cut shown on the map above as dotted line opposite Baysdale Farm.
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| The steep climb through bracken |
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| Looking back down to the Abbey |
We joined the tarmac road that runs from the Abbey to Kildale and turned right to follow it. After a few minutes walking on this road we saw a stone memorial to the crew of a second world war plane that crashed on Kildale Moor; sadly the crew died from exposure before they could be rescued.
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| Baysdale to Kildale road |
We followed the lane steadily down and eventually joined the Kildale road where we turned right towards the car. We had made good time so decided to pay a visit to St Cuthbert's Church in Kildale.
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| Battersby below |
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| Sparrow Hawk |
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| The Whitby train approaches Kildale Station |
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| We arrive back at Kildale |
The approach to the church is interesting as it is made by crossing a narrow bridge over the railway line. Below is Kildale Station and ahead the entrance to the church is framed by yew trees.
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| Kildale Station |
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| St Cuthbert's Church from the railway bridge |
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| Gargoyles and dragons on the church tower |
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| We like this interesting modern window |
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| Kildale Station and St Cuthbert's are depicted in the window |
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| .. as is the shepherd and his dogs |
The church is Victorian but replaced an old building that went back to Norman days. A lot of the original stone was used and as we entered we saw medieval grave slabs propped up in the porch.
The church is open to visitors so we went inside for a closer look.
There is no pub in Kildale but a short drive took us to the Royal Oak at Great Ayton where we enjoyed a pint in their beer garden and discussed today's interesting walk.
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"To Baysdale!"
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