Sanctuary Way Walk


The Sanctuary Way Walk is a circular walk around the city of Ripon in North Yorkshire. The walk traces a route around the city and has eight trail points at the places where waymarkers used to designate that travellers were within of the cathedral at Ripon and thus afforded The Sanctuary of Ripon. The waymarker at Sharow is the base of one the crosses that used to mark the edge of the Sanctuary of Ripon.

History

In 937, King Athelstan created the Sanctuary of Ripon by placing eight crosses on the roads approaching the city. Some of the crosses were given names; Cross of Athelstan, Kangel Cross and Sharow Cross. The sanctuary was known as the Liberty of St Wilfrid and was maintained by the ecclesiastical body in the city. The boundary waymarkers have all since been removed or destroyed except the remnants of the base of one of the crosses at Sharow, which is now a listed monument. The sanctuary lasted until 1540 when the authorities looking after law and order became secular.

The routes

The path was created in 2004 by the Rotary Club of Ripon and the Rotary Club of Ripon Rowels who designed it as a celebration of the Rotary Club's 100-year anniversary of 2005. There are actually three walks which take two, three and four hours respectively, with each being longer in length than the previous one.