Out & About …

… on the North York Moors, or wherever I happen to be.

A slightly low-angle, wide shot captures a narrow, worn stone trod proceeding downhill between two weathered, upright standing stones in a rural, hilly landscape under an overcast sky. The path, lighter in colour than the surrounding terrain, curves ever so slightly as it descends. The standing stones are positioned on either side of the path in the foreground. They are grey sandstone and covered in patches of lichen. The stone on the left is taller and more slender, while the stone on the right is shorter and wider. The surrounding landscape is a mix of dry, brown, Bracken areas and patches of vibrant green grass. Yellow gorse bushes dot the hillside in the middle ground and further down the slope. The trod is heading directly towards the white-washed building of a Scout Camp. In the distance, the broad Vale of Cleveland stretches out under a cloudy sky, with hints of green fields, trees, and distant hills visible. The clouds are a mix of grey and white, suggesting an overcast day. The overall lighting is soft and diffused.

The Pannierman Way

A pair of ancient standing stones flank a stretch of weather-worn path known as the Kirby Bank Trod. This marvel of medieval civil engineering forms part of a so-called “Long Trod” — a term employed because it would have required “considerable resource and supra-parochial organisation” to build such an “economic venture of some significance.”1‘Pannierman Way – Kirby, Great Broughton and Ingleby Greenhow Local History Group’. 2024. Kgbighistory.org.uk <https://kgbighistory.org.uk/projects/pannierman-way/> [accessed 8 March 2024]

The trod sits on a man-made embankment and is paved with local sandstone. Five way-markers remain, two of which are in pairs, and hawthorn trees were once thoughtfully planted to ensure even the most clueless traveller could find his way. There are also some smaller, parallel stones whose purpose remains a mystery. A large flat slab known as the Peddar Stone also sits along the route, dutifully fulfilling its role as a classic trod feature.

Centuries of trudging have worn a groove into the stone, though experts insist this stretch is “well-preserved” — presumably because it is not currently being flattened by trains of up to forty horses. Yes, forty. This was once a packhorse highway, connecting Rievaulx Abbey to the River Tees and Durham, because monks needed to trade their wool and buy in lots of fish and coal. Trade tariffs obviously unheard of.

Each train of beasts was accompanied by one or two so-called panniermen, and the lead horse wore a bell, lest a wandering peasant be taken by surprise and flattened. The horses carried wicker baskets, or panniers, some opening at the bottom for easy unloading . The horses themselves, Cleveland Bays, were smaller and less dignified than today’s version, but they made up for their rustic appearance with obedience and the ability to walk in a straight line for miles without complaining.

There are other regional names for these panniermen, though in North Yorkshire it is that term which has stuck, hence the grand title “The Pannierman Way.” So important was this tradition that a stretch of the A172, now overrun with traffic, still bears the name “Pannierman Lane,” in honour of a time when the only congestion came with hooves.

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