Rylstone Cross and Cracoe Obelisk

We had to check on the build progress of our new house this morning so decided to continue on to the Yorkshire Dales afterwards and have a walk up to Rylstone Cross and Cracoe memorial not far from Skipton.

Our original route took us through a cow field so we decided to backtrack to the lane and find and alternative way.  Our new route took us through a sheep field which looked like it may have had cows in at some time as there were plenty of dried cowpats but we got through without incident.  It was  a straightforward path up to the cross although it was a bit of a slog in the heat and also it's been a while since we did any serious hill walking so I'm feeling a little out of practice.  There were a couple of ladder stiles to get over nearer the top which Charlie managed to jump over ok.  

Rylstone Cross

Originally there was a large stone in the form of a man and it was known as 'The Stone Man'.  In 1885 a wooden cross was erected to commemorate 'The Peace of Paris'.  The wooden structure has been replaced several times over the years and is now made of reinforced concrete with a plaque dated 1995 marking its reconstruction.

After spending a bit of time admiring the amazing views we continued along the path, following the wall for a mile or so.  The path looks like it could get quite boggy in wet weather but was bone dry on our visit.

Eventually we reached another ladder stile over the wall which gave access to the war memorial.

This impressive gritstone obelisk measures 23ft tall.  It was built over a period of 6 weeks in 1922 by local men at a cost of £56.  The erection of the monument was a huge community effort with men living near the site in tents.  A time capsule including a copy of the local paper, a sealed bottle and some coins have been placed inside the structure.  Originally erected to commemorate the local fallen of the first World War.  The current bronze plaque lists a roll of honour for both the first and second world wars.

View from the monument

We spent the rest of the evening in Skipton doing Adventure Labs before heading home.

Thanks for reading 😀