In the mid-10th century, the last Norse ruler of York, Erik Bloodaxe, attempted a final, desperate journey across the desolate hills of Stainmore in Northern England. Accompanied by his chosen men and armed retainers, he sought to reach his allies on the Irish Sea, but he was betrayed and killed on the road. Today, a solitary monument on the roadside marks the passing of this last great Viking ruler in Britain, a silent witness to the end of an era.