The Anne Clifford Trail
A 95 mile cycle ride for everyone who loves two wheels - with a little bit of history thrown in!
Lady Anne Clifford (1590–1676) is a key figure in the history of Northern England. She was a noblewoman, and, as a child, was a member of Elizabeth I's court. She married twice and was one of the most powerful women in a period spanning four royal reigns - those of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I and Charles II - and the period of the Commonwealth. But she is remembered most of all for her 40 year battle, claiming the right to inherit her father's estates in Yorkshire, Westmorland and Cumberland. Once she won that particular battle she started out restoring castles and churches, and building alms houses for the poor on the vast swathe of land she owned, stretching from the southern Dales in the south, to the Eden Valley in the north. You can find out more by going to our timeline.
A section of The Great Picture, an enormous triptych (3m x 5m),displayed in Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal, Cumbria. It shows Anne Clifford as a girl, her parents and brothers in the central section and, here, Anne Clifford aged about 56. It was painted in 1646, three years after she finally inherited her northern lands and three years before she actually took possession of them.
The ride begins in the beautiful market town of Skipton, outside the castle where she was born, and ends in Penrith, another market town close to Brougham Castle, where she died.
She often travelled to visit the castles she restored, the churches and chapels she loved and the towns and villages where she was renowned and respected.
You will be on two wheels, generally retracing the journey she took by horse-drawn coach and sometimes open horse-drawn litter, nearly 400 years ago. You will occasionally take a stretch of more modern road than the higher and often rough tracks Anne used to take in order to avoid the wet and muddy valley bottoms.
Skipton Castle
The route follows minor unclassified and B roads and lanes, with only two short stretches of fairly quiet A roads. In total there is about 2,000m of climbing but only two significantly steep, short hills. And, of course, you see even more of the local landscape if you decide to get off and push. It will be a wonderful chance to take time out, amongst some of the most beautiful countryside in England, and to reflect on the life of a remarkable Christian woman, who fought against all the odds, for the rights she knew were hers.
If you prefer walking to cycling, why not set out on Lady Anne's Way, a 100 mile walk from Skipton to Penrith? It's a classic walk with magnificent scenery and usually takes between 6 and 9 days. Typically it sticks to the tracks and roadways in use in the 17th Century wherever possible.
Lady Anne's Way
(Gordon, S; Skyware, 2013)