St Aelred's Pilgrim Trail launch: Historic churches and abbey ruins in the North York Moors

Yorkshire Post

The Upper Ryedale churches have created their own walking route called the St Aelred's Pilgrim Trail. It takes in a number of historic churches and abbey ruins in the North York Moors.

Transcript

00:00 I'm George Guyde, I'm PCC Secretary of Upper Rydale and we're in the benefits of Helmsley

00:06 and Upper Rydale outside Revo Church awaiting walking down to the Abbey.

00:12 Last year we launched the Upper Rydale Trail as part of the Yorkshire Historic Churches

00:18 Ride and Stride event in September and then we were having a discussion with our Helmsley

00:24 colleagues about the Hamlet Churches and Helmsley Church and thinking that wouldn't it be a

00:29 great idea to have a trail that linked all of the churches in our benefits.

00:34 We discussed that with the Reverend Mel and a number of colleagues and we set up a planning

00:38 group to make that happen.

00:40 So we've now established a 41 mile trail around all the churches in the benefits and it is

00:47 a smashing walk through the North Yorkshire Moors as well as a horse ride if you want

00:52 it or a cycle ride.

00:54 It is open to everyone, there are parts of it that are challenging.

00:57 The walk begins and ends in Helmsley and goes from Helmsley to East Moors and then across

01:05 East Moors onto Billsdale West and then down Billsdale and that part is steep and then

01:11 out of Billsdale up Malkin Bower across to Hornby and that's tough and then Hornby through

01:17 K-Dale and past Mutton Grange to Old Byland and that's another tough part.

01:23 But after that it moves onto Scorton then Colt Kirby then from Colt Kirby down to Revo

01:30 and this church here and then Revo Abbey and they're pretty good.

01:35 Each one has a section that could just be walked in its own right by people of all capabilities

01:41 really and we're establishing a trail for horse riders and also for cyclists.

01:48 So we're hoping to make it a national thing.

01:51 We've got a generous grant from the North Yorkshire Moors Association to publish a guidebook

01:57 and we've also got a good grant from the North Yorkshire Council to enable us to put up signposts

02:03 around the path.

02:05 So we actually are in a good position.

02:06 We hope to have it ready by late spring for people to start doing it and to join us in

02:12 September in the YHCT Riders' Ride.

02:16 I'm Reverend Melanie Burnside and I'm priest in charge of Helmsley and Upper Rydale and

02:22 I also look after the Methodist churches of Helmsley and Revo and these beautiful communities

02:30 that are on the North York Moors and the lovely market town of Helmsley.

02:33 It's wonderful.

02:34 They'd had this wonderful idea to set up a pilgrim trail and I've just helped them to

02:40 connect with people locally, with the Abbey and with the North York Moors folks, you know,

02:49 to help it all come together.

02:50 It's kind of snowballed really.

02:52 Trying to help to raise money and to raise awareness and to help people to enjoy these

03:00 amazing churches that are just sat there out on the moors for anyone to pop into, say a

03:06 prayer, have a little bit of peace and quiet and to enjoy, you know, get out there and

03:12 see them.

03:13 It's finding new and inventive ways to help people to have a spiritual hunger, to reflect

03:24 and to connect with God, with nature, to dig inside themselves and think about, you know,

03:33 maybe what's missing in their life and how we can help them fill that up.

03:40 Sadly I haven't done all 41 miles yet.

03:42 I've done some chunks of it but no, Joyce and Mal are the pathfinders.

03:46 They're the ones that have walked it and walked it again and been unhappy with the route and

03:51 done another little section of it and they really are wonderful pilgrims.

03:57 Pilgrims for God doing amazing things out there in the countryside.

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