A NEWLY launched pilgrims’ trail in the North York Moors National Park commemorates St Aelred, Abbot of Rievaulx Abbey from 1147 to 1167. The abbey is one of the 12 churches on the 41-mile trail, which begins and ends in the market town of Helmsley.
Aelred’s guide for novices, The Mirror of Charity, described the physical hardships and spiritual rigours of the religious life, but said: “Everywhere peace, everywhere serenity, and a marvellous freedom from the tumult of the world.”
Historic rural churches on the Upper Ryedale route include the tiny St Mary Magdalene’s, East Moors, and St Mary’s, Scawton, built by the monks who built the abbey, and structurally unchanged. Two Methodist churches, in Helmsley and in Rievaulx itself, are also part of the trail.
The route goes through the natural panorama of the moors. Routes for horse riders and cyclists run alongside those for walkers. “The churches of the trail have been part of the landscape and fabric of life here for hundreds of years,” the Vicar of Helmsley and Upper Ryedale, the Revd Melanie Burnside, said.
“We are hoping that pilgrims and visitors will rediscover them and how they tell the story of our faith in Jesus here in the north, joining in with the Archbishop of York’s campaign inspired by our northern saints, that offers ‘light from the past and hope for the future’.
“We want to offer opportunities for walkers, riders, and cyclists to take time out of their busy lives, to exercise, to pause, to reflect for the benefit of their physical, mental, and spiritual well-being in our beautiful part of the world. If it leads people to questions of faith or doubt, we are here to walk with them on their journey.”
The trail was launched with a Gathering Walk on 14 September along a 12-mile stretch between Helmsley and Rievaulx. Exhibitions and installations in the churches en route include a labyrinth created by Peter Clark, on the village green at Old Byland, and they complement a September programme of events for the North York Moors National Park’s Mindful Month.
The director of recreation and well-being for the National Park, Joel Brookfield, described the trail as “a fantastic resource. . . It will help enrich people’s enjoyment of the North York Moors, guide them to discover new places, and simply provide another way for them to relax and unwind.”
northyorkmoors.org.uk