Day 11 Hasty Bank to Osmotherley

  It had been decided that we would do this walk back to front as it was better to finish in Osmotherley where refreshments are available. 11 miles and at least 1800ft of climbing later we finished.. This was the hardest section we had done so far and felt like an 'A' walk not even a 'B+'. We must have been over six hills by the end although they did get progressively lower thankfully. My book describes it as 'a switchback of climbs and descents over high moorland' and it was a magnificent walk although the misty conditions meant that we didn't get the best views.
We arrived in the middle of a car rally which caused some confusion.

There was plenty of this

Lunch with a view

Wainstones

More ups and downs

He wasn't interested in us

This is what we should have been able to see

Hmm how much further?

Tea break, looking a bit tired

We did eventually arrive in Osmotherley and the 'A' party seemed to have had a much easier walk than us. Just time for everyone to have a quick drink before setting off for home.

Day 10 Sutton Bank to Osmotherley

At last the weather had warmed up a bit and we had some good views as we set off from the visitor centre along the escarpment looking down on Gormire Lake, part of the Sutton Bank Nature Trail.
There was quite a strong wind but fortunately for most of the day it was behind us and we kept up a good steady pace on the wide dry paths. Shortly after passing High Paradise farm we entered Boltby Forest and stopped there for our lunch break.

Although it was more sheltered in the forest the wind was still blowing and the slender trees were swaying backwards and forwards in a quite hypnotic way.

After lunch and a short walk through the forest the track emerged on to open heather moorland which would have been a splendid sight if the heather had been in flower. We were warned to look out for adders but it was still too cold for them.

We had a few spots of rain as we sheltered against a wall for a quick tea break but these soon passed and we made good progress towards Osmotherley. Towards the end of the walk the flat terrain was left behind as we descended into Oakdale, crossed the bridge and climbed steeply up the other side.

It wasn't long before we arrived at our destination just in time to catch the cafe before it closed at 4.30 or the Golden Lion for refreshments.

My guide book states '....near the ancient market cross can be found a stone table upon which local produce was displayed for sale, and on which John Wesley stood while preaching to assembled villagers.'
Another place of interest was the 200 year old shop Thompson's that has recently been in the news when the contents were auctioned. Follow this link to see some of the items sold.

Day 9 Helmsley to Sutton Bank

After avoiding the winter months of endless rain, snow and mud we were hoping for a lovely spring day to resume our walk along the Cleveland Way. It started off quite well in Helmsley with a group photo around the stone marker at the official start of the Cleveland Way.

Not exactly spring like but dry at least. Unfortunately heavy rain in previous days had left the tracks in a very muddy condition so it was tricky and slippery underfoot. We slid and sloshed through the mud and puddles and managed to have a dry lunch in Nettle Dale with entertainment from a fisherman who kept catching the same fish over and over again and then losing it before he could land it. I don't suppose an audience of 28 walkers helped his concentration!

After lunch the weather deteriorated. First a few spots of rain, followed by sleet as we reached Cold Kirby and more muddy tracks.

As we approached the pub at Hambleton where we were meeting the coach the sleet became heavier but it was still quite early and we weren't finished yet. I am going to give you a flavour of what you should have been able to see as described in my guide book.

'Emerging from the trees you encounter one of the route's most dramatic moments. 

Laid out before you is a vast panorama, an infinity of field patterns extending west 

to the distant Pennines. Escarpments are airy places, snagging the smooth drift of 

breezes and in bad weather deflecting wind and rain into upward-racing maelstroms.'

By this time we didn't have much of a view as the sleet had turned to snow so it is a good job that most of us had been there before in better weather and knew what we should have been looking at. Our plan was to visit the White Horse of Kilburn which was much further on than I remembered it to be. I hope it looks better from a distance! Follow the link for better views. We didn't linger there long and followed the path and road back round to the Hambleton Hotel. By this time the snow was very heavy and we were beginning to look like snowmen.

It didn't take long in the pub to thaw out with a hot drink or an alcoholic one while we waited for 'A' party to arrive from their longer walk. In the mean time Sutton Bank was closed to traffic and a decision was made to leave half an hour earlier than intended.

As we left the warmth of the pub and piled on to the coach the snow eased a little and we were able to reach home safely via the A64. Back in Bradford the roads were dry and no sign of snow. What a difference a year makes. Last March when we started this walk with a weekend in Whitby we were walking in t-shirts in the sun and paddling in the sea in Scarborough!

Day 8 Gillamoor to Helmsley

The clocks went back today so we had an hour less in which to do the walk. The weather was drizzly to start with, a rain shower at lunch time but then it cleared up in the afternoon although there was still plenty of mud. The best thing for me about today's walk was the autumn colours of the trees, just a pity the sun didn't shine to show them at their best.

Quite a lot of the walk was on lanes and tracks and fairly flat so the going was easy from Gillamoor, through Fadmoor and down to Hold Cauldron Mill.

After this the path climbed steeply to the top edge of a wood where we decided to have our lunch in the rain!

Fortunately the rain wasn't too heavy and we were all ready for something to eat so we didn't mind too much.
After walking along at the top of this wood we crossed a series of fields before dropping down again on a muddy track through the woods. Many thanks to Stuart for a helping hand down the slippy bits as I was a bit scared of falling and hurting my delicate shoulder! Anyway all was well for me although a couple of people did slip a bit.
There was one very steep climb as we ascended the wooded slopes of Riccal Dale up a muddy track through a very dark wood that was very atmospheric!

As we approached the Keld Lane track bearing off to the right a few people decided to shorten the walk and continue down the road to Helmsley. A few soon turned into many and it was a much smaller group that took the Tabular Hills walk down Ash Dale. I am so glad I did this part of the walk as the track was wide and it dropped down gently through the beautiful trees until we turned off and zig-zagged over the fields into Helmsley.

It was just on 5 o'clock as we arrived at the market cross in Helmsley but too dark to take a photo. A few more minutes to find the coach park which made us a little late but nobody seemed to mind and at least we had done the whole of the walk!
This completes the Tabular Hills part of the walk and we will resume next March in Helmsley to start the Cleveland Way.

Day 7 Cropton to Gillamoor and Kirbymoorside

With the south of the country suffering heavy rain it was touch and go as to whether we would get through the day and still be dry by the end. The sun never quite got out but it was warm enough for most of the walk with the occasional chilly breeze.
A guest appearance by Eamon driving the coach was a good start to the day. It was good to see his cheery smile. He dropped us off in Cropton where we finished last time. The paths today were good and mostly dry passing through farming country and typical North Yorkshire villages with wide grass verges lined by stone cottages. 

Our first stop was Appleton-le-Moors for lunch.

This was particularly interesting for me as my sister used to own a hotel here at the time called Dweldapilton Hall. This has now been renamed Appleton Hall and is now a private residence.  It is a lot grander looking than I remember and has had a lot of work done on the garden.

We also had time to visit the church which has beautiful stained glass panels and a rose window.

Our next stop was Hutton-le-Hole, a popular spot in the summer but very quiet on this occasion. Several places to buy ice cream, a cup of tea or just to sit on the village green and rest a while.

The A and B parties both arrived here at the same time walking in different directions! My book describes the next part of the walk as 'an intricacy of of footbridges and small fields' which was an accurate description.

As we made our way to Gillamoor Keith gave a brief oration as we prepared to climb upwards through the woods.

Gillamoor is an even smaller village and we left the Tabular Hills walk here and continued across the fields to Kirbymoorside with plenty of time for refreshments before leaving for home.

You might be thinking 'why has she taken a photo of a haystack?' Well just think how long it is since you last saw a rectangular bale of hay. These days they are usually large round bales that certainly can't be stacked neatly in a field. There must be a farmer round here that is still using old equipment....good for him!

And did we stay dry? Well yes we did, it didn't start raining until we were on the journey home.

Day 6 Hole of Horcum to Cropton

The heather had come into flower since we were last here and as we skirted the western moorland rim of the Hole of Horcum there was a scent of honey in the air.

The ground was dry here and we walked on a wide track for some time before  stopping just before Levisham for lunch. Although rain threatened a couple of times and the sky was dark we had no more than a few large drops of rain after lunch. It was very warm though and quite humid as we passed through Levisham which is a very pretty village with wide grass verges and lovely stone cottages.
The path passed through the village and then entered a wood where there was a lot of mud to be negotiated before we emerged on to a better track that went up hill before we came to  a great view of the Newton Dale Gorge which was chosen by George Stephenson for the course of his Pickering to Whitby railway line opened in 1836 and closed by Beeching in 1964. He's got a lot to answer for!

 The line between Grosmont and Pickering is now run by an independent trust, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and is one of the country's best loved and scenic steam railways. We weren't lucky enough to see a steam train but we certainly heard one as we made our way through the trees.

It was quite a long walk today so we didn't have much time to stop. We snatched a quick five minutes for a drink here before walking the last six miles into Cropton arriving just in time for a drink in the pub before leaving for home.

I think someone had been practising wood carving here!

Day 5 Sawdon to Hole of Horcum

What a difference in the weather from the last walk. Today was a beautiful summer's day with a breeze to keep us cool. A large part of the walk was through Wykeham Forest and Dalby Forest and Frank did a great job of keeping us on the right track. There were many people out cycling today on the forest trails, the day an Englishman won the Tour de France for the first time. Bradley Wiggins of course in case you hadn't heard!
After the first mile and a half to get us back on the track we entered the forest and our first sight was a young deer.

He obligingly stayed still just long enough to have his photo taken before disappearing into the undergrowth. My book says we may see 'remnants of the once great herds of deer hunted by kings 600 years ago in a royal forest that stretched from Pickering to Scarborough'. And so we did! (Cleveland Way and Tabular Hills Link by Martin Collins, Dalesman Publishing Company)
It wasn't too long before we found a place for lunch and a signpost actually marked with the Tabular Hills walk

We had to finish by 5 o'clock so Frank told us we had to walk briskly today and we did. The paths were easy and wide, no hills and very little mud thankfully.

There were loads of beautiful orchids everywhere, wild flowers, an adder, a lizard and upside down frog!

Once we got out of the forest we were walking along Old Wife's Way, part of an old packhorse route between Malton and Robin Hood's Bay. Then we got a view of Blakey Topping and Fylingdales in the distance.

Not longer after we arrived at the Hole of Horcum with plenty of time for an ice cream before the A party finished their walk.

Legend has it that the Hole of Horcum was formed by a local giant, Wade, who in a fit of temper scooped up a gargantuan fistful of earth which he threw as far as he could: it became Blakey Topping! Any relation Ron?!
The day finished with a visit to Pickering for refreshments before setting off for home at 6.00 pm.