Walking in North Yorkshire

Kepwick and Cowesby from Over Silton

5.5 miles Hot and sunny

A short walk in today's unusually hot weather. We parked at Over Silton at the roadside opposite the Old School House, having approached the village from the A19.

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

The Old School House

Tom Scott Burns notes that the name Silton probably derives from Sal as in Upsal, which means Hall, and Ton, which is old Anglian for place or town.

We followed the road out of Over Silton and turned into a field at a gate. We then walked through fields until we reached Greystone Farm, passing by the attractive and tidily kept buildings to see a small open barn full of rosettes and prize certificates for the farm's Suffolk sheep.

Leave the road and go through the gate

Someone has kindly covered the track with wood chippings

Cross Sorrow Beck

Greystone Farm

Trophies at Greystone Farm

The route continues along field paths until reaching Nether Silton where we crossed the road near to the village green and rejoined our path which led us to Hall Farm.

Silton Hall

Weather vane at Nether Silton

Enormous lime tree on the village green

We continued beyond the farm to walk through fields to reach a footbridge over Sorrow Beck.

Hall Farm

Footbridge over Sorrow Beck

After crossing the beck we walked through fields to reach a stone footbridge that is built over what used to be a 3.5 mile narrow gauge railway. Constructed in 1833, this railway brought limestone mined near Kepwick to kilns near to the Yarm and Thirsk turnpike road. We crossed another field and joined Peasland Lane which we followed for a mile into Cowesby.

Old railway bed

Clive looks along the old railway bed

Back in fields

If you can't fight wear a big hat. The hot weather brings out my old Tilley hat.

The church at Cowesby comes into view

Follow Peasland Lane to Cowesby

The first building one comes to when entering Cowesby is St Michael and All Angels Church. On previous visits we have found the church to be in poor repair and suffering with damp, and on our last visit in 2023 a tree had fallen across the rear of the church causing damage. Today we were pleased to see the damage repaired and the church re-decorated, looking better than we had ever seen it. After looking around we decided to celebrate with coffee and scones and moved a couple of chairs into the sun.

The weather vane is remounted on top

The tower has an unusual pyramid roof which houses a ring of six bells, their ropes dangling near the altar.

How it looked on our last visit

Coffee in the sun

Tastefully repaired

Inspecting the damage on our last visit

Although the present church dates from only 1846 it replaced one of the oldest churches in the district, which stood on a Saxon site and we were very pleased that money has been found to carry out the essential repairs.

Leaving the church we walked through Cowesby, past Home Farm, then followed a path bearing left along the western shoulder of Pen Hill. This path then leads down towards Kepwick.

Wisteria display in Cowesby

Bear left at Corner House

Looking back down to Cowesby as we climb Pen Hill

On Pen Hill

Howe Hill and its hidden obelisk

Tom Scott Burns in The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills mentions that a marble obelisk can be seen on Howe Hill as one descends Atlay Bank, but sapling growth prevents that view today. John Henry Boyer Warner erected Kepwick Hall and constructed two reservoirs upon the moors above to service the estate and village. The obelisk is a memorial to him but is now invisible unless you climb Howe Hill and fight through the trees and vegetation to get to reach it. Today's new spring growth would make the climb tricky and we decided to delay another visit to the memorial for a winter's day.

After a struggle we reach the obelisk on a previous visit

Marble obelisk

We reached Kepwick village and looked at the privately owned chapel which unfortunately is now locked to the public but has an interesting history. Originally it was a mission room but was rebuilt as a chapel by the Warner family of Kepwick Hall, whose only son was shot down during WWI whilst serving with the RFC against Baron Richthofen's flying circus.

Kepwick Chapel

Interestingly Warner's late sister formed the basis of one of James Herriot's characters, Mrs Pumphries, who owned the pekingese Tricky Woo.

We left Kepwick at a footpath sign to re-enter fields which took us first to the disused railway and then to Bridge Beck which we crossed. A hundred yards later we reached and crossed Sorrow Beck. The side of the bridge had been broken off, we wondered how, and was lying in the stream below.

This lane was another stretch of the old mineral railway

Bridge Beck

Wild garlic and bluebells

Sorrow Beck and its damaged bridge

In these pathless fields way-marks are few and far between, but keep straight ahead to reach the outskirts of Nether Silton and the old Manor Stone which is in the middle of a field next to the 16th century manor house which still stands. The stone is cryptically inscribed with letters whose meaning I've set out below the photograph. This inscription was the idea of a Squire Hicks to mark the spot where the previous medieval manor house once stood.

It's become something of a ritual that Clive takes my photo at this spot, thus showing how the passage of time erodes both the Manor Stone and myself.

The Old Manor House at Nether Silton

Clive approaches the Old Manor Stone

Monoliths

Here The Grand Old Manor House Stood

The Black Beams Were Oak, The Great Walls Were Good

The Walls At The East Wing Are Hidden Here

A Thatched Cottage Like A Barn Was Erected
Year AD 1765

A Wide Porch Spans A Yard And Alcove

A few steps took us to the church of All Saints and we popped inside for a look around. All Saints is a chapel of ease which was rebuilt in 1812. Such a chapel is built for the convenience of parishioners who would find it difficult to access the main church, in this case isolated St Mary's, which we would pass by shortly.

All Saints Church, Nether Silton

Clive up in 'The Gods'

Tom Scott Burns explains that wood used in the altar rails and other refurbishments was presented by a R M Jaques, and were from HMS Dreadnought of Lord Nelson's day.

We left the church and immediately turned off the road at a white gate opposite, just near to the post box, leading to a narrow passage that passes between houses to open fields.