Pilgrims Gather to Celebrate Upper Ryedale’s Everyday Histories

More than 125 people joined us for this year’s Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail Gathering Walk, a wonderful day of walking, hospitality, heritage and reflection through the beautiful landscape of Upper Ryedale.

Held as part of Heritage Open Days and inspired by this year’s national theme of Everyday Histories, the pilgrimage invited us to think about the generations of ordinary people whose lives and work have shaped the places through which the Trail passes.

Our day began on a misty September morning at All Saints, Hawnby, where more than 40 walkers gathered before setting off across the North York Moors. Following sections of the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail towards Helmsley, we walked through a landscape shaped not only by its great abbeys and historic churches, but by generations of farmers, shepherds, craftsmen, labourers, servants and volunteers.

By the time we reached Murton Grange for coffee and homemade cakes, the rain had begun to ease and the countryside was slowly revealing itself in all its late-summer beauty.

From there we continued to the Grade I listed All Saints Church, Old Byland. Here there was time to pause and reflect on some of those everyday histories: the people whose names may never have appeared in history books, but whose work, faith and commitment helped to create and sustain the communities we know today.

The next stop was nearby Tylas Farm, the site of the first abbey established by the Byland monks before they eventually moved to Byland Abbey. Ivan and Jane Holmes welcomed us to the farm, where we stopped for our picnic lunch with a magnificent view across the valley towards the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey.

It was a memorable place simply to sit, eat, talk and enjoy one another’s company before continuing our pilgrimage.

After pausing at Rievaulx Abbey, we began the final stage of the journey towards Helmsley. By the time we reached All Saints’ Church, Helmsley, our numbers had grown to around 125 people.

There was, of course, more tea and cake waiting for us, before we gathered for a service celebrating the working lives, community, hospitality, faith and heritage which had been at the heart of the whole day.

One pilgrim described it simply as “a lovely uplifting day”, while another wrote afterwards:

“We enjoyed the pilgrimage, fantastic countryside, a lovely group of pilgrims, and a nice service to finish at Helmsley.”

The Gathering Walk also raised funds for the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust and for the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail Society’s Saint Michael’s Lodge project. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project is exploring the transformation of the closed Church of Saint Michael at Cold Kirby into low-cost accommodation for pilgrims, walkers, cyclists and horse riders exploring the North York Moors.

For us, the Gathering Walk brought together so much of what the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail is about: wonderful countryside, hospitality, friendship, heritage and reflection. The theme of Everyday Histories gave us an opportunity to remember the countless ordinary people whose lives, work and faith have shaped this landscape and its communities.

Above all, though, pilgrimage is about making the journey ourselves. For one day, people walked together through this extraordinary landscape, stopped in its churches and historic places, shared food and conversation, and found time to notice what is so easily passed by.

Thank you to everyone who walked with us, welcomed us along the way, baked cakes, made tea, opened churches, helped with transport, prepared the service and contributed in so many different ways.

The Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail is a 41-mile circular pilgrimage route linking the historic churches of Upper Ryedale and Helmsley with Rievaulx Abbey. Whether you walk the whole route, explore it a stage at a time, or join us for one of our guided pilgrimages, there is always more to discover.