Kirby Knowle to Felixkirk and Boltby

8.5 miles          Fine and dry

We approached Kirby Knowle from the Knayton A19 turn-off and parked on the grassed area set aside for parking, opposite St Wilfred's Church.  I forgot my camera so today's photos are taken with my phone.

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

St Wilfred's,Kirby Knowle

After booting up we wandered over to St Wilfred's and found it open to visitors.  

Looking towards the altar

Towards the rear 

Modern window, see text below

Old crosses and font

'All you who come to read this stone,Consider how soon I was gone,Death sometime doth no warning give, Therefore be careful how you live'

We like the modern stained glass windows dedicated to Doctor Jane Rajan.
For more about the window and Dr Rajan see here

We walked out of the village along the tarmac road towards Upsall (up-salir, Old Norse 'high dwellings') .  Over to our right, high on the hill, one can see the imposing 'Newbuilding.' Originally called Kirby Knowle Castle and sometimes referred to as Newbiggin, Tom Scott Burns explains that this actually dates from the 13th century.  It has been restored and modernised but still contains many of its original features. 

House in Kirby Knowle

Leaving Kirby Knowle

'Newbuilding'

Weather vane near Kirby Knowle

Just before Upsall we turned off the road into fields at a metal footpath sign to follow a little walked path towards Turton Beckstead.  Tom Scott Burn's walks often follow rarely visited paths but today's route must be the least walked of all, the tracks were lush with vegetation and there was no sign that other boots had passed this way.

Leave the road at the footpath sign

A hare spots us and runs

Unwalked paths and poorly maintained gates and stiles

Entering Miller's Wood

I don't know if anyone has been through since our last visit

We walked into Miller's Wood and dropped down to the beck. 'Beckstead' means 'a farm near a river' and in previous years we have found a large stone block engraved with the words 'Turton Beckstead'.  This year we found someone had erected a sort of bridge and try as we might, we were unable to locate the engraved block.

This could be the block under Clive's foot, but turned upside down

A few years ago Clive had a wire brush with him and cleaned up the block, see below

Tom Scott Burns relates a strange event that apparently happened here. In the 1860s some mourners were carrying a body from Felixkirk to Kirby Knowle for burial.  The bearers set down the coffin to rest briefly at this spot, but on raising it up 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.

It is a fact that bodies were carried by this route from Felixkirk to Kirby Knowle for burial, so that much at least is true.

Leaving Turton Beckstead we climbed gently over Carr Hill to approach the village of Felixkirk through the overgrown fields.

Climbing Carr Hill

No sign that other boots have passed this way

New stile here....

But this old bridge is still a tricky crossing

Arriving at Felixkirk

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 unlocked. The church was sporting a new gate, the old one had Mousy Thomson's mouse carved on it but the new one appears to be the work of Bob Hunter, the Wren Man at Thirlby.

The old gate on our last visit

New gate

The wren replaces the mouse

The most striking feature of the church is the domed roof.  There are only six churches dedicated to St Felix in the UK.  He was a 7th century monk from Burgundy who converted the kingdom of East Anglia to Christianity.  The use of the name suggests there has been a church here since Saxon times.  The church was restored in 1860 but much of the stonework is original and dates to the 12th century.

St Felix Church

Looking towards the altar

Stone effigies of a knight..

... and his lady

Unusual domed roof

Stone mason's signature or graffitti?  'Thomas Carlton 1629'

Tragic Hannah Cornforth -  'Twenty years I was a maid, 1 year I was a wife. 18 hours a mother, and then departed life'

St Felix Church was owned by the Knights Hospitaller in the 12th century and nearby Mount St John, which we would shortly pass by, was the location of a preceptory of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in the 11th Century.

Retracing our steps to the road junction we turned right and climbed the lane to pass the lodge of the said Mount St John, now famous for its equestrian centre and gardens.  Shortly afterwards we turned right off the road and onto a farm track that we followed towards Cinque House, but here the track diverts from TSB's map above, as it has been re-routed around the rear of Cinque House. We paused here to enjoy the view and our coffee and scones.

This hawthorn has managed to swallow the old iron fence

The lodge at Mount St John

Horses at Mount St John

Walking towards Cinque Cliff Hill

Coffee with a view

Cinque House

We set off once more and our diverted path led back to the original route which we followed to Thirlby.

Fox weather vane as we enter Thirlby

Cottage in Thirlby

Home of the Wren furniture

Clive checks the display

Thirlby beck

A plaque to Donald and Audrey Sinclair, see below

Thirlby is a very attractive village and a point of interest is that Alf White aka James Herriot lived in the village.  Also in the village is a plaque to his vet partner Donald Sinclair, aka Seigfried Farnon.  Sinclair lived in nearby Southwoods Hall with his wife Audrey.

 Alf White died in February 1995 and Sinclair's wife in early June the same year.  Sadly Sinclair then took his own life by barbiturate poisoning two weeks later.  The plaque is near to the village hall and has not been looked after very well, consequently it was almost hidden by holly, weeds and undergrowth, which we cleared back a bit.

A bench near the beck, the work of the wren man.  'No shop or inn is there here about, so why not sit down and enjoy summat for nowt'  - donated by 'two good sorts in memory of Bill'.

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. We followed our path, sometimes across fields and sometimes through trees, steadily approaching Boltby.

Leaving Thirlby

Walking through Hollins Plantation

Boltby Scar over to the left

Through unwalked meadows

... and awkward rights of way

.. to Boltby

Entering Boltby

Packhorse bridge at Boltby

At Boltby we turned left at the packhorse bridge and walked through the pretty village before turning right at a waymarked sign at the lane between Spring Garth and Gurtof House. 

Boltby

Once the Johnson Arms, now a riding school, it appears to be getting a new roof

Clive shares an apple as we leave Boltby

We followed a series of field boundaries to reach the modern mansion of Ravensthorpe Manor, which we climbed above to enter Westow Plantation.  Here we followed a muddy track behind Ravensthorpe Manor, which was now invisible to us because of the plantation's trees.

Walking towards Ravensthorpe Manor

Ravensthorpe Manor

Box hedge feature at rear of house

Walking through Westow Plantation above Ravensthorpe Manor

Looking over towards Knayton and the A19

Clive points out landmarks

Dropping down to Kirby Knowle

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.

The houses of Kirby Knowle appear

These horses and their flies followed us across the field but didn't bother us

Back to St Wilfred's

This is a nice walk taking you through pretty villages but needs some navigation preparation because, as stated in the text, many paths appear unwalked.  GPS route available on request.

There is no pub in Kirby Knowle so a short drive was necessary before our debrief.

To the Lost Corpse!