Old Byland to Nettledale and Scawton

7.5 miles                      Cloudy, warm and humid

We approached Old Byland from the B1257 Bilsdale road via Reivaulx village and parked in the village, at the roadside close to the green.

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

In The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills, Tom Scott Burns describes this walk as embodying all the charm of Ryedale as it passes throught the villages of Old Byland, Scawton and Cold Kirby.   He goes on to say that in 1143 the Norman baron Roger de Mowbray granted land in Ryedale to some wandering monks from Furnace Abbey in Lancashire.  They moved about the dale for a few years before settling on a site they called Bellalanda, or Byeland.   

We walked through the village green and as we left the village we turned left through a gate and into the woods of Low Gill.  The track was badly overgrown and thick with nettles and gradually descended to Ashberry Pasture, a wild-flower sanctuary maintained by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.  Our trousers and boots were soon sodden as the undergrowth was wet and care was needed on slippery paths with a drop to our right side.

Entering the woods from Old Byland

Don't try this in shorts!

Walking through Low Gill

Ashberry Pasture

We joined the road just below Asberry Hill and walked to a junction next to Ashberry Farm, which looked as picturesque as ever. The old sheepdog was still on guard duty, just as it had been  when we last passed this way over a year ago.

Joining the Rievaulx road beneath Ashberry Hill

Rear of Ashberry Farm

Front of Ashberry Farm

We turned right over the bridge at Ashberry farm and followed the Scawton road past Hagg Hall, leaving the road at Bradley Bank and following a woodland track as it meandered through Nettle Dale.  Three large man made lakes were to our right and stretched along most of our track through Nettle Dale until we reached a footbridge and  Cleveland Way sign on our right.  We tuned left here and walked uphill into Spring Wood.

Highland Cattle near Hagg Hall

We join the Cleveland Way for a while

Leaving the road to enter Nettledale

One of the large lakes in Nettledale

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Climbing to Spring Wood

Old Inn Way sign to Nettledale

 

Our path went through Spring Wood until we reached a tarmac road which we followed into Scawton, which is Norse for farm in the hollow.

We sat on a convenient bench opposite the village hall and enjoyed our coffee and scones before sharing an apple with a couple of pigs who had been making their presence known with a lot of grunting and squealing in the field behind us.

Entering Scawton

"Anything left for us?"

Clive shares his apple

 

Ready for the pot!

 

After finishing our coffee we wandered over to the Church of St Mary which we found  unlocked, so we entered for a look around.

St Mary's is a nicely kept church and an effort has been made to highlight points of interest for the visitor.  

 

St Mary's Church, Scawton

Weather-vane on house opposite the church

"We loved her yes we loved her,but Jesus loved her more, He hath sweetly called her, to yonder happy home"  Shouldn't that last word be shore?

With restless days and sleepless nights,this weary frame was sore opprest, 'till God the silver cord unloosed, and gave the heavy laden rest"

We looked at some of the old gravestones and read their grim epitaphs before entering the church.  We feel it is nice that these village churches are left unlocked for visitors in these lawless times.

12 Century font

Looking towards the altar

Looking to the rear of the church

The lavatorium to the left and the piscina on the right

Memorial in St Mary's to Free French Airmen from WW2

TSB says that the church was built by the Cistercians of Byland Abbey "owing to the divers perils and fatigue which the parishioners underwent in coming from Scawton to Byland."

In the porch is an interesting memorial to five Free French Airmen who were killed nearby in WW2.

Leaving the church we returned to the village green and crossed the grass to an overgrown path behind the village telephone box.  Sadly it would appear that this part of today's walk is not being used by other walkers and the fields show no sign of tracks.  We kept to our path by using the yellow way-marks posted on field boundaries  until we descended back into Flassen Dale and turned left onto a broad path then almost immediately climbed up the other side of the dale.

 

Leaving Scawton

The path is unused and we follow yellow way marks

Approaching the trees of Flassen Dale

Fighting our way into Flassen Dale

Leaving Flassen Dale we walked straight across several fields towards Cold Kirby.  These fields contained numerous pens of partridges, almost fully grown and no doubt being readied for the Glorious Twelfth.  Some birds had already been released and were wandering on the road ahead of us, showing little fear.

 

Food and water for game birds

Partridge pens

The birds were not alarmed by our presence

 

On the outskirts of Cold Kirby we met a couple walking towards us and we noticed they were carrying directions for The Inn Way.  We stopped and chatted for a while and they told us about their adventures on the Inn Way over the last few days.  We wished them well for their last day's walk and continued to St Michael's Church in the village.

 

St Michael's Church

 

The unusual colour scheme of St Michael's in Coild Kirby

 

We paused for a very brief look at the church but didn't stay long, having just spent over half an hour at St Mary's in Scawton.

TSB explains that the church had been rebuilt in the 1800s but originally dated back to the 12th century when the parish was administered by the Order of Knights Templar. Perhaps this oriental link had inspired the purple ceiling?

 

Leaving Cold Kirby

 

We looked into the village briefly and then followed the Cleveland Way sign to rejoin our path for the steady descent to Nettle Dale.

 

Partridges take the lead

Good camouflage

Descending to Nettledale

We leave the Cleveland Way at Nettledale

Nettledale

 

At Nettle Dale we parted from the Cleveland Way as we reached the lakes, turning left into a field and crossing to a gated bridge over a stream.  We now had a steep climb out of Nettle Dale through Calister Wood, until we reached fields on the other side.  Our path now ran straight across these field boundaries to Old Byland, first descending and crossing Low Gill's woods again.

 

Approaching a gated bridge into Calister Wood

Climbing through Calister Wood

We rejoin the road near Old Byland

 

Our path brought us back to the road leading into Old Byland and we walked through the village green to reach our car.  

 

Charmingly named accommodation in Old Byland

Fox weather-vane in Old Byland

House in Old Byland