Kirby Knowle to Felixkirk and Boltby

8.5 miles          Fine and mainly dry

We approached Kirby Knowle from the Knayton A19 turn-off and parked on the grassed area set aside for parking, opposite St Wilfred's Church. 

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

The church was open so we walked over and had a look around.

St Wilfred's Church, Kirby Knowle

Ancient crosses and font

St Wilfred's Church

St Wilfred's, towards the altar

Interesting modern window, see below

We like the modern stained glass windows dedicated to Doctor Jane Rajan.
For more about the window and Dr Rajan see here

We walked out of the village along the tarmac road towards Upsall (up-salir, Old Norse 'high dwellings') .  Over to our right, high on the hill, one can see the imposing 'Newbuilding.' Originally called Kirby Knowle Castle and sometimes referred to as Newbiggin, Tom Scott Burns explains that this actually dates from the13th century.  It has been restored and modernised but still retains many of its original features. 

Newbiggin

Just before Upsall we turned off the road into fields at a metal footpath sign to follow a little walked path towards Turton Beckstead.  Tom Scott Burn's walks often follow rarely visited paths but today's route must be the least walked of all, the tracks were lush with vegetation and there was no sign that other boots had passed this way.

Leave the road at the sign

... and walk untrodden fields

No margin left for walkers

We found gates and stiles had been replaced since our last visit but there was no sign that others had walked these paths.  When we arrived at Miller's Wood the path through the trees had almost disappeared and we followed it down to Turton Beckstead.

Miller's Wood, pass by this sign

 

.. and after a few yards enter by the faint track

... which leads you down

.. to Turton Beckstead

'Beckstead' means 'a farm near a river' and in previous years we have found a large stone block engraved with the words 'Turton Beckstead'.  No obvious sign of the block now.

Years ago Clive uses a wire brush..

... to expose 'The Turton Beckstead'

Tom Scott Burns relates a strange event that apparently happened here. In the 1860s some mourners were carrying a body from Felixkirk to Kirby Knowle for burial.  The bearers set down the coffin to rest briefly at this spot, but on raising it up again it felt much lighter and they discovered that the corpse had disappeared. The empty coffin was buried and the site at Beckstead Wood became known as Lost Corpse End.

It is a fact that bodies were carried by this route from Felixkirk to Kirby Knowle for burial, so that much at least is true.

Leaving Turton Beckstead we climbed gently over Carr Hill to approach the village of Felixkirk. As we walked through the fields we came to one containing a herd of young bullocks.  We kept to the margin but the bullocks ran excitedly towards us.  With agility that belied our years we leapt a fence and beck to safety, then leaving the cattle field behind, we rejoined our path to enter Felixkirk.

Looking down into the Vale of York

This stile and waymark are down and out 

Walking through pastures

We are spotted and charged 

That fence was no barrier to us but it is to them. Phew!

We return to the track

We arrive at Felixkirk

We reached the tarmac road at Mount View and turned right to walk into Felixkirk and the church of St Felix.

The gate is the work of the Wren Man of Thirlby

St Felix Church

The most striking feature of the church is the domed roof.  There are only six churches dedicated to St Felix in the UK.  He was a 7th century monk from Burgundy who converted the kingdom of East Anglia to Christianity.  The use of the name suggests there has been a church here since Saxon times.  The church was restored in 1860 but much of the stonework is original and dates to the 12th century.

Looking towards the altar

Effigy of a knight

.. and his lady

Striking domed roof

Graffiti or mason's signature?  Thomas Carlton 1629

Tragic Hannah Cornforth -  'Twenty years I was a maid, 1 year I was a wife. 18 hours a mother, and then departed life'

St Felix Church was owned by the Knights Hospitaller in the 12th century and nearby Mount St John, which we would shortly pass by, was the location of a preceptory of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in the 11th Century.

Retracing our steps to the road junction we turned right and climbed the lane to pass the lodge of the said Mount St John, now famous for its equestrian centre and gardens.  Shortly afterwards we turned right off the road and onto a farm track that we followed towards Cinque House, but here the track diverts from TSB's map above, as it has been re-routed to a sheep field around the rear of Cinque House.  This sloping field has a lovely view and makes an ideal rest stop, so  we paused to enjoy our coffee and scones.

Looking across at Newbuilding from Mount St John

The lodge at Mount St John

Diverted path through this gate before Cinque House

Coffee and scones

... with a view

We set off once more and our diverted path led back to the original route which we followed to Thirlby.

Entering Thirlby

Fox weather vane

Weather vanes in Thirlby

Thirlby is a very attractive village and a point of interest is that Alf White aka James Herriot lived here.  Also in the village is a plaque to his veterinary partner Donald Sinclair, who appeared in the books as Seigfried Farnon.  Sinclair lived in nearby Southwoods Hall with his wife Audrey.

 Alf White died in February 1995 and Sinclair's wife in early June the same year.  Sadly Sinclair then took his own life by barbiturate poisoning two weeks later.  The plaque is near to the village hall and has not been looked after very well, consequently it was almost hidden by holly, weeds and undergrowth, which we cleared back a bit.

Hidden by a chestnut tree near the village hall

.. is this tribute to 'Siegfried Farnon'

Home of the Wren

A bench near the beck is the work of the wren man.  'No shop or inn is there here about, so why not sit down and enjoy summat for nowt'  - donated by 'two good sorts in memory of Bill'.

Leaving Thirlby

We continued along the lane through the village, crossed the ford and left the tarmac at Thirlby Farm, turning left to follow a track through a grassy meadow. We followed our path, sometimes across fields and sometimes through trees, steadily approaching Boltby.

We usually see Tang Hall Farm from the other side of the building, on a walk to Gormire

Approaching Boltby

Packhorse bridge at Boltby

Boltby

The old pub, The Johnson's Arms, is now a Pony Trekking centre

At Boltby we turned left at the packhorse bridge and walked through the pretty village before turning right at a waymarked sign at the lane between Spring Garth and Gurtof House.   Here we chatted to a local who warned us that the path around Ravensthorpe Manor had been re-routed.

Ravensthorpe Manor on an earlier walk, you can't get near it now.

Leaving Boltby at Gurtof Lane

Looking back down to Boltby from Gurtof Lane

They're getting the rain at Boltby Scar

The new path, marked Bridleway and for cyclists, 'The Paradise Trail' 

Our path used to be at the side of the outbuildings below

The new path takes one much higher towards the top of Westhow Plantation and is a steep climb at this stage of the walk.  We were just below the skyline in the above photo and walked through the trees with no view whatsoever of Ravensthorpe, as I'm sure will have been the reason for re-routing the path.

The new path through Westhow Plantation

No left turn! We descend to eventually re-join the old path far past the Manor

Re-joining the old path we followed it around and descended towards Kirby Knowle and the car.

Boltby Scar in the distance

A steady descent to...

Kirby Knowle

This is a nice walk taking you through pretty villages but needs some navigation preparation because, as stated in the text, many paths appear unwalked.  

There is no pub in Kirby Knowle so a short drive was necessary before our debrief.

To Turton Beckstead and The Lost Corpse!