Kepwick and Cowesby from Over Silton

5.5 miles          Fine but misty

After three months of me being out of action with a hip injury we decided I should make a short easy return to walking and this TSB walk is ideal.

We parked in 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

The weather forecast had promised us sun but as we walked out of  Over Silton we were in mist. The name Silton probably derives from Sal which means hall, and ton which is old Anglian for town.   

Leaving Over Silton

We soon turned into a field at a gate. There is a way-mark on the telegraph pole here but we found that like much of today's route, whilst shown on the OS map, is little walked and tracks across fields are non existent.

Walking along the road from Over Silton towards Nether Silton 

Leave the road at the gate

We walked through fields and crossed Penny Beck, soon reaching Greystone Farm. We passed 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.  

Approaching Penny Beck

Greystone Farm

Clive looks at the certificates

Dozens of prize rosettes

A friendly word 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 the path which led us to Hall Farm.

Prize winners in the mist

Entering Nether Silton

The village green is dominated by an enormous Lime tree

Silton Hall

Hall Farm has a huge new shed for pigs

Clive can't resist a look at the pigs

We continued beyond Hall Farm to walk through fields until we reached the 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.

There are way marks on the gates but..

.. the fields are unwalked

A bamboo type of plant alongside the field, perhaps to soak up water

Crossing Sorrow Beck

Old railway bridge

We crossed another field and joined Peasland Lane which we followed for a mile into Cowesby.

Peasland Lane

Old farmhouse in Cowesby

St Michael and All Angels at Cowesby

The first building one comes to on entering Cowesby is St Michael and All Angels Church.  We were pleased to find the door was unlocked and we spent a few moments exploring the old building before carrying a couple of chairs outside and settling down for a coffee and scone.  

We were immediately struck by how clean and tidy the church was compared with our last visit.

Today

Last year

We wondered if the heads are caricatures of real people 

We admire the huge sandstone roof tiles

We spot two ugly faces

Two more

Although the present church dates from only 1846 it replaced one of the oldest churches in the district, which stood on a Saxon site. The tower has an unusual pyramid roof which houses a ring of six bells, their ropes dangling near the altar. 

Coffee over we walked through Cowesby before stopping at Home Farm for an interesting chat with the owner about the renovations he was having done to the old building. 

Cowesby

Corner Cottage

Clive and householder get technical

Leaving Home Farm we followed a path bearing left along the western shoulder of Pen Hill. This path then leads down towards Kepwick. 

Looking back at Cowesby as we climb Pen Hill

Pen Hill

Looking across to Howe Hill and its hidden obelisk

Tom Scott Burns in his Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills mentions that a marble obelisk can be seen on Howe Hill as one descends Atlay Bank.  John Henry Boyer Warner erected Kepwick Hall and constructed two reservoirs on the moors above to service the estate and village. The obelisk is a memorial to him but is now invisible to all, unless you climb Howe Hill and fight through the trees and vegetation to get to its base.  We think this is a great shame and can't understand why the villagers don't clear the rough growth from around the memorial.

The obelisk is tricky to get to but we have spoken to the farmer and he had no objection to us crossing his field to reach Howe Hill. I have attached a couple of photos from that visit.

There is no path to the obelisk

New saplings surround the obelisk

"We are not born for ourselves alone"

'A nature his of sweet felicity, a pioneer of thought throughout the globe, his soul a garb of grand simplicity, that feelings true of wondrous depth did robe. Such men denote the capability, of nature's glorious power in her prime, show us the path of possibility, that leads beyond the measured scope of time'

'

Neglected memorial

Descending from the memorial brings you to the road and nearby Kepwick Chapel, which is always locked unfortunately, but does have an interesting history. 

Kepwick Chapel

Originally this building 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 Royal Flying Corps against Baron Richthofen's flying circus.  

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

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 on a new bridge.  A hundred yards later we reached and crossed Sorrow Beck.

Leaving Kepwick road

To cross cattle field 

The old railway bed

Clive checks the loose rails

The last one fell off

Clive refuses at the first jump

Nether Silton in the distance

In pathless fields the 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.  

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 medieval manor house once stood.

As we approached the stone we were observed by a herd of bullocks who watched curiously as Clive took a photo of me standing next to it.

Approaching the old Manor House

The Manor House

The bullocks are curious but stay where they are....

... while the ritual photgraph is taken

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 further took us to the church of All Saints in Nether Silton and we popped inside for a look around.

All Saints

All Saints has a window devoted to this family

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.  Tom Scott Burns explains that wood used in the altar rails and other refurbishments was taken 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 leads between houses to open fields.

Nether Silton and the sun has finally come out

Silton House

.. and sheep

Across fields...

... and past St Mary's isolated church

.. to reach Over Silton

After crossing the tarmac of Kirk Ings Lane we passed St Mary's Church, which stands isolated in the middle of a field but decided to leave exploring it for a future walk. 

We crossed the field to Over Silton and the end of our walk.  

A short, pleasant walk for a winter's day and a convalescing hiker.

To good hikes and strong hips!