Osmotherley and Cod Beck

A Country Walk Round a Nonconformist Village and to a Picturesque Reservoir

This walk at the edge of the North York Moors National Park gives the flavour of the varied natural habitats of the region — conifer plantations and mixed woodland, fields and open moorland, a reservoir and a clear stream. At its heart is the picturesque village of Osmotherley and its legacy of religious and secular buildings. We start the walk at the market cross in Osmotherley (erected in 1874 to replace an ancient one, the top of which can be seen outside number 12 West End). Nearby, the church of St Peter stands on the site of a pre-Norman building (stones from which can be seen in the porch), with a fine Norman font and doorway dating from around 1190. Much of the church was destroyed by Scottish raiders in 1322 and restored in 1350, and an interesting feature is part of an ancient hogback tombstone with both ends supported by a carved bear.

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Start Point

Osmotherley

Grid Ref: SE 457 972

Total Distance

5.3 miles (8.5 km)

Total Climbing

250 metres

Estimated Time

2–3 hours

Difficulty Grade

Moderate

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The Old Hall in North End was bought by Lady Juliana Walmsley in 1665 for the use of Franciscan Friars (forced to leave in 1832, but returning in 1969; the top floor is now a lovely Catholic Church entered through the garden). The friars served pilgrims visiting the Chapel of the Lady of Mount Grace on the hilltop outside the village, built by Carthusian monks from Mount Grace Priory early in the 16th century on an earlier shrine site and rebuilt in 1960 (with the large, well-preserved ruins of the priory, founded in 1398, at the bottom of the hill to the west).

As you head north out of Osmotherley you gain height walking along Ruebury Lane. At Ruebury Hill there are tremendous views looking west across the flat expanse of the Vale of Mowbray towards the easternmost hills of the Yorkshire Dales, passing a microwave radio station at 982 feet above sea level.

The next stretch crosses open moorland where red grouse, wheatears, curlews, adders, lizards, and hares can be spotted among heather, bilberry, and bracken, before dropping down to the north end of Cod Beck Reservoir (created for the Yorkshire Water Board in 1953, submerging a stone quarry and cottages at Wild Goose Nest where an illicit still once stood).

The view south west from the top of Ruebury Lane

A majestic Oak on the approach to Arncliffe Wood

Emerging from Arncliffe Wood at Beacon Hill

An old straight track through a conifer plantation and Green Lane (bordered by honeysuckle, rowan, dog roses, hawthorn, and gorse) descends gently out of the trees, opening up views of Osmotherley to the right. The route then follows the Cleveland Way (Britain's second longest National Trail, running 93 miles around the moors from Helmsley to Filey Brigg), crossing Cod Beck and continuing through woodland back to Osmotherley.

Osmotherley has strong connections with John Wesley, who was first invited here in 1745 by Peter Adams (a former Franciscan Friar). The Methodist Chapel in Chapel Passage, built in 1754, is one of the earliest nonconformist chapels in England and remains in use today; Wesley often preached there, standing on a stool to make up for his short stature, which can still be seen in the chapel.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.

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Osmotherley and Cod Beck

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (1:25,000)

The Walk Report

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