Kepwick and Cowesby from Over Silton
5.5 miles Hot and sunny
A short walk in today's unusually hot weather. We parked at Over Silton at the roadside opposite the Old School House, having approached the village from the A19.
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| Today's walk from The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills |
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| The Old School House |
Tom Scott Burns notes that the name Silton probably derives from Sal as in Upsal, which means Hall, and Ton, which is old Anglian for place or town.
We followed the road out of Over Silton and turned into a field at a gate. We then walked through fields until we reached Greystone Farm, passing 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.
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| Leave the road and go through the gate |
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| Someone has kindly covered the track with wood chippings |
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| Cross Sorrow Beck |
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| Greystone Farm |
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| Trophies 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 our path which led us to Hall Farm.
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| Silton Hall |
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| Weather vane at Nether Silton |
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| Enormous lime tree on the village green |
We continued beyond the farm to walk through fields to reach a footbridge over Sorrow Beck.
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| Hall Farm |
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| 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. We crossed another field and joined Peasland Lane which we followed for a mile into Cowesby.
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| Old railway bed |
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| Clive looks along the old railway bed |
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| Back in fields |
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| If you can't fight wear a big hat. The hot weather brings out my old Tilley hat. |
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| The church at Cowesby comes into view |
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| Follow Peasland Lane to Cowesby |
The first building one comes to when entering Cowesby is St Michael and All Angels Church. On previous visits we have found the church to be in poor repair and suffering with damp, and on our last visit in 2023 a tree had fallen across the rear of the church causing damage. Today we were pleased to see the damage repaired and the church re-decorated, looking better than we had ever seen it. After looking around we decided to celebrate with coffee and scones and moved a couple of chairs into the sun.
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| The weather vane is remounted on top |
The tower has an unusual pyramid roof which houses a ring of six bells, their ropes dangling near the altar.
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| How it looked on our last visit |
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| Coffee in the sun |
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| Tastefully repaired |
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| Inspecting the damage on our last visit |
Although the present church dates from only 1846 it replaced one of the oldest churches in the district, which stood on a Saxon site and we were very pleased that money has been found to carry out the essential repairs.
Leaving the church we walked through Cowesby, past Home Farm, then followed a path bearing left along the western shoulder of Pen Hill. This path then leads down towards Kepwick.
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| Wisteria display in Cowesby |
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| Bear left at Corner House |
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| Looking back down to Cowesby as we climb Pen Hill |
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| On Pen Hill |
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| Howe Hill and its hidden obelisk |
Tom Scott Burns in The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills mentions that a marble obelisk can be seen on Howe Hill as one descends Atlay Bank, but sapling growth prevents that view today. John Henry Boyer Warner erected Kepwick Hall and constructed two reservoirs upon the moors above to service the estate and village. The obelisk is a memorial to him but is now invisible unless you climb Howe Hill and fight through the trees and vegetation to get to reach it. Today's new spring growth would make the climb tricky and we decided to delay another visit to the memorial for a winter's day.
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| After a struggle we reach the obelisk on a previous visit |
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| Marble obelisk |
We reached Kepwick village and looked at the privately owned chapel which unfortunately is now locked to the public but has an interesting history. Originally it 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 RFC against Baron Richthofen's flying circus.
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| Kepwick Chapel |
Interestingly Warner's late sister formed the basis of one of James Herriot's characters, Mrs Pumphries, who owned the pekingese Tricky Woo.
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. A hundred yards later we reached and crossed Sorrow Beck. The side of the bridge had been broken off, we wondered how, and was lying in the stream below.
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| This lane was another stretch of the old mineral railway |
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| Bridge Beck |
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| Wild garlic and bluebells |
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| Sorrow Beck and its damaged bridge |
In these pathless fields 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 which still stands. 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 previous medieval manor house once stood.
It's become something of a ritual that Clive takes my photo at this spot, thus showing how the passage of time erodes both the Manor Stone and myself.
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| The Old Manor House at Nether Silton |
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| Clive approaches the Old Manor Stone |
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| Monoliths |
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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 |
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A few steps took us to the church of All Saints and we popped inside for a look around. 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.
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| All Saints Church, Nether Silton |
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| Clive up in 'The Gods' |
Tom Scott Burns explains that wood used in the altar rails and other refurbishments was presented by a R M Jaques, and were 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 passes between houses to open fields.
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| Through the white gate |
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| Silton House opposite the white gate |
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| Over Silton appears in the distance |
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| Isolated St Mary's |
Reaching St Mary's we paused to admire its display of bluebells before turning left towards the road and the houses of Over Silton.
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| Bluebells at St Mary's Church, Over Silton |
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| Over Silton and the end of the walk |
This is a nice quiet walk, in fact we didn't see another person walking or otherwise, and although short there is plenty of interest.
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| The end of the walk and Clive impresses the landlady with his Old Mother Riley impersonation |
