Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail: New route to take people on pilgrimage through stunning landscapes in North York Moors
The new 41-mile-long trail will take people on a scenic pilgrimage through the stunning landscapes of the North York Moors National Park.
Along the route of Saint Aelred's Pilgrim Trail, all the churches in the Benefice of Helmsley and Upper Ryedale will be linked as part of the pilgrimage.
They will be taken on a journey that will educate them on historic rural and hamlet churches and chapels, however, the trail is for people of all faiths and none-faiths who love the opportunity that pilgrimage offers for spiritual experience and well-being.
People who take part in the trail will meet pilgrims and enjoy the beautiful countryside and landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors.
The trail is set to have something for everyone: those who are up for a challenge, those who seek places of peace, contemplation, and prayer as well as those who just wish to hike and stand and admire the views whilst taking in the incredible sights and sounds of the moors.
It is named after one of the most celebrated saints - Aelred, Abbot of Rievaulx Abbey from 1147 to 1167. One of the scholars: a writer, spiritual director, poet, preacher, historian, adviser to monarchs, peacemaker and walker. His teachings are emblematic of our mission and the renewed interest in pilgrimage.
An event where the trail will be officially launched will take place on Saturday, September 14, 2024. A Gathering Walk on Yorkshire Churches Day’s Ride and Stride event will be held to raise money for the Yorkshire Churches Historic Trust and the local rural and historic churches in the Benefice of Helmsley and Upper Ryedale.
The Gathering Walk starts in the idyllic pastoral setting of All Saints Church, Hawnby, and will pick up walkers and riders in the moorland villages of Old Byland, Scawton, and Cold Kirkby before descending the Cleveland Way to the imposing grandeur of Rievaulx Abbey. A service in the Abbey Nave with the Bilsdale Silver Band at 4pm, followed by a launch reception of fizz and canapes in the Abbey Cafe.
The Saint Aelred’s Pilgrim Trail has been generously supported and helped by the North Yorkshire Moors Association, Helmsley Town Council, North Yorkshire Council, the North York Moors National Park, the Diocese of York, the landowners along the trail, and the PCCs of the parishes of Helmsley and Upper Ryedale.
The walk will begin at 8.30am on Saturday at All Saints’ Hawnby in conjunction with the Heritage Open Days 2024 theme: Routes - Networks - Connections.
Visitors can join in anywhere along the route and the second gathering point is Old Byland where there will be coffee, cake and water, a well deserved break for those who have embarked on the journey from Hawnby.
The Old Byland route moves on to Scawton and then to Cold Kirby and there will be space available to enjoy your packed lunch indoors before moving on down the Cleveland Way.
The walk will conclude at 4pm with a service at Rievaulx Abbey where there will be a celebration featuring the Bilsdale Silver Band followed by a launch reception in the Abbey Cafe.