This extensive but gentle walk incorporated country lanes and
the abandoned railway line that passes through Wetherby.
About half of today's outing was road walking, on a route we
found about from a pub leaflet at our starting point, The Scotts
Arms in Sicklinghall.
An early start and with a leaflet in hand, we headed out on
a circular walk, hoping they'd be still serving lunch when we
got back.
This is Yorkshire in early May so we'll start
with a random photo of Harewood House to set the scene.
After the Mob Walk up Sale and Ling Fell last
Sunday I headed over to Yorkshire for a few days with Loes.
I didn't stay here as she has her own house
not far away !
- - - o o o - - -
Our one noteable walk during my visit this time,
was just north of Harewood, which is just north of Leeds . .
. welcome to Wetherby.
Loes had picked up a walk leaflet from the pub
on our last visit.
It promised a relatively level walk, much if
which was on minor roads or on footpaths, great for today.
First we headed off through the village of Sicklinghall
where there are many well-tendered gardens such as this.
The flowering Cherry at the Village Hall was
a real picture, even though the cooler weather was starting
to cause the blossom to fall.
A classic village duck pond, though the ducks
were out of the picture.
We headed north west out of the village, the
road getting narrower and narrower, until we came to a gate.
This was the back entrance to Sicklinghall
Woods and the Stockeld Park Estate.
Not as grand as Harewood but fortunately for
us there's a public footpath through the grounds and the gate
was only for cars.
Early May and the bluebells in the wood were
ahead of those in my garden in Loweswater.
The bridleway cut the corner across the grass
according to the map, but we followed the roadway.
This gave us a brief glimpse of Stockeld Park
House in passing.
Loes says hello to the horses at Home Farm.
They have fly-screen hoods on which made them
look a little surreal.
Conversely, the geese on Stockeld Grange said
hello to us . . . in no uncertain terms !
Having crossed the Harrogate main road we reached
another trackway that ran parallel to it.
Part of the old Leeds to Harrogate railway passed
this way, but the track is long gone and it is now a footpath
and long distance cycle route.
Don't look straight ahead, look right for the
next part of our walk.
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In fact
this was the view as we turned for Wetherby . . . |
. . . passing under
an old railway arch beyond Kingbarrow Farm. |
We enter a cutting as the old track passes a
small suburb of Wetherby known as Hill Top, well that makes
sense at least.
The old track splits with one old track going
ahead through town and off towards Tadcaster.
Our chosen track curves round on the other old
rail line, heading more towards Leeds.
It gets wider, crosses under a recently reinforced
(well a few years ago now) road bridge . . .
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. . . and
we walk into what was the old Wetherby Station. |
The car park and display
board put our location in context. |
Time to leave the old track and head off to
the adjacent village of Linton . . . I think this is the way.
If you think Wetherby was posh, Linton is even
posher.
No need for political "leveling up"
in this part of the world, they seem to be managing fine without
it.
Just a garden ornament . . . not a sign to advertise
the sale of ice creams.
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Birchwood
House is rather grand . . . |
. . . but they still
put the bottles out for the milk man. |
Linton Village Hall is gearing up for the Coronation
of Charles and Camilla.
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They've chosen
to turn their red phone box into a library. |
Talking of phone boxes,
ours has had a re-paint this month, |
Their Defibrillator
is on the Village Hall opposite. |
courtesy of our local First Responders
Group. |
We join the local Ebor Way and trip along Trip Lane.
The
Ebor Way is a long distance footpath that takes its name
from Eboracum, the Roman name for York
and travels west via Tadcaster, following the Wharfe Valley
(including this lane) towards Harewood, The Chevin and Ilkely.
The strong smell of wild garlic pervades the air.
Wild garlic, hazel, ivy, nettles and those stick plants we
loved as kids, all line the hedgerow.
The official route deviated north around Lime Kiln Woods
but we take the shortcut road towards Woodhall
Hotel
" Wood Hall Hotel & Spa, is a beautiful award-winning,
quiet country house retreat " so they tell us on their
web site.
Either way the public road connects us back to the Ebor Way
on the last leg of our walk.
Our path goes north through Lime Kiln Woods, likely to be
muddy after rain !
The damp conditions to the side don't bother the ducks.
Heading back to the village of Sicklinghall once again.
That look which says . . . "You'll never know if I did
or not ! "
Back through the York stone village, past some quite old,
timber framed houses.
Past that colourful garden once again . . . hang on I seem
to be being left behind by Loes.
Still I catch up fairly quickly once the pub is in sight.
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Could we
manage a light lunch after our 8 mile walk . . . I think
we can. |
Must eat a good meal
. . . after all "Skinny people are easy to kidnap". |
Decorative, tasty, filling . . . what more could
you want.
- - - o o o - - -
This was a brief visit to Harewood and soon
it was time to return home and for Loes to join me for a few
days before we journey to Wales.
The weather's nice so we travel back to Cumbria
via the Yorkshire Dales.
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We stopped off at Jervaulx
Abbey near Masham in Wensleydale. |
This is one of the largest privately
owned historic abbey sites in the UK. |
The Catholic Monastic Class were important landowners
and built many fine churches and Abbeys in Britain,
but it all came to an end when Henry VIII decided
to wrestle power back for himself during the Protestant Reformation
of the 1500s.
Most Abbeys and Monastic establishments like
this were destroyed and the communities around them changed
for ever.
The Abbot, Adam Sedbar who was heavily involved
in the "Pilgrimage
of Grace" a popular revolt in 1536 to try and persuade
Henry
not to break with the Catholic Church, was not
successful and the Abbot was executed for treason (they didn't
mess about in those days).
Henry gave the lands to the supporters of his
Royal Court and so a new social elite was born.
Many of the buildings here were destroyed .
. . but significant parts here still remain.
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This was the entrance
from the Monks accommodation into the Abbey. |
The grand fireplace that kept the
community fed. |
The Chapter House where the clergy would sit
and discuss religious matters but also the more mundane aspects
of life
such as organising the estate and taking care
of the day-to-day detail of providing for the local community.
The Abbey, being privately owned, was later
landscaped into an extended garden.
This has in fact protected much of the structure
and given it a homely, natural look.
The entrance and exit, where we find the famous
Embalming Stone where the bodies of dead monks would have been
washed before burial.
It would have originally stood in the Monk's
Infirmary close by.
- - - o o o - - -
The cafe at the Abbey was closed so we headed
off to nearby Middleham for lunch.
Middleham is close to Masham, home of the Theaksons
Black Sheep Brewery that we passed before visiting Jervaulx
Abbey.
The Village is famous for its old castle and
as a centre for race horse training.
It also has some lovely old buildings . . .
well worth a walk around.
The old Middleham Castle and presumably the
base of the old Village Cross.
We take a stroll up the hill out of the village
. . . here we look back at the castle from the Low Moor Road.
Sadly I've just missed a photo of am RAF Hercules
Aircraft flying low over the castle, which would have been a
real juxtaposition of technologies.
The Low Moor has some classic horse gallops,
where the race horses are trained and exercised.
It also has a magnificent display of Dandelion
Flowers on the roadside verges.
Walking back after viewing the gallops.
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The Richard II Pub, quiet
mid afternoon. |
The sun clock tells us we need to
be on our way. |
The time shows as two o'clock but they haven't
adjusted it for British Summer Time !
Another slight diversion as time is not that
critical . . . Appleby Town.
The main street heading up to the monument and
Lady Ann's Castle.
Down by the river, which becomes the centre
of attraction during the Appleby
Horse Fair
Even today there's a gypsy horse being washed
in the river . . . the busy time in the town is the second week
in June by the way.
Suitably refreshed by the stop, we continue
back to Loweswater, but no swim for us today.