Rose Dene Cottage in Sheriff Hutton
Ryedale is large administrative district in rural North Yorkshire. That's where Tony and I went walking both yesterday and today. Weatherwise, Tuesday was the better of the two days. Today (Wednesday) a blanket of cloud eased across The North Riding from The North Sea leeching colour from the landscape. But it did not rain.
On Tuesday we left our vehicles in the pub car park and set off for Thornton-le-Clay. Then west over the fields to Sheriff Hutton - a larger and more significant settlement with a long history that includes the remains of not one but two castles. It also has a magnificent old church in which I saw this marble effigy of a child from the fifteenth century...
It is reputedly, the tomb of Edward Prince of Wales who was the only legitimate son of King Richard III. That famous king certainly had strong associations with Sheriff Hutton but some historians have cast doubt on the centuries old local claim that this is indeed young Edward's resting place.
The second Sheriff Hutton Castle. It was a favoured residence of both Richard III and Henry VIII
Former windmill near the village of Thornton-le-Clay
Today (Wednesday) I let Tony choose the day's route. It was another eight miles but this time we set off from the charming stone village of Welburn west of Malton. The walk took in a large chunk of the Castle Howard estate. The aristocrats who developed the parkland had so much money that they were able to order the building of several follies and monuments around the estate and far from the main house. I had to make a big effort to get to this pyramid on a hilltop. It is not clear from the image but it stands about twenty five feet tall...
And here's my friend Tony. His map book is hiding someone else's name so that the inscription reads "Tony - Never known to pass a seat with a view"...
Two good days of walking and we liked our accommodation too. He had a room upstairs in the pub but I had a one-bedroom cottage in the courtyard. This morning we enjoyed fried "full English" breakfasts with toast before setting off on our second plodding adventure.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/15dX7Hx