On the trail of the living moors

THE North York Moors are a haven for tourists attracted by the bleak beauty of the largest expanse of heather moorland in England and Wales. But this is a living landscape. Inhabited for thousands of years, it has been changed and shaped by the activities of man, leaving fascinating clues to the past.

Some of the most mysterious features are the ancient paved pathways that can still be found out on the open moor or running alongside modern roads through picturesque villages. Along with Iron Age hill forts, Bronze Age burial mounds, medieval castles and industrial relics from the more recent past, they represent an extraordinary wealth of archaeology in the National Park area.

Although the moors attract millions of visitors every year, many are either unaware of the history all around them or only visit well known sites, such as Whitby Abbey. In an effort to raise awareness, English Heritage has teamed-up with the Cleveland Way National Trail and the Youth Hostel Association to produce a new leaflet, Heritage Adventures. Featuring two linear sections of the Cleveland Way, it gives details of the heritage sites on or close to the route as well as opening times and travel details.

Malcolm Hodgeson, Cleveland Way National Trails Officer, says: "We're trying to emphasise the connections between the Cleveland Way and the heritage sites along the way. Rather than the trail being seen as just a long distance walk we want to show people the possibilities for visiting points of interest and picking up short sections of the route for a stroll.

"The Trail is fairly unusual in having so many different sites along its route. As well as the better known ones, like Mount Grace Priory and Whitby Abbey, there are many other castles, abbeys and churches along with industrial heritage and the network of ancient paths or roads that once traversed the moors."

The paths we see today, often known as "trods", are the remnants of various transport systems from different periods of time. The stone paving slabs visible along some sections may have been laid down in the 18th Century for trains of packhorses but the route itself was probably used by 12th Century monks, who themselves may have been following an even older pathway. Over the years some routes have doubtlessly been lost, while others were improved, as patterns of settlement, agriculture and industry changed.

EVER since Neolithic people first cultivated the moors, paths would have developed between pastures and farms. Longer routes were then established for trading between settlements, often following the high ridges between the dales to avoid boggy areas. The first surfaced route may have been Wade's Causeway, a section of which is exposed on Wheeldale Moor, near Goathland. Archaeologists believe it to be Roman in origin, perhaps built around AD80 when the legions invaded the region, although some evidence suggests it may be medieval or was modified in medieval times.

However, most of the trods are much narrower than Wade's Causeway. The typical paving that remains is no more than a metre wide, just right for walkers or a train of ponies. The first stones are thought to have been laid by monks in the 12th Century. The monasteries of the time owned vast tracts of land and paved paths made it easier to maintain contact with their estates.

The monks erected stone crosses on the moors to help them find the way. One of the best examples is Old Ralph. Built around 1200AD it still stands firm on Blakey Ridge just a few hundred yards from the 18th Century Young Ralph Cross. Even older markers exist elsewhere in the moors, such as the Saxon Lilla's Cross, built in 626AD. These earlier crosses may simply have been placed on significant features in the landscape and the routes then evolved around them as generations of travellers used them as a marker.

There are also many "guide stones" on the moors, generally constructed from sandstone and often carved to direct travellers to nearby towns. In many places the hollowed lines of old tracks can still be seen converging on these points. The majority date from after 1711, when the Justices of Northallerton ordered that guide posts be erected at all the crossroads in the county. It was also around this time that many of the surviving stone causeways were built, either improving on old routes or creating new ones. Burgeoning moorland industries needed reliable routes to transport iron ore, pig iron, coal, lime, alum and jet. Fish was the main export of coastal towns such as Staithes and in the 19th Century could be taken to York market within a day, although they did have to change horses along the way.

Packhorses bore the weight of the industrial products, often in teams of thirty to forty.

They carried their burden in baskets known as panniers, hence the Pannierman's Causeway which ran from Staithes to Castleton and can still be seen on Danby Low Moor. Wagons would have struggled to negotiate the boggy ground or else would have needed a wide road but the horse could travel in single file on narrow tracks.

THE sections of paving that remain today are managed by National Park staff. Bernie McLinden, Senior Ranger (North Area), says: "The trods are generally OK but we do keep a record of their location so they'll never be lost and we sometimes clear away vegetation. It depends on the path really - the stones can be slippy and it's sometimes easier to walk on them if they're a bit overgrown. In some places the stone flags are worn down into a dish shape. We tried turning them over and found that someone had already turned them long ago; the pattern of wear was the same on the underside."

Modern travellers crossing the open moorland are generally walking for pleasure but their effect on the landscape is no less than in the past. In fact such is the popularity of the area that many footpaths have become badly eroded due to heavy use. Just as the monks and panniermen surfaced their paths, so too has the National Park Authority begun to protect the most popular routes by laying down slabs of stone. The Cleveland Way in particular now boasts many miles of stone trods.

Ultimately we can only guess at when many of the paved ways were laid and who the first people to use them were, although continuing study of ancient sites around the moors may help to shed light on these intriguing relics. In an area left with a glittering array of archaeological jewels it is easy to forget the smaller features of the moors, but the trods offer a more human insight than grand arches and monuments.

* For a free Heritage Adventure leaflet contact Cleveland Way National Trail: (01439) 770657. For a free Yorkshire Landmarks of History leaflet contact English Heritage: (01904) 601901.