Rose Dene Cottage in Sheriff Hutton
Ryedale is large administrative district in rural North Yorkshire. That's where Tony and I went walking both yesterday and today. Weatherwise, Tuesday was the better of the two days. Today (Wednesday) a blanket of cloud eased across The North Riding from The North Sea leeching colour from the landscape. But it did not rain.
On Tuesday we left our vehicles in the pub car park and set off for Thornton-le-Clay. Then west over the fields to Sheriff Hutton - a larger and more significant settlement with a long history that includes the remains of not one but two castles. It also has a magnificent old church in which I saw this marble effigy of a child from the fifteenth century...
It is reputedly, the tomb of Edward Prince of Wales who was the only legitimate son of King Richard III. That famous king certainly had strong associations with Sheriff Hutton but some historians have cast doubt on the centuries old local claim that this is indeed young Edward's resting place.
The second Sheriff Hutton Castle. It was a favoured residence of both Richard III and Henry VIII
Former windmill near the village of Thornton-le-Clay
Today (Wednesday) I let Tony choose the day's route. It was another eight miles but this time we set off from the charming stone village of Welburn west of Malton. The walk took in a large chunk of the Castle Howard estate. The aristocrats who developed the parkland had so much money that they were able to order the building of several follies and monuments around the estate and far from the main house. I had to make a big effort to get to this pyramid on a hilltop. It is not clear from the image but it stands about twenty five feet tall...
And here's my friend Tony. His map book is hiding someone else's name so that the inscription reads "Tony - Never known to pass a seat with a view"...
Two good days of walking and we liked our accommodation too. He had a room upstairs in the pub but I had a one-bedroom cottage in the courtyard. This morning we enjoyed fried "full English" breakfasts with toast before setting off on our second plodding adventure.
Yorkshire Plodding.
ReplyDeleteWith a healthy commission, I would happily write such a book.
DeleteSounds like two days of fun with a friend! What was the point of the pyramid? (a pun there, Neil)
ReplyDeleteOh! Now I get the pun!... It was just something that the Earls of Carlisle could see upon the horizon when looking out of the windows of Castle Howard.
DeleteI love the ruins and the old structures that still stand.
ReplyDeleteI could live in that windmill!
We were wondering if the windmill might now be a rental property.
DeleteAs always your walk proved to be interesting. Rose Dene Cottage looks very inviting.
ReplyDeleteThat cottage seemed so quintessentially English. That village is only ten miles north east of York.
DeleteTwo good days of walking and some interesting ruins.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could have stayed longer.
DeleteThat's a lot of good walking done in just two days. I love the idea of follies (and having enough space and money to build them) I like the castle ruins very much and Rose Dene cottage looks "homey".
ReplyDeleteFollies were what they built to use up spare funds.
DeleteSounds and looks great. Have you met any characters on your saunters?
ReplyDeleteWe met a farm worker called Spider. He had thick, bushy eyebrows and walked like a spider.
DeleteI know Ryedale mainly from being driven through by my sister-in-law on days out during our annual Yorkshire holiday. Castle Howard is a place my sister and I particularly love, and would like to return to this year. The pyramid I have only ever seen from afar, never walked all the way up to it.
ReplyDeleteRose Dene cottage is beautiful. Just before I read the caption for the windmill picture, at first glance I thought you were showing us a planetarium.
Everything about your break with Tony sounds good.
It was good. Two days of interest and loveliness, I am sure you know Castle Howard much better than I do.
DeleteStill have Ryedale as my set place on the computer. So I feel rather nostalgic for Castle Howard, just for the nursery there and a cup of tea. See you didn't get the huge obelisk as you drive up from the 'up and down' road. ;)
ReplyDeleteWe passed that thing in the car but did not stop for a photo.
DeleteThe photo of the two towers and the pyramid look almost as though they are the top of a building buried by time.
ReplyDeleteRose Dene cottage is so typically "country cottage". Glad you had company and the weather kept dry.
They were good days for both of us. We have talked about doing this for a while.
DeleteI guess the one advantage of only having a 300 or 400 years of history as a country, we have a much easier time keeping track of where notorious people are buried.
ReplyDeleteYour history books should have less pages.
DeleteThanks for taking us along for the walk, keep going.
ReplyDeleteGlad you could come along Mr Penguin.
DeleteLooks like an excellent walk. I've always wanted to visit Castle Howard. How did Henry VIII have so many favored residences?! (Almost as many as he had wives!)
ReplyDeleteBack in the day, if you were the king you could stay where you wanted. There is a bus service from York to Castle Howard. You could do both.
DeleteIf I was a crass and profane woman I would say here that y'all sure have a lot of old shit in your part of the world. Since I'm not, I'll just say that you have so many ancient and lovely places to explore!
ReplyDeleteGlad you and Tony got to get out and enjoy both the natural and made-made beauty.
Crass and profane? No way! Considerate and cultured I think.
DeleteRegardless of whether or not that tomb commemorates Edward P o W, it's a beautiful thing.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to be in an old church touching a tomb carved from alabaster over five hundred years ago.
DeleteYou Brits and your hikes. I grow weary just from reading about them. Not weary OF reading about them though.
ReplyDelete