Please donate and help support our beautiful historic churches in Helmsley and Upper Ryedale and the YHCT by sponsoring the walkers and riders undertaking the SAPT Gathering Architectural Trail on Saturday 13 September. Our churches will get 50% and the other 50% enables the YHCT to make grants to historic churches like ours for repairs, maintenance, and renovations. The Architectural Trail is a superb walk through the beautiful southwest area of the North York Moors. It visits listed historic churches built by the famous Victorian architect Temple Moore, and it was designed by our intrepid pathfinders Joyce Garbutt and Mal Gyte. The Trail starts at the small hidden Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, East Moors at 8.30am, leads, via Roppa Wood, to Baxtons Bank, Helmsley Moor, then follows the trail below Helmsley Moor before rising to Newgate Bank Car Park (for coffee, cakes, and toilets) and a beautiful view of Bilsdale.
Crosses the B1257, drops down Broadway Foot to the River Rye and Shaken Bridge, Hawnby, before climbing over to historic Tylas Farm (site of the original Byland Abbey) for a lunch stop and toilets. Here the route follows the River Rye, before crossing the medieval Bow Bridge to visit the Victorian Rievaulx Methodist Chapel (tea & toilets here), and the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin (formerly the slipper chapel to the Abbey, rebuilt by Temple Moore 1906 adding a small steeple and a chancel).
After this, the route turns right up to the National Trust's Rievaulx Terrace, turns left at the gate here along field paths to Historic England's Griff Farm site before dropping down into Ryedale. Then up on the military road through the magnificent Duncombe Park with lovely views overlooking Helmsley Castle and the Walled Garden into Helmsley town. It ends at Temple Moore’s magnificent 19th century re-build of the ancient Church of All Saints with a short service at 4pm accompanied by the harmonious sounds of the Bilsdale Silver Band, followed by tea and refreshments.
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