Stonegrave and Caulkleys Bank from Nunnington

7 miles                              Fine and dry

This is the most southerly outing in Tom Scott Burns' book The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills, being four miles south of Helmsley.  We drove to Nunnington via the B1257 Malton road and parked at the roadside near Nunnington Studios as roadworks on the bridge prevented us from parking in our usual spot opposite the hall.

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

Tom Scott Burns explains that the name Nunnington is derived from the old English personal name Nunna and not from the Saxon nunnery that once stood where the hall now stands.

Nunnington Studios has a life size weather vane of a dog and a few years ago we talked to the owner who told us that the weather vane was a memorial to his first and much loved dog, a spaniel called Percy.  He said the spaniel was a real character who led a very independent life, doing exactly what he pleased.

Houses in Nunnington

Percy

We set off through the village admiring the neat streets, laid out in a grid formation with the houses all decorated in the same dark green and cream paintwork. We passed by the old school house and upon reaching Bridge Cottage we left the road and passed through a gate to reach the river.

Hydrangea still showing a good display

The old grocer's shop

Bridge Cottage

Nunnington

Straight on through the gate

We left the road at a sign and began following the faint track alongside the River Rye.

We follow High Moor Lane

Along the bank of the River Rye

We followed the river for about a mile and then, after crossing a bridge, turned sharp left away from the Rye and into fields.

Cross the bridge and turn left

The track is little walked

We crossed a couple of fields before turning left onto the tarmac of High Moor Lane.  After a hundred yards or so we turned right at a signpost to return to fields. Around half a mile later we dropped down to reach the busy Malton road and the village of Stonegrave.

Turn right off High Moor Lane

Descending to Stonegrave

The Malton road and the minster appears

Stonegrave

We enter a field behind the minster

Stonegrave Minster

A Minster is a monastic church as opposed to a community or parish church

Stonegrave Minster is the smallest in the country and has been on this site since the 8th century. It is always unlocked and open to visitors.  TSB explains that the name Stonegrave is from Old Norse 'steinn-gryfja' meaning stone cleft, as there was extensive stone quarrying here in the middle ages.  The Minster is mentioned in an 8th century letter from Pope Paul I to King Eadbert of Northumbria. 

Just inside its door we saw a Celtic Circle Cross which is almost complete.  An adjacent notice pointed out that such crosses are found only in the North East.

Celtic Cross

Altar window

Coffee and scones at the Minster

We had coffee sat outside the Minster and then set off past the Manor House to cross the Malton road and join a grassy path which veered left from the road to climb Caulkleys Bank.

The Manor House

Obviously disapproved of the Window Tax

The Manor House as we start to climb Caulkeys Bank

The name Caulkleys is a corruption of 'Chalk Lands' and in The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills one reads that the terrain here consists mainly of rich deposits of reef limestones and detritus known as Coral Rag, all pointing to the marine origins of this hillside.

Stonegrave below

Climbing Caulkleys Bank

A long ridge walk

Hoveringham and other villages from Caulkley Bank

The Trig Point

From the Trig Point

Reaching the top of Caulkleys Bank we walked along the grassy ridge and after passing Caulkleys Wood we had fine views in all directions.  TSB says that no less than 22 towns, villages and hamlets as well as sixteen churches can be seen from the highest point, marked by a trig point.

We continued along the ridge walk, crossed The Avenue which runs from Nunnington to Hoveringham, and eventually our path started to descend towards the village of West Ness.

Entering West Ness

We walked through West Ness past an old Wesleyan chapel to where the route joins a riverside track to the left of the bridge at West Ness.  We followed the river back towards Nunnington and came to a large building that had once been a mill.  In fact, TSB says there has been a mill on this site since the Domesday Book, although the present one dates from 1875.

Old Wesleyan Chapel

Leave the road at the sign

.. to re-enter fields

A couple of Zwartbles sheep in with the Texels

These reprobates have somehow got stuck on the wrong side of the fence

Nunnington Mill

Passing by the mill we had a quick look at the Mill Race and then rejoined the river path which took us back to Nunnington and to Nunnington Hall. The hall was owned by Sir Thomas Parr in the 16th century and it's quite possible that Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's last wife, could have played here as a child.

I send Clive ahead to negotiate my safe passage

The Mill race is pretty feeble today

Nunnington Hall

Can you tell what it is yet?

Clive examines the seed potato planter

Another view of the hall

The bridge has been damaged by a collision

Clive explains to me how cantilever scaffolding works

Back in Nunnington we returned to the car and the village pub having been converted to a private house, we de-camped to Helmsley where we popped into Helmsley brewery for our debrief over a pint of Yorkshire Legend.

It looks open!

It's made here so it should be good!

Cheers!