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. 

The Lord Stones to Cringle Moor and Clough

6 miles                             Wet, then fine and cool

Heavy rain as we set off today so we decided to do one of Tom Scott Burns's shorter walks and drove to the Lord Stones Cafe where we parked with a clear conscience, knowing that we would give them our business on our return.

 

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

 

Tom Scott Burns explains that the Lord Stones Cafe takes its name from the Three Lords' Stones tumulus, which is situated immediately behind the cafe.  The modern name for this tumulus derives from the three estate boundaries held by the local land owning lords: Helmsley, Busby and Whorlton, which meet here.  The present owners have placed a few 'faux Lord stones' on the green ridge north of the cafe.

We walked past the cafe and turned right to climb up to the summit of Cringle Moor and to the stone memorial often called Falconer's Seat, named after Alec Falconer, who wrote the 'Wayfarer' column in the Saturday Evening Gazette in the 1950s.

There's a great view from this spot and the memorial's plaque points out all the surrounding features

Walking along Busby Moor

Looking back towards Lord Stones from the climb to Falconer's Seat

We reach Falconer's Seat Memorial

The view from Falconer's Seat

Leaving the memorial we walked on and after about 100 yards looked down onto a rock face where long ago, in more literate times, someone carved 'Tempus exploro omnis negotium'.  TSB says this roughly translates as "I'll try anything once and everything in time."  Hmm.  Google translates it as "Time solves all problems", which sounds more likely, though not as much fun.

Looking east from Falconer's Seat

Tempus exploro omnis negotium - Highbrow graffiti

On Cringle Moor

We walked east across the ridge and then negotiated the steep descent from Cringle Moor (from Cranimoor - circular moor) with care on the wet stones.  Below us we could see an empty Larson Trap, which when baited is used to catch magpies and crows who pass through the slots into the trap and cannot get out.  

Passing the old stone remains of Donna Cross we reached a new Cleveland Way sign with a pointer right signed 'Beak Hills', and here we turned right following the little walked right of way across grass.

Looking down at the Larson trap

Descending from Cringle Moor

The remains of Donna Cross

At the new sign, turn right for Beak Hills

No path at first...

... but soon becomes a farm track

The walk across a grassy field brought us to a path that changed from grass to stone as we progressed and eventually becomes tarmac.  TSB says this was an ancient pannier-man's trod, along which lime, fish, salt, jet and alum were once transported.  It now joins the farms of Beak Hills, Cold Moor Cote and Stone Intake to the Chop Gate to Carlton road.


Reaching Stone Intake Farm we turned right into a field at a sign just before the farm buildings, and descended across several fields as we dropped down to Raisdale Beck soon reaching the Chop Gate to Lords Stone road.  We followed the tarmac lane for a hundred yards or so before turning left into a drive leading to Raisdale Mill.

Approaching Beak Hills Farm

October 1st is long past and the pheasants are more wary...

Dropping through fields from Stone Intake Farm

Ornate hedge at Stone Intake Farm

Reaching the mill we sat at an old picnic table to enjoy our coffee in what had now become a sunny, though cool, afternoon.  

Buildings at Raisdale Mill

Green man at Raisdale Mill

Coffee and scones at Raisdale Mill

Some strange old decorations...

.. and several trees had fairies among the branches

We set off from the mill, across the fields alongside Raisdale Beck.  The grass was extremely wet after after this morning's heavy rain and we splodged along until we reached a conifer plantation and forestry path which made much easier walking.   We followed the forestry track until it crosses Raisdale Beck and swings sharply left.  At this point we turned right, following a yellow waymark sign into fields and the remains of the hamlet of Clough.

Raisdale Beck

Forestry path

The ruined buildings of Clough

Clough

The word Clough comes from the Anglo-Saxon for a valley with steep sides and is a rather sad spot with fairly extensive ruins showing that it was once a thriving community.  After Clough the path crosses several boggy, reedy fields.  There is no path as such but yellow waymarks indicate the way at every field boundary.  We continued straight ahead until we reached Staindale Farm where we were met enthusiastically by a young ram.   He careered towards us and then stood to be patted, obviously a pet.

  

Mine workings on Wath Hill opposite Staindale Farm

Staindale Farm appears in the distance

Someone rushes to see us

He's obviously a pet and....

... he looks just like the weather vane at Staindale Farm!

After Staindale Farm we continued following yellow way marks through fields soon reaching Thwaites House, and shortly after, the tarmac road almost adjacent to the Lords Stone Cafe.

We are watched with interest....

... as we walk through fields after Staindale Farm

Reaching Thwaites House

Pond at Thwaites House

This is a nice, short walk and ideal for a winter's day.