Have you walked along an ancient drovers’ route? You may have done so, without realising it, treading tracks that were once used by Romans, monks and cattle traders. Some of these routes are still evident, and now used as footpaths and bridal ways.
For centuries, drovers walked with their cattle, pigs, sheep and even poultry, miles and miles to market. They supplied the developing towns, sometimes walking all the way from Scotland to London, so most drovers' routes run vertically from North to South in the Dales. Some of our pubs and inns date back to these times. Tan Hill Inn was one of the many inns used by drovers when cattle were traded at fairs in Askrigg. Some place names are testament to these times, such as Drover Hole Hill, as well as pubs with names like The Black Bull. Places with names like Halfpenny House probably date to when charges were made to graze animals en route.
Drovers had to be licensed, with licenses only being issued to those who were married and over 30. Presumably this was because they were more trustworthy, given the value of the stock in their care. Sometimes they would be on the road for months at a time, with several hundred beasts.
An exhibition at the Dales Countryside Museum is about to open, featuring paintings by Penny Hunt who has researched the histories of these routes.
Penny became increasingly fascinated with the stories of the men who were trusted to take a whole village’s cattle from the wilds of northern Scotland on a long trek to the fattening grounds of Norfolk, before being sold in London markets. Landscapes are shown through the colours of the plaid the men wore, little clues to the treasures they carried and items from modern life found along the ancient tracks.
Time has changed the landscapes they knew, but the historical remnants connect us with those who went before. Storyland explores the past and how we see it reflected in our current landscape.
Photo: Paul Harris