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The Cleveland Way is a National Trail of approximately 110 miles in length running from Helmsley, skirting the western and northern edges of the North Yorkshire Moors, then meeting the East Coast at Saltburn. It then follows the coastal path southwards to Filey, initially ending abruptly at the county boundary with Humberside, but more recently extended to a more natural finishing point on Filey Brigg. There are now other official trails, which link up with the Cleveland Way: the Ebor Way joining it at Helmsley and the Wolds Way at Filey. In addition, an unofficial 'Missing Link' walk runs from Filey back to Helmsley to make it into a circular walk.
Along its length, the Cleveland Way traverses some of the finest areas of the North Yorkshire Moors, at one point sharing the route for about 10 miles with Wainwright's Coast to Coast walk and the Lyke Wake walk. The coastal section of the walk passes over the highest sea cliffs on the East Coast and encompasses Yorkshire's Heritage Coast.
Compared with some of the walks I have done, the Cleveland Way is relatively easy. Most of the route follows well sign-posted footpaths, which generally have good surfaces and are easy to follow. The exception to this is along the coastal path, which, in some places, is overgrown and uneven underfoot. The amount of daily ascent and descent is also moderate, with much of the walk being on level or gently sloping ground. There are a number of steep ascents along the section from Osmotherley to Urra Moor and at some places along the coast, but these are generally of no more than one or two hundred metres at a time. This means that there is plenty of chance to recover from one ascent before facing another, although it is sometimes frustrating to find that, no sooner have you climbed one hill than the path drops back down again, only to face you with another hill to climb.
Planning the Walk
Having done several long-distance walks before, the planning was relatively easy as I had a good idea of all the things I would need and the sort of daily mileage of which I was capable. Nevertheless, there are always difficulties when it comes to working out the overnight stops, as there is seldom accommodation to be found within the ideal walking distance and this inevitable means that some days involve more miles than desired and some days less. Using a Cleveland Way accommodation guide from the Internet, a National Trails Companion, an old Coast to Coast Accommodation guide and the Youth Hostel Association, I set about planning the walk over seven days, with six nights' accommodation needed.
My preferred accommodation on long distance walks is in Youth Hostels, but for this particular schedule, there were only two hostels in convenient places, Whitby and Scarborough, and Scarborough was already fully booked by a school party. This meant that I had to spend the remaining five nights in bed and breakfast accommodation, as I would be able to get a lift to the start in my daughter's car on the first day and a train back from Filey on the final day. One of the problems with the first half of the walk is that much of it is high up on the edge of the moors, whereas most of the accommodation is down below and some distance from the route. There are, however, one or two farmhouse bed and breakfasts up on the moors, fairly close to the route, and I was able to use these to avoid adding much extra distance to the walk. Along the coastal part of the walk, there are some sections which have several miles between places where accommodation can be found, and this meant that my final route involved a little over twenty miles both on day 5 and on day 6. I generally try to avoid days with more than about 18 miles wherever possible, but in this instance, it did not seem easy to do without adding an extra day to the walk. I just had to resign myself to the fact that I would have two rather hard days one after the other.
In all of my previous walks, I have had to keep a tight watch on the budget, but this time my financial situation had improved and I did not have to worry too much about costs. Some of the bed and breakfast accommodation can be a little expensive, especially when including an evening meal, but I was able to overlook this when it provided me with a bed which was not too far off the route and at a convenient distance from the previous stop.
From the point of view of route finding, I already had the two Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure maps numbers 26 and 27 covering the North Yorkshire Moors. I didn't see the need for a guidebook as well, especially as I had already walked about two thirds of the walk at other times. The only section of the walk that was not covered by my maps was from Scarborough to Filey, but I didn't think it would be a problem following the coastal path. In fact, I found that there was very little need for maps most of the time, as the sign posting was usually of a very high standard. However, it would be foolish to attempt the walk with neither maps nor guidebook, as there are always a few places with missing signposts, making it necessary to consult a map.
Day 1 - Sunday 27th June 1999 - Helmsley to Boltby via Rievaulx Abbey and Terrace, and Kilburn White Horse
Marker stone at the start of the Cleveland Way in Helmsley
Ruins of Rievaulx Abbey - a short detour from the route
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The weather forecast for the day was not very good, promising rain, which should clear in the late afternoon. I set off from home at 9am in my daughter Jen's car along with my wife Jean. They were going shopping in York after dropping me off at the start. On the way there the weather was dreary and overcast with some rain, although it did look slightly brighter at Helmsley with only a little drizzle from time to time. Helmsley is a very pleasant and popular market town, but I only stopped for long enough to say my farewells and for one or two photographs as I was keen to get started on the walk. There is a large stone monument at the start of the walk near the car park and this is carved with the acorn symbol used to mark National Trails. I started walking at 10:30 along the steady incline, first through fields, then through woodland up to Whinney Bank on the way towards Rievaulx. This is the northern edge of Rydale and, by a clearing through the trees, the River Rye and the other side of the dale can be seen over to the left. Despite the rather dreary weather, the temperature was quite pleasant for walking in shorts and a tee shirt, although the humidity was very high.
Through the woods, I came across about four animals on the path before they noticed me and took refuge in the undergrowth. I think, from later attempts at identification, that they were stoats, as they were brown with black tails, but it is not always easy to identify animals from a very brief encounter.
A descent through the wood brought me back out onto the minor road leading to Rievaulx Bridge. At this point, the Cleveland Way continues straight on, but a detour to the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey figures in most people's schedule, if time permits. I had remembered to bring my National Trust membership card with me, but was a little taken aback when I realised that the abbey is owned by English Heritage with a £3 admission charge. Not wishing to pay more than a very brief visit, I decided not to go in and instead made my way up the steep hill towards Rievaulx Terrace, which overlooks the abbey from 100 metres above. Again, there was an entrance costing £3, so I decided that, having taken the trouble to climb up, I might as well pay up and go in. However, to my surprise again, the Terrace and Temples are owned by the National Trust, so I was able to get in free using my card. There is a one-mile circular walk through the woods to the Tuscan Temple and back along the Terrace to the Ionic Temple. I reached the Tuscan Temple at 11:50 in time for an early half-hour lunch stop. It was very peaceful up there, as there were few people about despite the fact that it was a Sunday.
The view from the terrace, which is a level area of lawn stretching for about half a mile between the two temples, is well worth the climb to get there. There are some fine views of the abbey below through clearings in the trees and extensive views over Ryedale and the surrounding area. Whether it is worth a £3 admission fee is debatable, as the temples are small and only the Ionic Temple has anything to see inside with a painted ceiling and laid out dining table, as well as a small exhibition display underneath. It is a pity that they abbey and the terrace are not combined under the same ownership with one admission fee.
My detour added about three miles to the day's walk, although a visit to the abbey alone would add a little over a mile. With a fair distance still to cover, it was time to move on and return to the Cleveland Way, so I descended back down the steep path, which is a shortcut back to the road, where the weather took a turn for the worse and it started to rain. I put on my waterproofs and headed back to Rievaulx Bridge, where there is a very pretty garden leading down to the river by the bridge. The next place on the route is the village of Cold Kirby, three miles further on. At first the route follows the road, then a forest track, where I made right turn too early and nearly ended up in a grouse farm with hundred of young chicks. Fortunately, I had not gone very far before I realised, so didn't waste much time. After a steady ascent on a track through fields, there was a good view of Cold Kirby church across a small valley and the rain appeared to have stopped. I took a photograph of the church and removed my waterproofs before proceeding down the path across the valley, where my legs and shorts were promptly soaked by the long, overhanging grass. Five minutes later, coming up through the village, the rain started again, so I had to put my waterproofs back on - I would have been far better off if I had left them on.
A further steady ascent through fields led up to Hambleton on the busy A170 road and on to Sutton Bank where the scenery suddenly changes from gently sloping fields and woods to dramatic steep slopes and cliffs overlooking the Vale of York towards the Yorkshire Dales. I missed the shortcut through the wood, which cuts off the corner on the way to see the White Horse at Kilburn, so walked along the main road to Sutton Bank and then along the edge. The views from here are always impressive, even on a dismal day but far better on a clear sunny one. At this point, the rain had almost stopped, but there were some very dark clouds looming in the distance. Over towards the White Horse, the route passes a gliding club, which is very popular, as the winds sweeping up the edge of the moors provide good uplift to help keep the gliders airborne.
White Horse at Kilburn
Sutton Bank with storm clouds rapidly descending
At the White Horse, which is made from limestone chippings laid on the hillside, there were still quite a few people around despite the weather. Most people park in the car park at the foot of the hill and climb up the steps to the top of the horse. It is difficult to get a proper view of the whole horse from such close quarters, and even down by the car park, the view is still distorted. It is best viewed from a distance of a mile or two, although it can be seen from a very long distance on a clear day. I went down the hill to take a photograph before reversing my tracks back to Sutton Bank and onward towards my overnight accommodation at Low Paradise Farm. Shortly after my visit, an item appeared on the television news showing a new treatment that was being applied to the horse to make it whiter, as the limestone chippings are rather grey, especially in damp conditions, whereas the new surface is a brilliant white.
On the way back to Sutton Bank, the dark black clouds eventually encroached the hillside and torrential rain ensued along with a strong wind, which made it fell like being in a cold power shower with large droplets of rain hammering at my face. I still had four miles to walk, so there was nothing else to do but press on as quickly as possible. I didn't have the time to take shelter and wait for it to pass - not that there was anywhere that would have provided an effective shelter from such a downpour. The path turned into a stream with deep puddles and the visibility dropped to about 50 metres during the worst of the rain, which lasted for about twenty minutes. Afterwards, the rain eased off somewhat, but was still quite heavy although the visibility did improve to about a couple of miles. The walking became a little more tolerable with, at least some view of the fine scenery along this part of the walk. It also meant that I was able to see my destination as I approached, although I didn't make a very good job of finding my way down the hillside to it. Without my glasses on, the detail on the map of the route to the farm looked rather confused. What I should have done was to continue along the Cleveland Way until I reached the farm road going down the hill but I couldn't make out on the map that this was a farm road and thought it was a footpath. I turned too soon and ended up trying to make my way on farm tracks, which petered out. I was then faced with waist high nettles and thistles, fences, brambles and a stream before I eventually reached a footpath leading up to the farm, where I arrived just before 6pm.
My clothes and rucksack were saturated, as there is very little that will protect against that intensity of rain, but everything inside the rucksack liners and other plastic bags stayed dry. The other thing that I was pleased to see was that my new, rather expensive, Ortlieb map holder had kept my map perfectly dry throughout it all. Most other map holders are next to useless in the wet, as they use Velcro as a fastener at the bottom and this wicks up the water to the map inside. They also tend to be made of harder plastic, which cracks very easily, in cold weather. The Ortlieb map holder uses Velcro at the top, only after the plastic has been folded over a few times and the plastic is much softer to avoid cracking. At least someone has used a bit of intelligence in the design, even if they charge a heavy premium for doing so.
After cleaning up and changing into dry clothes, I had dinner of soup, roast chicken and fruit with ice cream. Outside it had brightened up into a pleasant evening, so I strolled up the farm road and phoned home on my mobile, as there was a better signal there than in the farmhouse. On some other walks, I wouldn't even bother to take a mobile phone, as there is generally little or no coverage in remote areas. However, the Cleveland Way runs mainly around the edge of the moors with line of sight view to several nearby towns, so most of the way gives very good coverage, except when caught between hills. Low Paradise farm is in a beautiful setting with the Hambleton Hills on one side and Bleaky Hill on the other, so it is easy to see where it got its name. There is also a High Paradise Farm right on the Cleveland Way but they have stopped doing bed and breakfast due to ill health, as I later found out from a couple I met. I did wonder about taking a walk into Boltby to see if I could find a pub. However, the shortest route of a mile and a half was back down the footpath that I had just arrived by, so I would have needed to wear my boots again, which were still very wet. It is just as well that I didn't, as on later investigation I couldn't see one. I decided instead that I would have an early night to prepare myself for the next day's walk. My first day's walk had been a little longer than I had planned because of the extra walking up to Rievaulx Terrace, so I had walked over 17 miles, and had a similar distance to cover the next day. The heel on my left foot was a little sore underneath with a blister almost starting under the skin, but otherwise I was feeling fine.
Day 2 - Monday 28th June 1999 - Boltby to Beak Hill Farm
Distance: 17.5 miles
Accommodation - Beak Hill Farm - Dinner, B&B £21
Osmotherley Village Centre
British Telecom's contribution to the scenic beauty of Beacon Hill
I set off at 8.35a after an 8 o'clock full English breakfast. Most of my things had dried out as the radiator in my room had kindly been put on for me. A short walk and an ascent of about 70 metres up the farm road, on the route I should have taken yesterday, brought me back onto the Cleveland Way. How much easier it was than the route I took before. The next couple of miles were of level moorland with some forest walking. There were views of distant moors towards Bilsdale to the east and the hills of the Yorkshire Dales to the west. The bird's eye views were no longer to be seen, as the path is some distance from the edge of the moor in this part.
I realised after I had set off that I had forgotten to fill up my water bottles, but with Osmotherley only about seven miles away and the weather not too hot, I didn't think I would have any problem managing without. The walking was very easy along a green carpet of grass cropped short by the sheep. I stopped for a short rest after the gentle rise to White Gill Head. The sky was a mixture of dark and light clouds and a few patches of blue with a cool breeze blowing but still warm enough for walking in shorts and tee shirt. The route soon starts to drop down off the moors, moderately at first and then steeper down a stepped path down to the Oak Dale reservoirs. The last mile into Osmotherley involves a couple of ups and downs - not very much if you are reasonably fresh, but they can be if you are coming this way tired at the end of a long walk. The weather was deteriorating as I reached Osmotherly with the church bell chiming twelve, so I hastily took refuge from the rain in The Three Tuns for lunch of a toasted bacon and salad sandwich (£4.25) and a couple of pints of Theakston's bitter. The food prices were rather expensive, with main courses generally over £7, as they in a lot of the good food guides and obviously have a good chef to support.
I am a little wary of having too much to drink when there is still quite a bit of strenuous walking to do, but a couple of pints of a reasonably light beer with food seems to be OK. Whilst I had been inside the pub, the weather had improved greatly and the sun was shining, although, looking into the distance from the top of the hill, a number of heavy downpours could be seen. There is a steady climb up Scarth Wood, where the Coast to Coast joins the Cleveland Way, and then a steeper climb through the woods to the top of Beacon Hill, past BT's contribution to the beauty of the National Park - an ugly transmitter mast with lots of microwave dishes.
Beacon Hill is the start of the Lyke Wake Walk, which is a forty-mile challenge walk across the moors to the coast at Ravenscar. To meet the challenge and join the club, the walk is supposed to be done in 24 hours, or you can go for a double crossing in 48 hours if you wish! I managed a time of 15 hours 15 minutes when I did the walk with some friends a few years ago and could have probably achieved a shorter time if I had wanted to. The walk itself follows the same route as the Coast to Coast walk for about 20 miles and this part is very interesting, but the remainder of the walk traverses large tracts of open moorland with only occasional features to break the monotony.
Route over Scarth Wood Moor
Beak Hill Farm and Raisdale
Coming down from Scarth Wood Moor, I stopped for a rest with a lovely view of Roseberry Topping, Whorl Hill, Carlton Bank and Easby Moor with Captain Cook's monument. For the first time in the walk, I was able to sit in pleasant sunshine with only a few spots of rain. As I set off again, I met up with a Canadian who was doing the Coast to Coast walk in 11 days. He was backpacking, but managed to keep the weight of his pack down to 18lbs by carrying only a lightweight sleeping bag, a bivvy bag and stove and a minimal amount of spare clothing. I walked along with him for several miles until we parted just before Cold Moor, where I went off to Beak Hill Farm for the night, and he was looking for somewhere to camp. This part of the walk is one of the best walks in the North Yorkshire Moors, with several steep climbs up and down the moors along the way, always with fine bird's eye views of the villages at the bottom of the moors. Across the plain below to the north east, Roseberry Topping, Yorkshire's 'Little Matterhorn', gradually got a little closer, and ships on the North Sea beyond could be seen clearly. The large industrial area of Middlesborough and Stockton-on-Tees lies about ten miles north, but is far enough distant not to spoil the view. Over to the West, the high Northern Pennines could clearly be seen, the highest point being Cross Fell on the Pennine Way, almost sixty miles away.
Carlton Bank hosts another gliding club, not as popular as the one on Sutton Bank, but still in use from time to time. There has been extensive mining and quarrying along these moors in previous times, and many scars have consequently been left, although many have been masked somewhat by vegetation. On the northern slopes of Carlton Bank, a project is underway to reclaim a large area of the spoiled hillside and it is now at the stage of seeding the soil, which has been stabilised with matting. It is yet to be seen how effective this work has been, but it should become apparent over the next year or two. Further along, on Cringle Moor, there is a stone seat with an orientation table, which is useful for identifying some of the distant landmarks and for sitting to admire the view.
I arrived at Beak Hill Farm just before 6pm. This is a down to earth, working sheep farm, run by a couple with a boy and girl of primary school age. I was the only person staying that night, but sometimes they have several. It is only half a mile from the Cleveland Way and Coast to Coast walk with little descent, whereas most accommodation in this area is anything up to two miles away and way down near sea level. I had a dinner of pork chops, sausage, burger, mushrooms and potatoes followed by rhubarb pie and a can of beer, in with the family. As I was eating, the local policeman arrived by car. He had called to see about an application for a clay pigeon shoot, which was being arranged to raise money for the village school three miles away. He kept on professing how much he liked sausages, so was invited to some burger and sausage. Not being troubled with a great deal of crime in the area, this was obviously a nice little place off the beaten track to come out to on a pleasant summer's evening and while away a bit of time, whilst at the same time keeping up good public relations.
The evening weather was very pleasant, having gradually improved throughout the afternoon, so I took a stroll to the head of the dale and then up onto Cold Moor with similar good views to those in the afternoon. As it started getting cooler, I came back down off the top of Cold Moor and watched the sunset before returning to the farmhouse and bed. My feet were a little bit sore after a couple of days' walking, but not enough to cause me any real problems. Most minor foot pains are numbed after ten minutes of walking and only make themselves felt again after each rest stop.
Day 3 - Tuesday 29th June 1999 - Beak Hill Farm to Kildale via Wain Stones and Round Hill
I got down to a hearty farmhouse breakfast at 8.30am - the children were waiting for the school bus to pick them up. The school at Chop Gate has only 27 pupils and, at this level, schools are often deemed uneconomical. However, in this case, the difficulty of winter travel to Stokesley has meant that Chop Gate school has been kept open.
It was a beautiful sunny morning with a gentle breeze and quite a bit of warmth in the sun as I set off at 9.10am with only twelve and a half miles to my next night's accommodation. In the good weather, I could have a leisurely walk with plenty of stops to admire the views. I set off up the lane to the sounds of a lone curlew, swooping overhead, a lone peewit and lambs in the fields bleating. Some of the lambs were quite well grown and almost as big as their mothers, but some were very small and no more than one or two weeks old.
On Cold Moor, I could see across to my destination on the hillside above Kildale, only about six miles as the crow flies, but double that by the route along the moors, which does two sides of the triangle. The visibility was not quite as good as on the previous night, with some distant haze restricting it to about twenty miles. After a couple of days' walking, I was now a little sluggish up steep hills, but with one or two short rests, I got there without any problem. At this stage of the walk, the initial fatigue starts to show, whereas a few days later the body gets more used to the weight of the rucksack and the work it is required to perform, so the walking gets easier. For this reason, it is best not to have high daily mileage in the first few days. However, with only twelve and a half miles to do it didn't matter about being a bit slow.
After the steep descent of Cold Moor to the next climb is up to Hasty Bank and the Wain Stones, which is an outcrop of distinctively shaped rocks up towards the top of the hillside. The view from there was, again very good, albeit similar to that from Cold Moor. Another steep descent leads to Clay Bank Top, where the route crosses the B1257 road from Bilsdale. There is a very popular car park here for those who want to sample the views without having to get out of their cars, or for those who wish to have just a short walk up onto Hasty Bank or Carr Ridge.
Along Carr Ridge, the route strays away from the edge of the moor so, as it was almost time for lunch, I decided to detour over to the edge and take a peaceful break. There were very few people on the path anyway, but over by the edge, I would definitely have the whole place to myself. I had an early lunch at 11:45 in the pleasant sunshine overlooking Roseberry Topping, Easby Moor and the incline on the old Rosedale railway, where empty trucks were hauled up the 220 metre ascent using the gravity of the full trucks going down. I could see a paraglider circling around over Easby Moor and a farmer on his tractor in the fields, way below, but otherwise there was nobody else in sight.
Hasty Bank from Carr Ridge
Cringle Moor, Cold Moor and Hasty Bank from Urra Moor
There was an enormous amount of food in the £2 packed lunch from Beak Hill Farm; more than I could eat in one go, so I made a good start and saved some for an afternoon snack. At 1pm, I set off again up to Round Hill, which is the highest point in the North Yorkshire Moors at 454 metres. It is not very high compared with many other places, nor is it a prominent peak; just a rounded bump on the moorland, which is a little bit higher than the surrounding area. However, it does give a panoramic view of the great expanse of moors, with a view back along the series of ridges that have been traversed in the past ten miles. Shortly after Round Hill, the Cleveland Way parts company with the Coast to Coast and Lyke Wake walks and heads off north.
A short detour from the route leads to the top of the incline from the old Rosedale railway, so I called by there to have a look and noticed a couple of walkers with rucksacks just leaving. A little further along I met up with the couple, Ken and Jan, who were from Whitley Bay. They were doing the Cleveland Way as far as Whitby, having started the day before me. They were walking between ten and twelve miles a day and taking plenty of time to stop and look around. It turned out that they were staying at the same place as me that night, so I would be seeing them later. The weather clouded over slightly, but the visibility improved again so that the Northern Pennines were again visible. I had another stop on Battersby Moor looking out across the plain, with Carlton Moor on the left and Easby Moor and the Captain Cook monument on the right. Ken and Jan went past as I rested, but I was in no hurry as I only had three miles more to walk at 4pm.
Some of the heather was just starting to flower by the side of the track, although this was not evident over most of the higher moorland, where it would probably be another few weeks before they came alive with colour. For a few weeks in the year, the whole of the moors turn reddish pink, but for the rest of the year the heather gives the moors a very dark, sombre appearance.
The last stretch of the walk into Kildale is along the road, so I took a little detour over Warren Moor, which gives a good view over the village and up to Bankside Cottage, where I was staying for the night. Dropping back down to the road again, I headed into Kildale and half a mile further on up to Bankside Cottage, passing a lone walker who had gone into the Post Office. It looked as if he was doing the Cleveland Way, but I didn't come across him again.
I arrived at Bankside Cottage at the same time as Ken and Jan and we received a very warm welcome from the couple who owned it. It is in a beautiful setting overlooking the moors to the south, with a lovely, well kept garden. The four-course dinner was beautifully presented with many of the ingredients home grown. It consisted of carrot and coriander soup, chicken breast with vegetables, strawberries and ice cream and cheese and biscuits followed by coffee. Ken and Jan had pre-arranged for a bottle of Jacob's Creek white wine to be purchased for them, and they kindly invited me to share it with them.
I was quite surprised to find the Kildale village has no pub, as I had assumed that I would be able to go out for a drink after dinner for the first time of the walk. Instead, I stayed in and chatted with Ken and Jan, then watched TV.
Day 4 - Wednesday 30th June 1999 - Kildale to Saltburn via Captain Cook Monument and Roseberry Topping
Distance: 14.5 miles
Accommodation: B&B in Saltburn
The Park and Battersby Moor from Bankside Cottage
Captain Cook Monument on Easby Moor towards Roseberry Topping
Roseberry Topping from Great Ayton Moor
Guisborough and Coast from Highcliff Nab
After a very nicely cooked English breakfast, I set off up the hill at 9.15am only to find that I had left my map behind. Fortunately, I had not gone very far, so it didn't take long to nip back down to retrieve it from the seat in front of the cottage. There is a steady climb up through the woods, with some glimpses of the moors to the left through the trees. After a mile or so, the path comes out onto the open moor with the Captain Cook monument right ahead and Roseberry Topping, now very much closer, over to the right. There was a stiff breeze blowing, so I didn't stop for long by the monument, but found some shelter a little further on. There was quite a lot of cloud, but there were a few clear patches of blue sky.
The monument to Captain Cook bears the following inscription:
In memory of the celebrated circumnavigator
Capt James Cook F.R.S.
A man of nautical knowledge inferior to none, in zeal prudence and energy, superior to most. Regardless of danger he opened an intercourse with the Friendly Isles and other parts of the Southern Hemisphere. He was born at Marton Oct 27th 1728 and massacred at Owythee Feb 14th 1779 to the inexpressible grief of his countrymen. While the art of navigation shall be cultivated among men, whilst the spirit of enterprise, commerce and philanthropy shall animate the sons of Britain, while it shall be deemed the honour of a Christian Nation to spread civilisation and the blessings of the Christian faith among pagan and savage tribes, so long will the name of Captain Cook stand out amongst the most celebrated and most admired benefactors of the human race.
As a token of respect for and admiration of that great man, this monument was erected by Robert Campion Esqs. of Whitby AD 1827.
By permission of the owner of Easby Estate J.J. Emerson Esqr. it was restored in 1895 by the readers of the North Eastern Daily Gazette.
The route then drops down through woods, to Gribdale and then up a short but steep path onto Great Ayton Moor. There were wide open moorland views over to the east, with Roseberry Topping looming up on the left, now only a mile or so away. Pathway repairs were in progress on the south side of Roseberry Topping, so a series of large white bags full of stone lined that path. In places where access over the ground is difficult, these bags are lowered by helicopter at great expense, as it the only viable way to get them there without causing too much damage. As this hill just invites everyone to climb it, there has been a lot of erosion around the paths. The main path from the east has already been repaired, but there are a few other paths with differing levels of damage.
As the route goes to Roseberry Topping and then back again, I left my rucksack before dropping down to Roseberry Common and climbing the 80 metres from there to the top. There were a few people at the top, one of them being a young lady who works at Osmotherley Youth Hostel. On her days off she likes to see as much of the area as she can by cycling and walking. She was about to cycle across to Hasty Bank and then walk up to the Wain Stones. She said that Osmotherley hostel is now a really nice place - she had heard talk of the 'Warden from Hell' who ran the place when I stayed there in 1992 on the Coast to Coast walk, but he left about four years ago. Several years ago she did the Coast to Coast walk herself, and was now thinking about doing the Lyke Wake Walk. After chatting for a while, I returned to my rucksack and had my lunch.
Italian Garden in Valley Gardens, Saltburn
Saltburn Pier and Cliffs near Wansett Hill
From here on, the route heads eastwards towards the coast, initially crossing open moorland with views of the sea not many miles away, then passing through Guisborough Woods. On entering the woods, there is a rocky promontory, Highcliff Nab, which gives a very good view over Guisborough, to the coast. This area is very close to Teesside, so there is evidence of quite a lot of heavy industry, but in other directions there is unspoilt scenery. I stopped for a while to rest and admire the view before continuing through the woods for the next few miles, where the views are obscured by the trees. I did encounter a rather fine, solitary orchid by the track through the wood, but didn't see any more along the way until further along on the coastal section.
At the end of the woods, the way passes through an area that is used for motorcycle scrambling, with signs warning to look out for motorcycles, although there were none there as I walked through. On the way through the woods, I had picked up a few pieces of litter, thinking that I would be able to drop them in a bin somewhere. As I reached the A171 Whitby road, which is followed for about a quarter of a mile, I felt a little foolish carrying a handful of litter when the roadside verges were absolutely strewn with litter, but I wasn't going to just drop mine with the rest. I passed a bus shelter, but that had no litterbin, and I only managed to get rid of it in the dustbins behind a wayside pub, were I bumped into Ken and Jan again. They had missed out Roseberry Topping to cut down the day's mileage, so had passed me whilst I was over there.
This was the first part of the walk, apart from a couple of miles at the very start, which I had not already done as part of day walks in the area, so I was now on unfamiliar territory until Whitby. I said goodbye to Ken and Jan, as they were stopping for the night at Skelton, whereas I was going two miles further to Saltburn. The route climbs up onto Airy Hill, with views of Saltburn and the coast from time to time, but there is a distinct feeling here that it is just the transition stage to get from the high moorland section of the walk to the coastal section. It is pleasant enough, but would not exactly feature as the highlight of the walk.
After Skelton, the way follows Skelton Beck through woodland, passing under a huge railway viaduct and then emerges at the Valley Gardens at Saltburn, where the path leads up to the town and the seafront. I arrived at 5pm and, seeing that there were some breaks in the cloud, waited for some sunshine to take a photograph. It took quite some time before the sun appeared where I wanted it, so it was about 6pm before I booked into my bed and breakfast.
I was the only one staying there and the landlady had gone away for a few days leaving her daughter in charge. The daughter must have weighed about 20 stones, but she was very pleasant and helpful, recommending a pub called 'The Ship' down by the beach for a meal. She was most concerned, however, that it was a very long way (about half a mile) and thought that I might want to catch the bus back! This was the first evening of the walk with a pub within easy reach, so it was quite a luxury. In planning the earlier part of the walk, I had been more concerned about getting accommodation at suitable mileage intervals without having to drop right down from the moors, so I hadn't given much thought to the availability of pubs.
'The Ship' was a very pleasant pub, and I had pork spare ribs followed by caramel apple granny and a couple of pints of beer. The meal was very filling, so I had a stroll along the beach underneath the cliffs, as the weather had turned fine and sunny - the best it had been all day. Hundreds of seagulls were perching on ledges in the cliffs and swooping overhead. At one point some of the loose soil from the cliff came showering down, presumably dislodged by one of the gulls, so I turned back in case more was to follow and walked round the Valley Gardens that I had passed through on the way in. A miniature railway runs along the bottom of the valley for a way, although that was closed for the night. It was pleasant for an evening stroll, and the Italian garden, in particular, was very nice. On the way back to my bed and breakfast, I called in to the 'Victoria' for a pint of Magnet, as, by then, I did not feel quite so bloated.
Day 5 - Thursday 1st July 1999 - Saltburn to Whitby via Staithes and the Coast
Distance: 22 miles
Accommodation: YHA Whitby - Dinner, B&B £16.05
Metal sculpture on cliffs near Wansett Hill
Skinningrove and Wansett Hill
Skinningrove and Wansett Hill from The Warren
Cliffs near Boulby 203 Metres (666 ft)
After breakfast at 8am, I set off at 8.45am. It had rained overnight, but the forecast was for brighter weather later in the afternoon. I called at a shop for a few things for lunch and at the Barclays Bank cash machine, which was out of order. Fortunately, I had enough cash to last me for a while, so I didn't have to wait around for the bank to open, which was just as well, as I had a long walk down to Whitby.
Going out of town, I headed up unto the cliffs, where I had been last night. The weather was grey and overcast. There was a choice of walking up an overgrown path with wet grass, which wet the legs and feet, or walking on the bare muddy field beside it, which quickly resulted in carrying a large weight of mud on each boot. I chose the latter, as I didn't want to start the day off with wet feet. Surprise - surprise, after only a couple of miles the sun began to shine, which meant that, as well as the improvement brought about on the scenery, I could also hang my damp washing from the back of my rucksack with some hope that it might dry. I try to wash things out as I go along to avoid carrying too much spare clothing, but it is often a problem to get things dry by the morning.
Looking back on Saltburn, it is a pleasant little seaside town, not over-commercialised and still retaining its Victorian character. There is a backdrop of heavy industry up the coast, but it is far enough away not to spoil the town much. A goods railway runs by the cliff for a little way as it skirts around a hill, having crossed Skelton Beck on the big viaduct, and a train from Cleveland Potash passed by as I was walking along that section. Near the railway, there is an unusual monument made from the large metal rim of a wheel, with metal animals and other objects dangling inside it, rather like a giant charm bracelet. It has no inscription to say who made it or why it was there, but I presume it was just intended as a sculpture.
Rounding the headland, Skinningrove came into sight. Although there is British Steel plant here, the coastal scenery is very nice and the old crumbling jetty, part of its industrial past, tends to add to the view. Passing through on the coast, there are a lot of ramshackle allotment sheds and pidgeon huts, which do nothing to enhance the otherwise pleasant appearance of the small beach.
Up the steep climb to the cliffs from Skinningrove, I saw a lone walker following me up, so I waited a while to find that he was from Holland and doing the Cleveland Way. He also was heading for Whitby for the night. The weather along the coast was now beautiful, although there was still plenty of cloud inland. It is a characteristic of this coast that it tends to have a microclimate of its own. Sometimes it can be to its advantage, like today, but other times can result in sea frets, when mist rolls in from the sea, making it cold and damp, when it may be warm and sunny inland. The views up and down the coast are magnificent, especially up on the headland where the 203-metre cliff is the highest point on the East Coast. There is not a sheer drop down these cliffs, there being a ledge part of the way down formed by extensive alum quarrying from up to 350 years ago, but they are nevertheless very impressive.
Staithes from near Boulby
Boulby from Cowbar Lane, Staithes
Staithes Harbour and Cowbar Nab
Old Nab, Staithes
The descent from these high cliffs, which do not seem to have a name on the map, gives rise to more lovely views towards Cowbar Nab at Staithes. Cowbar Nab, home to thousands of seabirds, is owned by the National Trust, as are many of the beauty spots down the coast. The road down to Staithes gives a marvellous view of the harbour, looking at its very best in the beautiful weather. It was lunchtime, so I called for a pint at the 'Cod and Lobster' overlooking the harbour. The Cameron's bitter was very good, so I had another pint before setting off on the steady climb up to the next section of cliffs. The Dutchman went on ahead of me when I stopped in Staithes and I didn't see any more of him after that.
There was plenty more lovely coastal scenery down to Runswick Bay. However, when I reached there, I was met with some workmen pointing out a temporary diversion to the route whilst work on the sea defences was undertaken in the bay. The diversion involved a walk down the road as far as an old railway track, which was overgrown with nettles and other undergrowth at first. The track surface then improved, but was still very tedious because there were very limited views from there. After what seemed like an eternity, I emerged back on the coastal path again overlooking Runswick Bay. From there I could see that the work only involved less than 100 yards of the bay, but I had been on a tedious two and a half mile detour adding nearly one and a half miles of walking. My planned day's walk was already twenty and a half miles and this brought it up to twenty-two miles.
I had a short rest stop and checked on my progress, only to discover that I had seven and a half miles to go and it was already after half past three. I decided that I had better press on and try to make some good progress if I wanted to get to Whitby Youth Hostel in reasonable time. The weather had now turned dull, so the scenery, though still very good, lost some of its splendour. After a couple of miles of brisk walking, four female students armed with a camcorder accosted me. They were doing a survey on the flora and fauna on the Cleveland Way, but when they discovered that I was walking the Cleveland Way, they decided not to detain me. Normally, I would have been quite happy to stop for a chat, but I didn't want to add any more delay just then, so I pressed on. I continued without any stops, other than for photographs, and arrived at the Youth Hostel at 5.55pm, albeit with feet aching from the continuous fast walking. It was just as well that I had arrived in reasonable time as dinner had been moved from 7pm to 6.30pm for the school party, who were the only ones having dinner apart from me.
Kettleness from near Port Mulgrave
Whalebone arch framing Whitby Abbey
I just had time for a quick shower and a change before dinner. As I was on my own, I got preferential treatment from the staff, having my food served to me before the school party started getting theirs from the hatch. I had soup, chicken supreme and treacle pudding with lots of cups of tea from a large pot. During dinner, a chap and two young ladies arrived. They were walking the Cleveland Way and I had passed them at Sandsend, where they had stopped for a rest. Only one of them, one of the ladies had actually walked all the way so far, despite having set off the day before me. They walked all the way to Osmotherley on the first day, which was too much for them, so two of them did some bits of the route by bus and taxi, whilst the other one kept to the schedule. This just illustrates how important it is to match a schedule to the capabilities of those who are walking, whereas some people embark on long walks without having done much walking before, and misjudge the difficulty of walking day after day. It did give me a little satisfaction to think that I was probably twice their age and had little difficulty in covering the same distance in one day less.
After dinner, I walked down into town, as I wanted to find out where I could buy another slide film in the morning. I also called at a cash machine to top up my wallet. Whitby is a popular tourist attraction with its busy harbour, quaint streets, whalebone arch, Captain Cook monument as well as the ruined abbey up on the hill next to the youth hostel. It retains much of its charm and character despite the busy tourist industry and is still a thriving port. I located 'Boots' the chemists in town and, after wandering around town for a while, called in the 'Duke of York' for a drink. The pub has large windows overlooking the harbour, so I sat there watching the sunset whilst drinking a couple of pints of 'Whitby Black Dog' beer. It just remained to climb back up the famous 200 steps from the pub to the abbey and off to bed. An unfortunate sign of the times at the hostel is that the door is locked in the evening for security reasons, and it is necessary to ring the bell for access.
Day 6 - Friday 2nd July 1999 - Whitby to Scarborough via Robin Hood's Bay and Ravenscar
Distance: 20.5 miles
Accommodation: Avondale Hotel, Hotel Scarborough - B&B £14
Saltwick Nab near Whitby
Coast towards Scarborough from Long Nab
I didn't have a very peaceful night's sleep, as the chap in the bunk above me was tossing and turning half of the night, but I did eventually manage to get to sleep. Breakfast was at 8am and I had very good service from the YHA staff again, as I was the only one for breakfast apart from the school party. Several others, who were staying at the hostel, were self-catering.
I walked down into town to get the film and a battery for my camera at 9 o'clock, when the shops opened and then returned to the hostel up the 200 steps to pick up my rucksack and set off at 9.20am. It was a rather grey day with lots of cloud and was spotting with rain for the first couple of miles. This is also a very beautiful section of coast, but loses some of its splendour in dull conditions. I was feeling refreshed after my overnight rest, so was not put off by another walk of over twenty miles, especially as I had no deadline for arrival, having not booked dinner. After the first few miles, I came to Maw Wyke Hole, where the Coast to Coast walk rejoins the Cleveland Way, for its final three and a half miles into Robin Hood's Bay. I remember nearly being blown over by the north east wind when I was finishing the Coast to Coast walk in 1992, but this time there was hardly any movement of the air and the North Sea was like a mill pond.
By noon, I reached Robin Hood's Bay and was wondering whether to have some lunch, but decided to wait until Ravenscar instead. Unfortunately, Robin Hood's Bay has become rather too much of a tourist trap, which tends to detract from this quaint little fishing village, nestled around the very steep road down to the sea. On a fine weekend in summer, it is completely overrun with tourists, and even in this rather poor weather on a Friday, it was still quite busy.
I stopped for a rest on the cliffs just beyond Boggle Hole and finished off the few biscuits I had left with me. The dull conditions inhibited me from taking many photographs, as they tend not to do justice to the scenery in these conditions. On the ascent to Ravenscar, I had a sudden burst of energy and shot up the 120-metre climb at a very brisk pace, spurned on by the thought of some lunch. However, when I reached what I thought was a tearoom, it turned out to be a National Trust information centre. There was a tearoom sign-posted 600 metres down the road but, as I was heading along the path and not down the road, I didn't think I would go very near. I stopped for a short rest on a seat - the sun was starting to come out a little inland, but the coast was suffering from a sea fret, with mist rolling in from the sea. Just as I was thinking I had missed out on lunch, I turned round and saw the tea room, only about a hundred metres away, so I had a pot of tea for 80p and a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich for £2.25 to see me through to Scarborough.
I set off again at 2.20pm, along the cliffs, which should give some very fine views on a good day, but today they were partially engulfed in mist. The next few miles do not give very good views in any weather, as there is dense undergrowth between the path and the cliff edge. In the few places where it is possible to look down the cliffs, there is not a particularly interesting view, as this is a fairly straight few miles of the coastline.
At Hayburn Wyke, where Hayburn Beck joins the sea, I stopped for another rest and was shortly joined by a couple of chaps with camping gear I had passed about a mile back. They had walked from Whitby and were intending to camp at Hayburn Wyke for the night. As this is a Nature Reserve, owned by the National Trust, camping would not be allowed, although it did look like an ideal, sheltered spot. At the end of the day, no doubt, it would depend on whether anyone moved them on or not, as to whether they did stay for the night.
A little further on, over the next hill, Scarborough Castle came into sight, albeit as a ghostly outline in the distant haze. The coastline became much more interesting with views of a number of headlands on the way to Scarborough. Unfortunately, the more interesting scenery also gave rise to more ups and downs, with several steep descents and ascents. Fortunately, by now, I was used to carrying the weight of my rucksack and not finding any of this too difficult. The only problem was with the soles of my feet, which were aching, as they had done towards the end of the last day's walk. One of the problems with periods of brisk walking is that it gives the feet a lot more pounding than does a steady amble, but if there is a lot of mileage to cover it is necessary to get a move on for at least some of the time. The wisdom of taking a rest near the end of a long walk is somewhat doubtful. Much as it may be needed, the problem arises when trying to get started again. If the stop is for more than a few minutes, muscles seize up and all of the feeling returns to the soles of the feet. It then takes about ten minutes of rather stiff and painful walking to loosen up the muscles and for the feet again to become numb from much of the pain. Although the pain of soreness and blisters largely disappears, it still eventually gives rise to a feeling of nausea, just to show that the body hasn't forgotten about it altogether.
Scarborough Castle was now looming much nearer through the haze, but it still seemed to take a long time before I reached the seafront at Scalby, which is on the northern edge of the town and about a mile and a half from my hotel near the castle. I arrived at the hotel at 6.30pm to a friendly greeting from the owner, who told me all the information I needed to know, including the location of a pub that he recommended for an evening meal, as was too late to eat in the hotel. It was a very nice place considering the modest price of £14 for bed and breakfast (£17 with en-suite facilities).
The first requirement was to have a nice hot shower and a change of clothes, which made me feel a lot fresher, but I still wished that my feet belonged to somebody else, as they had taken another long day's pounding and were rather tender. However, a good night's rest should see them fit for the last leg of the walk of less than twelve miles.
I made my way slowly to the Scarborough Arms, as it was rather painful to walk any faster. There was a wide choice of food and I settled for a seafood platter, which came with coleslaw and salad as well as separate bowls of chips and vegetables - boiled potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, and peas - all freshly cooked. Normally, I would have found this rather too much, but after a long day's walk, I managed it along with a couple of pints of very good Marston's Pedigree, although I didn't have a dessert, after all of that.
Not far from the hotel, were seats overlooking the bay and the castle, so I sat for a while, watching a couple of jet skis speeding around the bay, then retired to bed and watched television for a while before having a well earned night's sleep.
Day 7 - Saturday 3rd July 1999 - Scarborough to Filey Railway Station via Filey Brigg
Distance: 12 miles
Accommodation: Returned Home
Ruins of Scarborough Castle in the mist
Yons Nab and Cayton Bay
Crumbling Cliffs at Filey Brigg
Marker stone at End of Cleveland Way on Filey Brigg
After a good English breakfast at 8.30am, I was off at 9am. It had rained quite heavily overnight, but was now just cloudy with more of the coastal mist that had plagued me the previous day. As I made my way past the castle and along the sea front, it started to look worse, and by the golf course it was spotting with rain with some very dark cloud overhead. Luckily, I escaped with just a few spots of rain and escaped the worst of the cloud by Cayton Bay. This section of the coast path is not very easy as it goes up and down quite frequently and was overgrown with wet grass in places. The far end of Cayton Bay provided a good viewpoint for a rest stop and drink of water. There was a very good view back along the coast to Osgodby Point and Scarborough, but it was marred by the poor weather. Scarborough Castle was, again, just a grey outline on a distant headland, and the normally golden sands of Cayton Bay were a dingy brown colour.
Without a map of this section, I was not sure of the exact distance, but thought that there was about five miles to go to the start of Filey Brigg. Much to the appreciation of my aching feet, the last few miles of the path improved considerably. It became more level, less overgrown and without the uneven surfaces of some of the previous few miles. Before long, Filey came into view over to the right, although the path continues along the coast and onto the Brigg, which also came into view. The official finishing stone is now just by the start of the Brigg, which I reached at 12.20pm, making the time for the whole walk 6 days and about 2 hours. I carried on walking to the end of the Brigg, as that is a more logical place to end the walk, although the scramble down to the beach over wet, crumbling earth was rather tricky.
The coast from Scarborough to Filey, again, offers some very good coastal scenery, with several headlands and inlets. The cliffs, however, are not as high as those further up the coast, and gradually decrease in height towards Filey Brigg. I noticed a number of orchids growing in a few places. They always seemed to be on patches of soil that had broken off from the cliff top and were in the process of sliding down to the sea. Why this should produce better conditions for orchids, I do not know, unless it is something to do with the disturbance to the soil, or a change in its moisture content.
After a short rest, I walked into Filey along the beach, where I watched a demonstration of the lifeboat being launched, accompanied by the 'Yorkshire Ridings Caledonian Pipes and Drums'. The lifeboat was towed out to sea by a specially adapted tractor, which had to drive so far into the sea, that it was almost submerged, before the lifeboat was able to float free of its trailer. From there on, it was up through the town to the railway station for the 15.15pm train to Doncaster, after having some fish and chips and a celebratory couple of pints of beer.
Thoughts at the End of the Walk
How did I feel at the end of this walk?
I was quite relieved to finish because my feet were killing me. The last two and a half days had been rather taxing, particularly on my feet, as I had been pressing on to cover a high mileage. Even on the final day, I had not taken it easy, as I wanted to get back home in reasonable time. The dreary weather over the last day and a half had not done anything to raise my spirits either. Apart from that, it has been a very enjoyable walk, with a good variety of scenery, from the gently sloping foothills at the start to the steep sided banks on the edges of the moors. This was followed by vast stretches of open moorland with distant views across the lowlands to the high northern Pennines, then the coast with its rugged sea cliffs and picturesque fishing villages clinging to steep sided valleys. Unlike some of the long walks I have done, it held very few surprises, as I had done most of it before in short stages. This is not always a disadvantage, though, as each part of the walk can be appreciated for what it is, without building up hopes and expectations that may not be fulfilled.
On any long distance walk in England, it is unusual to have continual good weather, and this walk was no exception. However, apart from the heavy rain on the first day, I had no more than a few showers for the rest of the way and it was warm enough to walk in shorts and tee shirt most of the way. I had a few days of very good weather in the middle of the walk, which brought out all the best in the scenery, both over the moors and down part of the coast. On balance, I had an average mixture of weather, so I couldn't complain. There is no doubt that the weather has one of the biggest influences on my enjoyment of a walk and the scenery it offers. For this reason, if a walk finishes in lovely weather, there is generally a feeling of sadness that the walk has ended whereas, if it ends in poor weather, I don't mind it finishing, as was the case with this walk.
The walk would obviously have been better without days with more than twenty miles, and particularly without having two of them in succession. Without adding an extra day to the walk, it was not very easy to plan it any other way and, at least, I did not have these long days near the beginning of the walk, which would have been worse. However, for anyone planning the walk with a little more time, I would recommend splitting these into shorter distances. Otherwise, the stops were very suitably placed, except for the lack of nearby pubs in the first half of the walk.
Photography and Technology
Over the years that I have been doing long distance walks, camera technology, Internet technology and display technology have developed by giant leaps from 35mm colour slides that had to be scanned to produce low quality digital images for the website up to the present day with high quality digital photography, almost unlimited memory and super fast broadband,
The article in the 'Other Items' section chronacles all of this throughout my walks.
