Whorlton Castle and Church from Swainby

6 miles                           Cool and fine

We parked 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

The pinfold with the Blacksmith's Arms behind

Millennium Plaque in the Pinfold

We then walked up the high street and turned left into a footpath just before the church.

This footpath passes along the back of houses and we soon left Swainby, which Tom Scott Burns informs us means 'Swain's Farm', from the old Norse name Sveinn.  

'Miner' weather vane in Swainby

We turned off the high street here...

.. into the path alongside the Black Horse

Footpath at the rear of Swainby's houses

Our footpath soon joined a lane which took us very quickly to Whorlton Castle.  All that is left to see of the castle is the gatehouse and we were pleased to find that its wooden gate, although closed, was unlocked.

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.  The remains the the moat are still obvious today.  

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.

Whorlton Castle gate house

Will we get in..?

The gates weren't locked. Looking at the rear of the gate house

Remains of the castle's Keep

 A brief history of the castle is to be found here:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whorlton_Castle

A few yards further along the tarmac lane brought us 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 grill in the chancel door.  We could just see the bog oak effigy of the second Lord Nicholas de Meynell who died in 1322.   I hadn't realised what bog oak is:  http://www.wood-database.com/bog-oak/ 

There are some very interesting tombstones dating from the early 1700s and the low sun made the epitaphs easier to read.

Church of Holy Cross

Holy Cross from the rear

Bog oak effigy

'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'

'Remember man as thou goes by as thou art now so wonce was I As I am now so must thou be remember man that thou must die'

'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.'

Whorl Hill

We enjoyed browsing the old epitaphs but eventually it was time to move on and we returned to the lane and followed it to the junction with Whorlton Lane, where we climbed a stile into fields and headed straight towards Whorl Hill, which dominates the skyline.  The field paths were not as muddy as we had expected, perhaps today's strong cold wind had dried them somewhat.   

Looking back at Holy Cross Church and Whorlton Castle

A steady climb took us into the trees of Whorl Hill (old Norse 'hvirfill' - 'high hill with a rounded top') and we continued to climb until our track levelled out and we circumnavigated the hill, just inside the tree line.  

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, until we dropped away from the main path to exit the woods at Bank Lane via the garden of a bungalow.

Walking through the trees of Whorl Hill

In Bank Lane

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

Climbing through Faceby Plantation

We reach the moor gate

A level walk along spoil heaps below Round Hill

Time for coffee and scones

Our break over, we climbed once more to reach the moor top and the stone flags of the Cleveland Way.  We turned right and walked into a cold head wind, following the Cleveland Way westwards.

A final push to the top

Following the Cleveland Way

A site of scientific interest?

All these years we thought it was just a cairn!  A new sign opposite the cairn

We crossed Round Hill and dropped steeply down to Huthwaite Green where I discovered the wind had put paid to my plan to buy some free range eggs by demolishing the little stall at Hollin Hill Farm.

Crossing Round Hill

Whorl Hill below

The old railway wagon has been hit by the gales

Eggs for sale at Hollin Hill Farm last year

Storm Caroline appears to have thwarted my purchase of fresh eggs

We crossed a ford and climbed across a field, still following the Cleveland Way, before turning into woods alongside Scugdale Beck.  Our path led us through Clain Wood alongside the beck for a mile and looking over to the east we could at all times see Whorl Hill and our outward path.  

Crossing Scugdale Beck

Climbing towards Clain Wood

Hawk's dining table in Clain Wood

Leaving the wood and joining the Sheepwash to the A172 road we descended towards Swainby.  We entered the village walking alongside the beck and crossed the bridge to look at the new Church of Holy Cross.  It was unlocked and we had a look around but there are no gravestones here as burials still take place at the old church at Whorlton.

Shepherd weather vane at Swainby

Footballer weather vane at Swainby

Descending towards Swainby

Swainby High Street

This new church was built in 1877 and is the work of Temple Moor, who also built the church at Fangdale Beck that we visited a few weeks ago.  This is a much grander affair however.

Looking across the beck to Holy Cross Church, Swainby

Looking towards the altar

Some fine windows

The altar window

Leaving the church our walk took us past the Black Horse and we decided to end our walk at the pub with a couple of pints of their appropriately named 'Bitter and Twisted' ale.