A little over two years ago, a group of people set themselves the challenge to see if they could map circular routes for riders, cyclists and walkers on the North York Moors – and now succeeded in creating a wonderful collection of trails to benefit those who enjoy the great outdoors and the wider community.
The team, made up of riders, walkers and other passionate members of the community, have worked tirelessly on mapping, logistics and manual restoration work to create the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail. They created the 41-mile walking route to start with, and have since mapped a 50-mile version for riders – inspired by the “rich riding tradition on the moors”.
“We have a really rich ecclesiastical and architectural heritage on the North York Moors,” George Gyte, secretary of the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail Society, told H&H.
“We have three churches in the Doomsday Book, Saxon, mediaeval Elizabethan, Victorian churches, and the ruins of the beautiful Rievaulx Abbey. So we thought it was a really good idea to look at developing trails for walkers, pilgrims, riders, cyclists, and see whether we could build a circular trail that began and ended in Helmsley, the market town.”
Riders Mary Edwards and Bill Tate, alongside other members of Ryedale Bridleways Group and Janet Cochrane of Ride Yorkshire, have been instrumental in developing and maintaining the riders’ trail, which officially opened in November.
“Each of the trails is rather different in length and in route, but all of them link with those heritage sites and create what we think is an interesting trail,” said George.
“We wanted there to be moorland, dales and hills, and farmland routes – we wanted to capture the variety of scenery on the North York Moors.”
Yorkshire vet Peter Wright having cut the launch ribbon Rievaulx Abbey. Credit: Valerie Mather
Mary added: “We had a lot of meetings in one of the pubs in Helmsley to thrash out a route. Bill has a really good on-the-ground knowledge of all of the local bridleways, byways and various different rights of way. Although they exist, and most of them are passable to some extent, once we started really looking at it and thinking, ‘Is this something that we can present to the public as a rideable route?’ It started to become apparent that actually, there were sticking points we were going to have to avoid.”
She explained there were also “sticking points” that would need to be included on the route, but needed work, and so Bill has done “a huge amount – literally on the ground” to make those points safe.
The group stressed that this is a challenging route, crossing the moors, wild countryside, rivers, bridges – and should not be underestimated, nor is it suitable for inexperienced riders. They also recommend that riders do not take on the route alone, advise that there are places it is recommended to dismount, and people are encouraged to get in contact with the group before setting off, to get up-to-date information.
“We’ve kind of styled it to be about four days of riding,” said George, adding that details of accommodation are included in the trail booklet. “We have built it to be a place where you can ride, stop, stare and enjoy the country.
“What’s been really good is the way that all the local communities have supported the trail. We’ve had tremendous support from the landowners and the local associations and the parishes. They all wanted it to work.
“The North York Moors National Park has been a big supporter of the trail – every aspect of it. They’ve helped on the walking sections, helping us with clearance and signage, and the same with the horse riders’ trail. They are absolutely brilliant partners.”
Credit: Valerie Mather
The British Horse Society has also supported the trail, as has English Heritage at Rievaulx Abbey.
Bill said it is possible to park at certain points of the route, to ride a chunk rather than the full 50 miles, and that the trail is developing all the time.
The team, in particular Ryedale Bridleways Group, also works with landowners and the national park by presenting solutions – rather than problems – and a volunteer workforce team whenever they can. For example, digging out bridleways, replacing gate latches with rider-friendly options, or chopping down overgrowth.
“The goal is to try to build a bigger interest in horse riding in our area, to get people on the trail and realise it’s a very enjoyable experience,” said George.
“Aelred was the abbot of Rievaulx from 1147 to 1167 when it really expanded. He was a great writer, diplomat and he travelled all over. He built abbeys all over this part of the country, down south, in Scotland – but his biggest treatise was on friendship.
“That’s one of the reasons we wanted to call it the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail trail, because it’s a friendship trail. Go on it with your friends, you’ll enjoy it. And it’s been created by people joining together to make something happen that other people can enjoy.”
Bill added: “We’ve got hundreds and hundreds of miles of bridleways across the moors, through valleys, and we want them to be used. We’re fighting to get them in good condition, and we need people to use them and enjoy it, because it’s a fantastic riding area.”
- For more information and to buy a trail booklet, visit: https://www.saintaelredspilgrimtrail.com/
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