St Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail by Horse
We were delighted to receive this account from Joanne Taylor, who travelled the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail in May with Helen Payne, their dogs Beano and Fleadh, and, importantly, Firefly the horse. Joanne had first discovered the Trail through a BBC feature and was particularly struck by the fact that it had been designed not only for walkers but with horse riders in mind. Living in Scotland and never having explored this part of North Yorkshire before, she decided it would make a rather good adventure. St Aelreds pilgrim trail by hor…
And an adventure it certainly became.
Joanne and Helen spent several days travelling the Trail, combining riding and walking and staying at farms, a local inn and a campsite along the way. Their journey began at All Saints’ Church, Helmsley, where they collected their first stamp, before heading out through Riccal Dale towards St Mary Magdalene, East Moors. At each church they took turns holding horses and dogs while the other went inside, signing visitors’ books, stamping their pilgrim passports and taking time to explore. Joanne particularly appreciated the simple hospitality they found along the way, including water left for pilgrims in several of the churches.
Their first day also brought a rather unexpected act of pilgrimage. In Riccal Dale they heard what sounded like a cat crying and discovered two tiny, bedraggled kittens still alive. The kittens travelled for part of the route tucked inside coats and then Joanne’s backpack before Amotherby Cat and Kitten Rescue eventually came to collect them. Both survived.
There were other challenges. Heavy rain, a broken phone cable, a lost compass and some uncertain navigation across the moors made for a memorable first couple of days. At one point Joanne found herself relying on map, instinct and, as she put it, perhaps “divine intervention” to find her way back to Bonfield Ghyll.
The journey continued through Bilsdale and Hawnby, with its steep valleys, woodland and extraordinary birdsong. At All Saints, Hawnby, Joanne was struck by the churchyard, “like a meadow”, before the group continued through the landscape towards Cold Kirby, Old Byland and Scawton. Along the way there were conversations with dry-stone wallers about the local geology and the way sandstone and limestone have shaped the walls and buildings of the area.
At St Michael’s, Cold Kirby, they stamped their passports in the porch of the closed church. For us, that part of Joanne’s account is particularly poignant. One of the hopes behind the Saint Michael’s Lodge project is that this building might once again offer hospitality on the Trail, providing simple, affordable accommodation for pilgrims, walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Joanne’s journey gives a very practical glimpse of why places of welcome, rest and accommodation matter on a long-distance route.
Old Byland provided another kind of hospitality. Arriving hungry at around 2.30pm, they discovered the village honesty cupboard stocked with food and the tea-making facilities inside All Saints. Joanne described it as “possibly the highlight of the trip”. She also enjoyed the handmade displays in the churches depicting different aspects of pilgrimage and the Trail.
From Old Byland they travelled past the Rievaulx Abbey fishponds and on to St Mary’s, Scawton. By then horse, dogs and humans were all ready for a rest, with Firefly apparently deciding that the churchyard was as good a place as any for a quick sleep.
The longest day of the journey took them through Rievaulx, including St Mary’s Church and Rievaulx Abbey, before continuing towards Sproxton. The Abbey provided another passport stamp, refreshments and an encounter with the only other pilgrim they had seen on the route. Later, at St Chad’s, Sproxton, Joanne was particularly taken with the church’s interior. St Aelreds pilgrim trail by hor… St Aelreds pilgrim trail by hor…
That other pilgrim reappeared later in the day, and in one of those wonderful coincidences that pilgrimage seems to produce, he had found Joanne’s lost compass on the moors and was able to return it to her. Her previously lost walking poles had also been recovered, so by the end of the journey both pilgrim and equipment had made it safely home. St Aelreds pilgrim trail by hor…
Joanne’s account also highlights something important as we continue to develop the Trail for horse riders. Some sections inevitably require riders to use roads where walkers can travel cross-country, and Joanne found the traffic on parts of the final day difficult. Her experience is valuable to us as we think about how the equestrian route develops and how we can make the journey as safe and welcoming as possible.
But her overall verdict was wonderfully encouraging:
“The folk who had put the trail together had done a great job and hopefully it will be well used and the farms offering horse accommodation continue to do so as it relies heavily on grazing availability.” St Aelreds pilgrim trail by hor…
What we particularly love about Joanne’s story is that it captures something of what we hoped the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail might become. It is not simply a route between churches. It is a journey through landscape and communities, with unexpected encounters, hospitality, difficulty, laughter, companionship and moments when things do not quite go according to plan.
And, in this case, with two dogs and a horse thrown in for good measure.
Thank you to Joanne, Helen, Beano, Fleadh and Firefly for sharing their journey with us, and for showing that the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail really can be travelled on four hooves as well as two feet.
You can read about the full journey attached and as Joanne ends her account:
May the road rise to meet you.May the wind be always at your tail…
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