image: Heritage officers Claire and Laura, Lottery Heritage Project manager Richard Hiscockswith the historic wall hangings of All Saints Church as a backcloth. credit: East Moors
George Gyte, a member of the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail Planning Group, writes:
On Saturday 13th September, the Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail invites walkers, history lovers, and church enthusiasts to join a unique day out in the beautiful southwest corner of the North York Moors. Join this Ride and Stride event raising funds for the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust and our rural heritage churches.
This is no ordinary hike. It’s a stunning 12-mile architectural trail through hills and dales, linking together rural churches designed or rebuilt by the celebrated Victorian architect Temple Moore. Guided by our pathfinders Joyce Garbutt and Mal Gyte, and with Reverend Ian Robinson lending his local knowledge along the way, the walk promises a rich blend of scenery, heritage, and community.
The day begins at 8am in Helmsley’s Cleveland Way Long Stay Car Park, where walkers can park and be transported to our starting point at the small, hidden Church of Saint Mary Magdalene in East Moors. From there, the route weaves through Roppa Wood and Baxtons Bank, across Helmsley Moor, and up to the Newgate Bank Car Park for morning coffee and cakes. The sweeping views of Bilsdale from here are worth the climb alone!
From the moor tops, the trail dips down Broadway Foot to the River Rye, crossing the historic Shaken Bridge into Hawnby, then climbing again towards Tylas Farm — the original site of Byland Abbey — for your packed lunch and a well-earned rest. The River Rye then leads us to the medieval Bow Bridge and into the heart of Rievaulx, where tea and toilets await at the Victorian Rievaulx Methodist Chapel. Across the lane, the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin — once the slipper chapel to Rievaulx Abbey and remodelled by Temple Moore in 1906 — offers another highlight.
The final leg takes in Rievaulx Terrace, Griff Farm, and the former military road through Duncombe Park, revealing spectacular views over Helmsley Castle and the Walled Garden. The day concludes at All Saints Church, Helmsley, one of Moore’s finest reimaginings, with a 4pm Celebration Service accompanied by the Bilsdale Silver Band. Tea and refreshments will be served, and visitors can also enjoy an exhibition by the acclaimed North Yorkshire artist and printmaker Anna Matyus, whose work captures the beauty of Yorkshire’s abbeys, priories, and churches. Visitors can also find out more about our exciting Lottery funded All Saints restoration and preservation project and the work of our two Heritage Activities Officers Claire Midgeley and Laura Turner.
This is a Gathering Walk — join for the whole route or meet us at one of the key points along the way:
- 8.30am – East Moors start
- 10am – Newgate Bank (coffee stop)
- 12.30pm – Tylas Farm (lunch)
- 2.30pm – Rievaulx (tea)
- 4pm – All Saints Helmsley (service and refreshments)
To help with transport planning, please let us know if you’re coming and where you’ll join the trail.
The walk takes place during the Heritage Open Days Festival (12th–21st September), when all ten churches in Helmsley and Upper Ryedale will showcase their architectural treasures — Saxon, Norman, Elizabethan, and Victorian — many with local artwork on display.
That weekend offers an extra feast for heritage fans:
Friday 12th September – the renowned North Yorkshire artist Anna Matyus opens her three-day exhibition of prints and etchings of abbeys and churches, at All Saints Church, Helmsley. Click here to see the poster.
Saturday 13th September – The SAPT Gathering Architectural Trail walk and service.
Sunday 14th September – Martin Vander Weyer, writer, The Spectator columnist, and raconteur, gives a talk at All Saints on Temple Moore, Vicar Gray, and the hamlet churches, with wine and canapés to follow. Click here to see the poster.
Whether you come for the history, the scenery, the walking, or the company, the 13th September trail promises to be a day where past and present meet, step by step, in the North York Moors.
