Easby Abbey and the Drummer Boy Walk
The morning we left Richmond last November was beautifully sunny so, rather than go straight home, we decided to do the Drummer Boy Walk in the morning, a three mile round trip along the River Swale to Easby Abbey returning along the old railway track.
The legend of the Drummer Boy possibly dates back to the end of the 18th century when soldiers discovered the opening to a small tunnel under the Richmond Castle keep. A regimental drummer boy was lowered down and told to follow the passage beating his drum as he went so that soldiers could hear the route of the tunnel. They followed the sound of drumming alongside the river towards Easby until, half a mile from the abbey, it stopped. The drummer boy was never seen again. True? Who knows, but it’s touching to see floral tributes left on the commemorative stone which marks the alleged spot.
Before long we reached Easby with (left to right above) the old abbey gatehouse, St Agatha’s Church, and the ruins of the abbey itself spread out before us. We decided to visit the church first.
St Agatha’s, the oldest parts of which date to the 1150s, is still an active parish church. The most striking feature is its 13th century wall paintings, which were rediscovered and restored in the 19th century. They are absolutely beautiful.
Easby Abbey was founded in 1152 and closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. Within two years most of its buildings had been stripped and demolished with the ruins later becoming a favourite subject for artists, including JMW Turner. I can see why – they are very picturesque.
After a thorough exploration we crossed the River Swale and walked along the old railway track to Richmond where we had lunch in The Station Café before heading back to our car and setting off for Glasgow.
I’ve now caught up with our 2025 trips, and haven’t yet been anywhere of note in 2026, so it’s time to travel back again to the black hole of 2023/4 which still needs a lot of filling in!
Linked to Jo’s Monday Walk.
The Glasgow Gallivanter 
Thanks for introducing me to this walk, I’d not previously been aware of it at all. And as we visit the area most summers it is definitely going on the ‘things to do on a Yorkshire trip’ list 😀 The church in particular looks wonderful, and the ruins too – and weren’t you lucky with the weather?!
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We were very lucky with the weather, especially as the previous two days had been poor. It was far too nice to set off for home straightaway and this walk was the ideal length for a morning.
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I find the story of the little drummer boy intriguing – and have enjoyed looking at these lovely photographs!
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Thanks Anne – it’s a sad story, whether it’s or just a legend.
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The legend of the drummer boy – must be based on some sort of fact? Great ruins to explore! I loved that sort of thing as a child imagining what must have been there.
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A tunnel between castle and abbey seems plausible, but whether the disappearing drummer boy story is true or not I couldn’t say. Would they just abandon him or would they have dug down to find him? Maybe drummer boys were not important enough to rescue!
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Looks like a lovely hike on a sunny day. (Suzanne)
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It was. Blue sky makes such a difference!
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Those ruins are fascinating. They seem other-worldly.
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They do – all those monkish spirits around!
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A lovely walk to end your holiday, especially as you got some sunshine and blue sky. I like the story of the drummer boy and the old wall paintings, the altar painting is beautiful.
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We were very taken with that small church – much more of interest than I expected.
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What a marvellous ruin, and a wonderful walk in the sunshine!
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We were very lucky with the weather – it showed the ruins off to great advantage. Though I suspect they would also have looked good gloomy and brooding.
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It’s a lovely walk and you managed blue skies, Anabel. We last did it on a golden September day. I must dig it out for another look. Like you we ended in the Railway Station cafe. I enjoy the artworks there too. Thanks for a lovely memory xx
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It was such a great day for a walk. Yes, we looked at the art too – and bought some supplies in the deli!
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I’m so glad to see your photos of that walk. You’ve done it proud! I’ve never actually done the walk, but I know all the locations.
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It was a lovely walk, and we were so lucky to get sunshine.
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👍We have sun here today too. You?
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A bit today – but it’s meant to get up to 20C tomorrow. After snow yesterday!
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British weather eh? Allegedly good here tomorrow – AND for the rest of the week Then back to the cold again …
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I think we are back to rain by Thursday. Ah well …
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