‘Everywhere peace, everywhere serenity, and a marvelous freedom from the tumult of the world.’
Saint Aelred
Rievaulx Abbey sits on the slopes of a quiet valley nestled in peaceful woodland with the River Rye flowing gently past as it has done for centuries. In its heyday it was home to about 640 Cistercian monks who devoted themselves to God following a daily routine of prayer, meditation, reading and church services. They also reared sheep and diverted the river to assist with smelting iron ore. This made Rievaulx one of the wealthiest Abbey’s in England in the 13th century. It was in this hard working, simple spiritual life that Saint Aelred found his peace and freedom from the tumult of the world. Eight hundred years later his words still resonate with many in the modern world who are finding themselves increasingly busy but less fulfilled and would love to find their own peaceful corner of serenity in a ever tumultuous and uncertain world.
It was Henry VIII that brought the monks peaceful and productive life to an end in the mid 16th century when he abolished and destroyed the monasteries giving their land and goods to his cronies in an act of political and religious violence that saw many monks lose their lives.
As the monks would have understood all things temporal pass away eventually and today all that remains physically of Rievaulx are ruins, a shell of what must have been quite magnificent buildings. The spiritual can still be found here though and I have a sense of that peace and tranquility as I walk among the ruins imagining what it must have been like to have been a monk in the 13th century.
It’s a lovely bright autumn day, one of blue skies, fluffy clouds and sunlight shining through the sandstone columns and arches. Birdsong and a distant barking dog are the only sounds that disturb the silence.
After admiring the ruins and visiting the museum, Mrs E and I set off to follow in the footsteps of many a pilgrim of old and walk to Helmsley, about three miles away. It’s a well trodden route, not only as a pilgrimage trail but also now as part of both the Cleveland way and the Inn (North Yorkshire) way.
We head off south and before long arrive at the 18th century Rievaulx bridge. There is a little more road walking before the path leaves the tarmac and heads up into Quarry Bank Woods.
The trail heads upwards through the trees leading on to an escarpment which has fine views across the River Rye to Scawton Moor and the hills beyond. Quarry Bank Woods turns into Whinny Bank Woods and some ancient stone steps are descended before the Cleveland way takes us across fields and into Helmsley.
Helmsley is one of those no nonsense picturesque North Yorkshire market towns, all solid stone built cottages and people who say what they like and like what they say.
We enjoy coffee and cake at cornercopia sitting outside in the late afternoon sunshine. I’m mindful of the time and getting caught out by the early setting sun so we skip a visit to the castle and on the return journey catch the sun heading down towards the horizon from the escarpment. As the sun drops so does the temperature.
Back at the van we warm up and I turn the radio on to hear the breaking news of the murder of David Amess, the MP for Southend in a senseless act of Islamic extremism. It seems that acts of political religious violence have not been confined to history but are sadly destined to be repeated time and time again. I’m reminded of an old Steve turner poem:
History Lesson
History repeats itself. Has to. No-one listens.
Steve Turner
For a route map of this walk including geolocated pictures click on ”Learn more’ below. Note: you won’t see the map if reading in WordPress reader but click on the little world at the top of the page to view it on the browser.
I enjoyed reading this until I got to the end. Anyhow, I think I’ll put Rievaulx on my visit list. You don’t have to stray far from these shores to find magnificent country to walk in. Cheers Jim!
Thanks Dave, yes, plenty of good walking and plenty of history to be found here.
What a glorious day you had for this walk, Jim. I have lovely memories of my young daughter sitting sedately among those ruins, in a summer frock. So much to love about Yorkshire!
Thanks Jo, that’s nice that it brought a memory back to you. I was certainly impressed by the sheer size of the ruins and it was very peaceful
With soaring pillars, walls and windows, Rievaulx Abbey is an architectural masterpiece set in stone. I also love the fact that the impressive ruins have a romantic setting in the wooded valley. Visiting the abbey is certainly a great way to uncover the Cistercian monastery’s history. Thanks for sharing, and have a good Monday 🙂 Aiva xx
Thank you Aiva 😍
Beautiful photos Jim. I’ve done two thirds of 4 of the 6 Inn Ways but, after living in York for 28 years, I’ve never really contemplated doing the North Yorkshire version. Maybe I’ll get the book (if there’s any left out there to purchase)!
Thanks Mike, to be honest I’d not heard of the Inn ways before, despite following Mark Reid for years on Twitter!
I came across them a few years ago now when I discovered one of the books, possibly in Barter Books in Alnwick. They’re no longer in print, so they can be hard to come by. My mate and I prefer to be away for only 4 days walking at a time (and they’re all 6 days – unless you really want to walk a longer distance each day of course) so I adapted each to get back to the start on the 4th day. (You can search my website for “Inn Way” on the About page and you’ll find some photos if you’re interested). I’ve also just realised, after looking for the book, that it’s the North York Moors book that I’m missing as we did the Dales one a few years ago. I’ve also still to do the Inn Way to the Lakes, though my mates and I did something similar a few years back now, around the northern Lakes. Indeed, thinking about it, all the walks I do with my mates are effectively Inn Ways! 🍺🍺😊
Always nice to finish a walk with a beer!
Must get back over that way. terrific countryside.
It is John, I don’t visit as often as I should
Even though it is a ruin this abbey is still stunning. You had a nice weather to visit.
Thank you Mélodie, yes we had a lovely day for it.
Rievaulx – one of those places it’s impossible to work out how to pronounce! 😂
A good walk by the looks of it, though
What a beautiful place and the Saints words completely resonate with life today in so many ways.
Thank you Shazza, they do don’t they 😀