From Battersby to Farndale: A Stone that Guides the Way

Standing stones, those charming columns of rock, are strewn all over the North York Moors. Some mark parish or estate boundaries, others waymarkers or religious crosses. Take this small, irregular stone, for instance, standing unobtrusively just south of the old Rosedale mineral railway line¹Way marker NW of Bloworth Crossing NYMNP HER No: 23003. It is probably post-medieval, though it marks a trod from Battersby to Farndale that is even older²Trod running from Battersby to Farndale NYMNP HER No: 5107. Parts of this trod still peek out, but most of it is either buried beneath peat or has been repurposed by builders over the centuries. Miraculously, this stone and any hidden flags have survived the railway construction.

A trod is a marvel of simplicity. Flagstones, whether dressed or rough, are laid end to end in a single file. The North York Moors are crisscrossed with these paths, boasting more than anywhere else in the UK. Trods are notoriously hard to date, but this one is thought to be medieval, likely the handiwork of local monastic communities. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the trod would have fell out of use and became overgrown. Hence, later travellers likely needed waymarkers to avoid getting hopelessly lost.

• 1
  Way marker NW of Bloworth Crossing NYMNP HER No: 23003
• 2
  Trod running from Battersby to Farndale NYMNP HER No: 5107