Following the footpath along Cod Beck River in Thirsk from north to south

This walk along Cod Beck - nothing to do with the fish of that name    - was last Thursday, 10th January, 2013. It was sunny but cold and in places muddy, due to the amount of rain that we have had recently, but it didn't detract from being a very enjoyable walk.

The above photograph is a view of the weir at Norby which is at the northern end of Thirsk and adjacent to Front Street which is the road from Thirsk to Northallerton. The weir is referred to by local people as the waterfall. At the the left hand end of the footbridge over the weir is a sluice gate ( no longer operational ). In the past this sluice gate could be opened to allow water to flow along the mill race which ran from this point and adjacent to Front Street to near St. Mary's Church from where it then changed direction to follow the line of The Marrage ( the road that now connects Front Street to the Millgate Bridge ) and to drive the water mill which was situated on the south side of Mill Gate Bridge. The mill race was filled in years ago and the Mill was demolished in the late 1960s. I remember it being demolished a few years after we moved to Thirsk.

The above photograph is of the footpath which runs from close to St. Mary's Church and along side Cod Beck to the cottages in the north west corner of St. James Green.

The above view shows St. Mary's Church which is at the junction of Kirkgate, Front Street and The Marrage. The footpath by Cod Beck is a continuation of the footpath from St. James Green. It only takes about 2 minutes to walk from St. James Green to St. Mary's Church.

The above view (taken from the picnic area) is of what is referred to locally as the White Metal Bridge (I am not aware that it has a name) and is part of the footpath that links Norby and St. Mary's Church to St. James Green.

The above photograph is a plaque and stone dedicated to Billy Calvert, one of Thirsk's entrepreneurs, who has generously donated this land as a picnic area alongside Cod Beck for the enjoyment of the public. 

Cottages on the west side of St. James Green.

This view is of Bridge Street and in the back ground St. James Church.

Millgate Bridge - north side.

Millgate Bridge - south side. The paved area (where the seats are) is where the water powered mill was located.

Millgate Bridge - south side. Looking across Cod Beck to Millgate. The walled area to the left of the far side of the bridge is where the mill was located.

Finkle Street Bridge - north side. The far side of the bridge is where the wharf is located for the canal boats to be berthed and unloaded. Unfortunately, the canal was never finished and the railways ensured that the transportation of goods was much speedier and efficient by rail than by canal boats.

The above photograph shows the buildings known as The Crescent, because of its shape. The footpath alongside Cod Beck connects St. James Green to Imgramgate, photograph below, and Finkle Street Bridge.

The photograph below is where the proposed canal was to terminate. The canal wharf is shown below right where the houses are. If you have a look you can still see the iron rings for tying the canal  boats to the wharf. Unfortunately, the canal boats never arrived because the canal was never finished! Things moved rather slowly in the construction of the canal and the 'Iron Horse', the steam locomotive arrived in Thirsk, albeit, banished to a mile outside Thirsk by all those who had a vested interest in trying to maintain the very lucrative and active stage coach businesses that ran from London to Edinburgh and all points in between and changed the teams of horses, providing accommodation and refreshments etc. in Thirsk. This horse drawn trade and all the ancillary related businesses employed vast numbers of people locally. Not withstanding all this protectionism the arrival of the railways brought the unfinished canal and the stage coach businesses to an end. 

The houses in the photographs above and below are relatively new. They are adjacent to the canal wharf and are on the site of the former disused Salem chapel and graveyard and the Nursery site (the growing of vegetables  etc.).They were built in the last 13 or 14 years. The footpath along this side of Cod Beck runs through this sensory garden. Some of the original gravestones can be observed here. 

The photograph below is Thirsk's Public Library. It used to be one of Thirsk's many primary schools. It is situated adjacent to Finkle Street Bridge and Cod Beck.

The photograph above shows Cod Beck to the south of the canal wharf and the photograph below is looking back in a northerly direction towards Thirsk.

The 3 photographs below are where the most northerly lock on this unfinished canal was constructed but which was dismantled and a bridge constructed and which is referred to as Locks Bridge. In the 2 lower photographs of Locks Bridge can be seen parts of Thirsk.

The 3 photographs below are of Blakey Bridge, Blakey Lane, which links Sowerby to the A19 road which links Thirsk to York, 23 miles to the south.

The photograph below is of a neolithic burial mound which is in a field just to the south of the above bridge and adjacent to Cod Beck. The information board gives details about it. The burial mound is from the late neolithic (2,400 years BC to the Bronze Age (1,500 years BC) and contained human remains and grave goods from over a considerable period of time.

The photographs of the bridge above and below are of the pack horse bridge which crosses Cod Beck at the southern end of Sowerby. This is about a mile south of the centre of Thirsk. Sowerby was once a seperate village but has expanded over the years and is now an integral part of Thirsk. In fact, many people who live in Thirsk and Sowerby probably don't know where the boundary between the two is.

The pack Horse bridge was used by teams of pack horses carrying goods across country to cross Cod Beck. There was also a ford adjacent to the bridge at one time but that no longer exists. The pack Horse Bridge is in an area referred to as World's End. Indeed, there used to be a pub close by known as the World's End Pub which no longer exists. The bridge was built in 1672 for £20, a considerable amount of money in those days.

The time to walk along this trail and observe the different views and bridges can take up to a couple of hours. Well worth the time. Enjoy the walk and views.