Church Fenton to Tadcaster 30/03/15

8.5 miles, via Saxton, Towton & Stutton.

A bonus day of being NIW, so a short walk is in order to get in another railway walk, and a battlefield, trailed last year on my visit to Sandal. A late start, has me disembarking at Church Fenton station at 11am, a crazily scaled station of five platforms in the middle of nowhere, where four lines once converged, with the 1848 Y&NM/NER line towards Harrogate being the one to trace today, though it's early going has been ploughed into the fields since its 1964 closure, so an alternative path needs to be taken. This leads from Sandwath lane and across the fields to the bridleway that skirts around Scarthingwell Golf course, along the driveway to the A162 and on into the village of Saxton, another improbably lovely settlement on the high edge of the West Yorkshire fringe, swinging north to pace Cotchers Lane to meet the B6217, where in the surrounding fields on 29th March 1461, the first phase of the Wars of the Roses played out at the Battle of Towton. It was here that the Yorkist Armies of Edward IV defeated the Lancastrian forces of Henry VI, in a confrontation claimed the crown of England for the house of York and which chroniclers recorded as having claimed 28,000 lives, and if that figure seems high, investigations have revealed a battle that was noted for its extent and ferocity, even by Medieval standards. A battlefield trail runs from Dacre's Cross at the battle lines and around the fields above Cock Beck and the so-called Bloody Meadow, where the river was supposedly so choked with the bodies of the routed Lancastrians that the Wharfe ran red with blood for days. The interpretative boards are useful and informative, whilst the arable fields lend it an altogether bleak feel, on a windswept hilltop on the verge of the Vale of York, and it baffles me that this is one of those significant battles in English history that no one seems to know about.

Beyond Towton village, a ways along the A162 we return to 19th century history as we rediscover the railway line, observing Towton bridge, hidden behind veil of trees, and follow a farm track and footpath as it shadows the formation down to a marshy crossing of Cock Beck, where the modestly scaled Cock Bridge once carried the railway. Work my way out through the sketchiest of paths to find myself rising onto the alignment itself as it rises on an embankment alongside the trotting fields on an equestrian farm, following it along to Green Lane bridge with a small amount of trespass, passing beneath the partial dismantled abutment and taking the lane through the village of  Stutton. It may be a relatively unassuming place, but it does have its station buildings nice preserved by the crossing on Weedling Gate, whilst some more formation has gained a cycle path as it leads on under the A64 and into the bottom edge of Tadcaster, where a substantial embankment remains behind the houses on Stutton Road, but it belongs to numerous back gardens now, rendering it inaccessible. We lead out to Leeds Road, and in these days when Leeds has lost the Tetley brewery and Boddington's is no longer made in Manchester, it's heartening to see that Tadcaster endures as a centre of brewing, where the 1884 John Smith's brewery dominates the town. whilst the independent Samuel Smith's brewery of 1758 remains hidden away behind the facades of Main Street, in keeping with its independent status. This town is another well preserved late 18th century gem, and will surely feature as a hub for further exploration this year, being easily accessible by bus despite it sitting just outside West Yorkshire, and it advertises itself as a walker friendly town too, and this is where we will end the trail, crossing the Wharfe via the Old bridge and rolling up at the bus station at 2.15pm.

5,000 Miles Cumulative Total: 1524.8 miles

2015 Cumulative Total: 122.6 miles
Up Country Total: 1398.4 miles
Solo Total: 1297.8 miles

Chrurch Fenton station, five platforms in the middle of nowhere,
all serving lines owned by the NER, not unlike other remote and
bonkers West Riding stations like Hellifield and Normanton.

All Saints church, Saxton.

Dacre's Cross, Towton Battlefield. Erected in 1929 close to the battlelines
of 1461's confrontation, where an outnumbered Yorkist force defeated the
Lancastrian armies of Henry VI resulting in the accession of Edward IV.

Towton Battlefield Trail. Skirting above Cock Beck, and following
the direction of the Lancastrian rout, claiming 28,000 lives in
the bloodiest battle ever fought in England

Towton Grange. Site of the major mass graves of the battle, and whilst containing nowhere near the casualty
total claimed by the chroniclers, the savagery and violence meted out by the Yorkist forces, in the wake of the
death of Richard of York at the battle of Wakefield, is visible in the traumatic injuries inflicted on the dead.

Towton Bridge. back to the 1848 Church Fenton - Harrogate line,
carrying the A162, and almost invisible from all angles.

Cock Bridge, again almost completely concealed from view,
and showing that the Y&NMR had a clear house style.

Green lane bridge, the bridge is intact but the abutment has
been removed to allow better access to the horse farm.

Stutton station, with so many station sites claimed by cul de sacs and residential
redevelopment, it's nice to find one in virtually original condition.

The alignment running into Tadcaster, complete with bicycle friendly surface.

John Smith's 1884 brewery, still in business, despite producing
one of the least inspiring ales in this land.

Samuel Smith's 1758 brewery, originally the site of John Smith's but
left to a relation when they moved, and run independently ever since.

Next Up: This railway walk continues.