“Enjoy a mixture of history and horse racing as our walk takes us through the glorious Coverdale countryside to the pretty and interesting Coverham Church.  After lunch we will return over the famous High Moor Gallops to Middleham with the opportunity to view the ‘Middleham Jewel’ as we complete our walk.”

The end of September each year heralds the week long Richmond Books and Boots Festival. I always try to fit in at least one walk. This year again I chose a walk accessible from Leeds but in the end was invited to stay with a friend and attend one of the ‘Books’ events the evening before the ‘Boots’ walk from Middleham.

North Country Theatre First Night of ‘Nightmares in Norfolk’
Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond DL10 4DW * 7.30pm

* Tickets from the Georgian Theatre Box Office: 01748 825 252. Disabled access

Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon created the original adaptation of the hilarious The 39 Steps which went on to be an international hit. Here they bring different approaches to the staging of the supernatural.

Even the most sceptical, the most rational scientific mind , may have moments when something happens that seems to defy the laws of nature, when wild landscapes of our dreams – nightmares seem to intrude on reality, when coincidence seems to be stretched to breaking point.

The chilling plays were M.R. James’s “Oh, whistle and I’ll come to you” and Charles Dickens’s “The signalman”.

The walk next day was a walk par excellence. I love a country walk where the views are amazing :

Where we walk through open country and woodland and varied landscape :

Pass by ancient and historic buildings – like castles

Richmond Castle

– historic houses

Braithwaite Hall (National Trust)

churches and ruins

Coverham Church

The  Private Ruins of Coverham Abbey

picnic in a churchyard

Memorial to a 19 year old lad killed in a riding accident

following good signage

cross ancient bridges

pass by the lakes and follies of a planned landscape

and enjoy good company

After 1.30pm each day the public may cross “The Gallops” where racehorses are trained and out galloping in the morning. From there we could look down on stud farms

This walk had it all!