Whorlton Castle and Church from Swainby

6 miles                           Cloudy and dry

We parked the cars in the road at Swainby near the Blacksmith's Arms and before crossing the river we looked at the restored pinfold just opposite the pub.  A pinfold is where stray animals were kept secure until they were reclaimed by their owners after payment of a fine.

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

Swainby Pinfold

Millennial mural in the Pinfold

Setting off along the High Street

We then walked up the high street and turned left past the Blacksmith's Arms and into a footpath just before the church.

This footpath passes along the back of houses with a park to the left and a small stream to the right of the path.

Turn left at the wooden sign

... and walk along the house backs

The path quickly leaves Swainby, which Tom Scott Burns informs us means 'Swain's Farm', from the old Norse name Sveinn, and joins a lane which takes one very quickly to the site of Whorlton Castle, now locked for safety reasons.

Whorlton Castle

TSB tells us that there have been a number of castles on this site, even before the Domesday Book which records it as Wirueltun in 1086. William the Conqueror gave the manor to Robert Count de Mortain, and then it passed into the hands of the de Meynell family.  The castle was surrounded by a deep moat over which was a drawbridge.  In 1323 Edward II was known to have stayed at Whorlton Castle while hunting deer in North Yorkshire and during the Cromwellian period Royalists held the castle and were bombarded by Roundheads from Whorl Hill to the East and Toft Hill to the West.

Leaving the castle we walked a few yards further along the tarmac lane to the old Saxon church of Holy Cross. There is a tale that an underground passage links the castle to this nearby church and we decided to stop off to have a look round.  The church was locked and we peered through the grille in the chancel door.  We could just see the bog oak effigy of the second Lord Nicholas de Meynell who died in 1322, as described by TSB.  Bog oak has a significantly higher density and hardness than ordinary oak and was created when prehistoric forests were submerged under water and silt in anaerobic conditions thousands of years ago.  Hence the statue still looks as good as the day it was made. 

Ancient church of Holy Cross

All we can see of the bog oak statue of de Meynell

Clive peers through the locked gate at the statue

Two coats of arms, one illegible, the other Bates of Easby

There are some very interesting tombstones dating from the early 1700s.

'In perfect hilth he went from home, and little thought his glass was run, but dying in so short a space, I hope his soul in  a good place'

'He was an affectionate husband who lived beloved and died lamented. Oh how uncertain are the days of men. Certain to die but yet uncertain when. In perfect health I went from home, but little thought my glass so near was run. In health at night, the same at morn But before noon my glass was run.'

A couple of gravestones had the expression 'my glass was run', an interesting phrase no longer in use and referring to sand running from an hour glass.

Walking round to the rear of the church we noticed a medieval 'Mass Dial'.   In days when the majority of people were illiterate these would be sited on the south wall of a church and a wooden peg (called a gnomon) would have been placed in the top hole.  The Mass Dial worked as a sun dial, the shadow reaching a peg in one of the bottom holes would indicate the approximate times for mass. 

Mass dial with my improvised gnomon

Returning to the front of the church we noticed a WW2 headstone and were saddened by the obvious implication of the dates on the adjoining memorial stone.

Tragic headstones

We returned to the lane and followed it to the junction with Whorlton Lane where we paused to look at cattle in the adjoining field. As we did so a farmer who was driving past in his tractor stopped and jumped down to talk.  Thinking we were considering walking through the cattle field he told us they were Black Galloways and friendly.  Most were pregnant, he said, and there were a couple of calves that were about 4 months old. He pointed out a white bull and told us it was an English Shorthorn, a rare breed and one of only 150 in the country.  The calves would be grey as a result of the cross.

Leaving the graveyard to Whorlton Lane

We need to go through that gate

.. but first stop to chat

English Shorthorn bull

Saying goodbye to the friendly farmer we climbed a stile into fields and headed straight towards Whorl Hill, which dominates the skyline. 

Walking towards Whorl Hill

Goulton Home's free range hens are all inside because of Bird Flu restrictons

Approaching Whorl Hill Farm

We went through a gate at Whorl Hill Farm and our path veered right to climb steadily into the trees of Whorl Hill (Old Norse 'Hvirfill' meaning a high hill with a rounded top).  We continued to climb until our path levelled out and circumnavigated the hill just inside the tree line.

Climbing Whorl Hill

Circumnavigating

.. with a view back down to Swainby

Dropping down to leave Whorl Hill

TSB informs us that in 1810 one of Britain's largest hoards of Roman silver coins (weighing 2 stones) was dug up on Whorl Hill by a local farmer whilst ploughing his field.  

We followed the path with a fine view down to Swainby through the trees bearing right at all path junctions, until we dropped away from the main path to exit the woods at Bank Lane, adjacent to a bungalow.

Bank Lane

Follow the footpath signs through the gate

Logging has altered the path entrance

The area is much changed by logging since our last visit

We now walked up Bank Lane towards Live Moor and Round Hill.  Reaching the trees of Faceby Plantation a short climb brought us out of the trees to a path below Round Hill, and here we sat to enjoy our coffee and scones sheltered from the wind.

Starting the climb

Clive reaches the gate

.. and turns left to follow the path across spoil heaps covered in pine needles

Under Round Hill.  We found a sheltered spot for coffee.

We now climbed once more, to reach the moor top and the stone path of the Cleveland Way.  We turned right and walked into a head wind, soon passing a large cairn standing on a Bronze Age burial mound.

Climbing Round Hill

Looking back to Whorl Hill as we climb

Cairn or...

.. monument?

We followed the Cleveland Way footpath westwards with good views down to Whorl Hill and Swainby to our right, eventually reaching the steep descent to Huthwaite Green.

On the Cleveland Way

Starting the descent

The Devil's Staircase

A grand old Ash tree

The cottages of Scugdale ahead

Railway truck

This steep descent is always slippery and requires care.  On the Coast to Coast and Cleveland Way, which both share this track, it is known as the Devil's Staircase, although they are usually walking in the opposite direction to Clive and I today.  At the bottom where the path reaches Scugdale Lane is an old railway goods truck, a remnant of the mineral railway that once ran up this valley into Scugdale.  Someone is using the truck as a firewood store.  

We crossed the lane and passed Hollin Hill Farm and then crossed two bridges over meandering Scugdale Beck to enter fields where a faint track took us to the trees of Clain Wood.

Sign at Scugdale

Nice new stone walling at Hollin Farm

Bridge collapse at Scugdale Beck

Entering fields to climb to Clain Wood

The track shares this field with Highland Cattle who are very used to walkers and shown supreme indifference to our presence.

Approaching Clain Wood

Entering the wood we turned right to follow the Cleveland Way, at times walking parallel with the dismantled railway, until we reached the tarmac of Coalmire Lane.

Half a mile through Clain Wood

We part company with the Cleveland Way and turn right towards Swainby

At Coalmire Lane we turned right, soon reaching tarmac which we followed downhill to Swainby, spotting a couple of favourite weather vanes as we entered the village.

Walking into Swainby

Residents of Swainby

We passed by the new Church of Holy Cross in Swainby, which was built around 1875- 1877, to replace the old church at Whorlton.

Church of Holy Cross, Swainby

Our plans to end the walk at the Black Horse were thwarted as it was closed so we returned to the car and drove a short distance to Carlton for our debrief.

"Let me in!" Clive tries to gain entry

To winter walks!