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.

Day 4 Scarborough to Sawdon

                  Into each life some rain must fall.
                                               Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

And so it did, all day long. The rain and wind had been forecast and for once the forecast was correct, 27mm fell in the Scarborough area on this day. 

I wasn't on this part of the walk so thanks to Jackie Wilkes, Jean Moxon and Stuart Blaylock for providing me with all the details. Rita was supposed to be leading but she and Frank were ill with food poisoning so Ray drew the short straw as he was the only other person who knew where the walk was going. So thanks to Ray for saving the day!

The walk set off from the Corner Cafe in North Bay Scarborough after the coach had negotiated Marine Drive, high tide with a ten foot swell. Very exciting by all accounts. The sea was extremely rough and crashing over the sea wall. The first part of the walk headed north  along the coastal path to Long Nab with the wind and rain blowing in our faces. Soon there was a left turn on the top of the cliffs signposted Helmsley 48 miles and this was the beginning of the Tabular Hills walk. 18 brave souls on the 'B' walk and 2 more on the 'A' walk. I'm not sure what that says about 'A' walkers and 'B' walkers! You can draw your own conclusions.

After turning inland the walking was a bit easier as the wind was behind but it NEVER stopped raining all day.An hour after starting we reached the village of Scalby. Full marks to Ray and Stuart for finding the Scalby Tennis and Bowling Club with its shelter that accommodated us for lunch in the dry. We should thank them too but there was no-one there!

After lunch the walk proceeded along the Sea Cut for a couple of miles, This is a drain that was built some two centuries ago by Sir George Cayley and it carries excess flood water from the River Derwent and channels it out to sea. A good job it was there as there was a flood alert in place for the River Derwent. The last part of the walk was in Wykeham Forest so a little more sheltered but still raining and windy. There were bluebells, primroses and wood sorrell to lift the spirits. It would have been a lovely walk in good weather.

It was forest tracks all the way to Sawdon where the pub was closed but there was no more welcome sight than the coach waiting with its engine running and heating on. An early finish for once and a quick journey home.

Day 3 Scarborough to Filey

Start of the walk taken by Sheila

After a week of glorious sunshine the weatherman promised us cloud and cool conditions today. Thankfully that must have been an April Fool's joke because the sun shone all day long and the conditions were ideal for walking. There were quite a number of surfers in Scarborough and also at Cayton Bay. Since wetsuits have become more affordable this sport has taken off in a big way all year round so if you are interested this link will give you details of Scarborough Surf School.

We made our way up the zigzag paths at the end of South Bay  looking down on the Spa which has a varied programme of events starting at Easter with Northern Soul weekend.

Soon we were up on the cliff top path with the sea on the left and with views of Scarborough behind us. I even caught sight of Derek taking his coat off so you can tell how warm it was!

It was a very pleasant walk not too much 'uppy downy' this time. It was interesting to see a group of bungalows perched very close to the edge of the cliff that keeps collapsing. I'm sure we all remember that occasion in 1993 when the Holbeck Hall hotel collapsed into the sea. There is still plenty of coastal erosion all along this coastline. Thankfully for us the weather has been particularly dry recently and the ground was rock hard.

The Cleveland Way ends on the cliff top above Filey Brigg and the Wolds Way starts at the same point so of course we had to have a group photo even though we haven't completed either walk yet!

We had plenty of time in Filey at the end of the walk so some of us went on the Brigg.

 It is worth the effort of getting there to experience the rough sea crashing against the rocks on one side and the calm of Filey Bay on the other. A popular place for intrepid sea anglers but you have to keep a close eye on the tide.
I have spent a lot of my youth in Filey as my parents had a house on the cliff top so it was good to re-visit the old familiar places and have a paddle of course though I was the only one who did. How can you walk on that beautiful beach and not have a paddle? I caught up with some of the group drinking tea on the Coble Landing. Not as many boats as I remember in the past but otherwise much the same.

A very large metal sculpture of a fisherman now stands on the seafront. Hmm was this similar to the one seen in Scarborough?  Yes it was and the same lady has paid for it to remain there as you can see from this link. Not quite the angel of the north but quite a landmark nevertheless.
After a quick tour of the seafront and the town so that I could check out a few old haunts, we made our way to the bus station to catch the coach home. Everyone had had a great day out and we must now say farewell to the coast as we start the Tabular Hills walk from just north of Scarborough to Helmsley.

Day 2 Ravenscar to Scarborough

The sun was shining brightly again today and the wind had dropped so it felt even warmer. I had a wander around the churchyard as we waited for the coach and took a few more photos.

 We loaded our luggage onto the coach and set off for Ravenscar to carry on where we left off yesterday. The A party left the coach first to cross Stony Marl Moor before joining the coastal path at Ravenscar.
Someone had said (no names mentioned!) that it wouldn't be as 'uppy downy' today, but they were wrong!  (NB Apparently they were right after all but it didn't feel like it to me.) The ups and downs were steeper but the scenery was just as splendid and the weather was brilliant all the way to Scarborough.
Frank led today's walk just one day away from his 80th birthday, what a Starr! We kept togther most of the way to Hayburn Wyke where you can collect fossils if you have the time.

The steepest descent was at Hayburn Wyke and it was decided that lunch would be at the top after we had climbed up again. At this point the group split into several parties as different lunch places were chosen and then some wanted more time in Scarborough at the end. Once again keep the sea on the left and you can't go wrong!

I carried on with Margaret and various memebers of the A party caught us up and passed us as we approached Scarborough and North Bay. We walked along beside the sea all the way spotting CHA people as we went having tea and scones or drinks at various cafes. It was lovely to see the brightly painted beach huts and people enjoying themselves on the beach and even a few hardy souls in the sea. The open top buses were running and were too much of a temptation for some of the party who had had enough of walking.

We came across a large steel man on a bench and if you follow this link you can find out more about him and how he came to be there.

We continued along Marine Drive and then to South Bay which was very busy with the usual tourists enjoying themselves in various ways. Everyone seemed to be happy in the sunshine and having a good time. So we finished our day as tourists sitting on the beach eating a fish from Harry Ramsden's and having another paddle. This time it was rather cold, much more like the North Sea in March! Then back up to the railway station to catch the coach for home. Plenty of traffic leaving the coast delayed us a bit but not too bad, back in Bradford for 8.15 pm.

Ths was a great weekend and a really good way to start our latest project. The next stages will be done on our Sunday coach trips and we hope to finish with a weekend in October 2013.

Day 1 Whitby to Ravenscar

So here we are on a fine sunny morning waiting outside the hostel for everyone to gather together. We couldn't have asked for better weather to begin our next project. We set off along the Cleveland Way split into two groups A and B. The whole of today's walk for the B party was along the coastal footpath to Ravenscar. The A party did the same walk with an added extra couple of miles to The Falcon Inn for a drink.

We left Whitby Abbey looking splendid in the sunshine. The first part of the walk was fairly flat but of course as we all know coastal footpaths can be very 'uppy downy' and there was plenty of that to come. As usual on these long distance walks Rita lead the 'B' party off on the first leg. It was a large group and soon began to splinter into smaller groups as people walk at different speeds.There was no chance of getting lost, just keep the sea on the left!

We reached Robin Hood's Bay for our lunch stop.

Djamel was intoduced to paddling by Margaret and I but I'm not sure he thought it was worth the effort as he struggled to remove every grain of sand from his feet! The sea was warmer than we expected probably because it was coming in over rocks warmed by the sun.

After a loo stop and a delicious local ice cream we set off for Ravenscar passing Boggle Hole YHA on the way. This photo is from an earlier visit just in case you have noticed the trees are in full leaf! I have stayed there and it's quite an experience when the wind is blowing and the waves are crashing on the shore. Just like being on a pirate ship!
The path goes up and up to Ravenscar, the town that never was. If you follow this link you can find out a bit more about this. We were very pleased to arrive there with plenty of time for a cup of tea or a drink in the bar and a sit on very comfy sofas. The Raven Hall Hotel is in a magnificent position on the cliff top with splendid views of Robin Hood's Bay.
So that was the end of the first part of our walk and it was back to Whitby in the coach after picking up the A party a bit further along.