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Walkers
familiar with Wainwright's Coast to Coast path will already be
well acquainted with a couple of spots along the rolling Cleveland
Way such as The Wainstones, Urra Moor and Robin Hood Bay. In fact
it shares about 10 miles of routing with the 'C to C'. Maybe they
will be intrigued enough by their flirtation with the trail to don
their boots once again and take up the challenge of the 110 mile
Cleveland Way route from Helmsley to Filey in its entirety. What
stands out is the experience of half a walk over hill and scarp
edges and half along the hilly coastline of the Yorkshire seaside.
There is much to enjoy for those interested in history, those
'collecting' National Trails and for aficionados who wish to enjoy
arguably the best Fish 'n' Chips in England at Whitby Bay!
This
is the second of the 'National Trails', dating from 1969 and is
rooted in the North York Moors National Park / Yorkshire Heritage
Coast. Along its length there are contrasts in walking between
field - quilted farmlands, forest patches, dramatic sandstone
rock scarps, bleak moorlands and the highly eroded coastline,
punctuated by beautiful little fishing villages, clinging to the
cliffs. It is an area that has been threatened by the expansion of
the Tyne - Tees Conurbation on the one side and by the encroaching
North Sea on the other. However apart from busy coastal towns such
as Scarborough, it remains a tranquil area, bolstered and
protected by the presence of the National Park of which about 80%
of the walk occupies.
Highlights
of the Cleveland Way include, the remains of the Norman Rievlaulx
Abbey, and 13th century Whitby Abbey (but dating from the 7th
century!), the Captain Cook Monument and Robin Hoods Bay with it's
cliff-hanging cottages.
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
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.
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General
Information
Duration
of tour: 12 days (11 nights)
Season:
27 March - mid October.
Starting
point: Helmsley (North Yorkshire)
End
of tour: Filey (North
Yorkshire)
Breakfast:
in the UK will generally consist of sausage, bacon, eggs etc, cereals
and fruit will also be available. It is important for you to tell us if
you have any dietary requirements when you book your holiday so that we
can inform everyone that you are staying with.
Baths:
it is not normal for your room to have a bath, the main reason being
that it takes up a lot of space, some hotels/guesthouses may have a
separate room in the house where a bath is available to guests, but in
the main it is showers.
Single
Supplements: are payable on most of our tours. The single supplement
guarantees the privacy of your own room, however, rooms can at times be
small and in some places may not enjoy the same facilities as
double/twin rooms.
Luggage:
When staying in hotels, sometimes your luggage may have been taken to
you room awaiting your arrival. However don’t be surprised if your
luggage is waiting for you to take it up to your room.
Getting to the Start and from the Finish
Arriving
and departing by train: Helmsley at the start of the route has no
railway station. The nearest is at Malton
16 miles away which is the most convenient because
it links with a
reasonable bus service
to Helmsley, followed by a short
walk to the accommodation.
There
is also Thirsk railway
station 17 miles away which has a more limited bus service.
At
the end of the tour you can leave from either Filey railway station
or from Scarborough, which has good connections
with London via York. For details
of timings and connections, contact National
Rail Enquiries on Tel: 08457 484950 (24 hours, local rate call).
Or you can try to phone Malton
station directly on 01653 642155.
National
Rail website is www.nationalrail.co.uk
if you want to look at the journey involved.
Arriving
and departing by bus: Bus to Helmsley
from Malton via Pickering, Middlesborough, Thirsk and York
(limited days only). There
are also services from
Filey back to Scarborough. For timetables relevant for when you travel,
contact the East Yorkshire Travel
office Tel: 01723 37543, or United Auto is Tel; 01325 468771, or York
buses Tel: 01904 624161.
Most Convenient International Airport:
A)
Leeds-
Bradford B) Durham –Teeside c) Newcastle. Then Rail connections to
York and onwards.
Outward
journey from London: Intercity trains from Kings Cross to
Scarborough (via York). Then bus to Helmsley and a short walk to
your hotel.
Inward
journey to London at the end of the tour: Bus/taxi/train from
Filey to Scarborough. Then train to London changing at York.
Grading
Moderate.
Not particularly long days but some steep climbs and
descents. Generally however undulating. Mixed weather can be
expected. We would not recommend the route for first time walkers.
Waymarking
This
is a ‘National Trail’ and thus uses the traditional white acorn
waymark on gates and wooden posts. These are more erratic along the
coastal sections. You should however be prepared to use map
interpretation, especially at times of low visibility, so you should be
accustomed to using both map and compass.
Your Accommodation
Below
is described the normal accommodation that we use on this tour. At the
time of booking please be aware that other places might be used instead
if these choices are full or closed for whatever reason.
q
Night 1: At
Helmsley our hotel is
located in the market place. This fine country inn is formed of two
buildings which are local
landmarks. It is renowned throughout the area for its culinary delights
and fine selection of wine and beers.
q
Night 2:
At Kilburn the hotel
is owned and run by a retired Major in the British Army and his son, who
has significant knowledge and a number of years working in the catering
industry.
q
Night 3:
At Osmotherley we use a large, old stone guesthouse that has
attracted very favorable comments in the past. A friendly welcome is
offered and all rooms are ensuite, clean and spacious. This is close to
the center of this pretty village on the edge of the National Park.
q
Night 4:
At Clay Bank Top our
comfortable licensed guesthouse is in the tiny hamlet of Urra right on
the edge of Urra Moor. Good home cooking is available using fresh, local
ingredients wherever possible.
q
Night 5: At
Great Ayton our hotel has been in the same family since 1978. This 18th
century rural hostelry is at the heart of the village. Original features
include the beamed ceilings and welcoming log fires, which add to the
charm and character of this traditional inn.
q
Night
6: At Saltburn
our family run guesthouse located in the picturesque Victoria seaside
resort of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, situated only a few hundred yards from
the beach. This is the only guesthouse in Saltburn to hold a 4* award
from “Visit Britain Quality in Tourism”.
q
Night 7: At
Runswick Bay our large detached stone built family run guesthouse is
situated in this picturesque coastal village. This enviable position
offers the quietness of a quaint old-fashioned fishing village with a
beautiful sandy bay complete with rock pools and possibilities for
fossil hunting.
q
Night 8: At
Whitby our guesthouse is centrally situated in possibly one of the best
positions on Whitby’s West Cliff having superb sea and abbey views. It
is only minutes away from the whalebone arch; the beaches; the old town
via the swing bridge and all shopping.
q
Night 9:
At Robin Hood Bay our accommodation was built in 1892 as a
lodging house, the first of its kind, at the top of Bay Bank. This
Victorian property has been lovingly resorted retaining all its original
features such as servant bells, original cast iron fireplaces in all
bedrooms and a cast iron range in the kitchen. To retain the character
of the house there are no ensuite facilities, however there are 2
bathrooms and a separate toilet for guest use.
q
Night 10:
In Scarborough we try to use a beautifully restored Windmill
offering quality accommodation based around a cobbled courtyard. The
200-year-old Windmill helps to set the atmosphere of a truly unique and
pleasant place to stay. The hotel has many unique features including a
fascinating toy museum housing a collection of contemporary toys from
the 1960’s to the present day. Based only minutes from the center of
this splendid seaside resort.
q
Night
11:
At Filey our guesthouse in situated 100 yards from the crescent
gardens which overlook 5 miles of award winning beach which forms Filey
Bay. |
Outline Itinerary
q
Note that
daily distances walked will
vary slightly according to the actual
locations of hotels and any walking deviations made during the
walks (e.g to Abbeys etc.)
q
Day 1
Arrive in Helmsley and settle into
this attractive old market town. Visit the ruins of the cast keep with
echoes of the English Civil War in 1644. There are a couple of nice pubs
for your evening activities!
q
Day 2
Helmsley to Kilburn 11 miles.
Head out of Helmsley on
this easy section across the wooded Rye Valley, then ascend gently up to
the Tabular Hills and onto the great viewpoint at Sutton Bank, with
views to a Victorian chalk horse carved into the hillside. Enroute you
can visit the famous 12th century Rievaulx Abbey (entry fee
not included). This is a 1 mile round trip detour.
q
Day 3
Kilburn to Osmotherley 11
miles. Today is more or
less level walking along the escarpment of the Hambleton Hills with
views over the vale of York. The walk follows an ancient cattle
drover’s road – The Hambleton Drove Road – to the old market and
mining village of Osmotherley with (remodeled) 15th century
church with some 12th century Scandinavian carvings.
q
Day 4
Osmotherley to Clay Bank Top
11 miles. After the warm up
of the last couple of days, hopefully now you will be fit enough to
enjoy what most people would claim to be the hardest day of the entire
route, as you are ascending and descending over a succession of moors to
Clay Bank Top. The views in reasonable weather are extensive. The
Coast-to-Coast shares this day and it is a roller coaster ride of a walk
up and down beside the crags of Cringle Moor and the famous Wainstones
(no relation to Wainwright)! Arriving at Clay Bank Top, note that your
accommodation will be a bit off route here!
q
Day 5
Clay Bank Top to Great Ayton
13 miles. Start the day
with a steep ascent up onto Urra Moor and the highest point of the
journey at Round Hill 454m. You are now walking on exposed high
moorland, following the line of the disused Ironstone railway line and
drovers roads, with many ancient features, such as boundary stones,
tumuli and cock pits before descending to cross the remote hamlet and
railway station at Kildale. Ascend again, passing the Captain Cook
memorial. Your accommodation is in the Great Ayton area off route, so
your final distance today will vary somewhat.
q
Day 6
Great Ayton to Saltburn 11
miles. The walk continues
through forests with a diversion to “Rosberry Topping” – no, not
some old English dessert but an outlying craggy hill – perhaps the
supreme symbol of the Cleveland Way! It is a steep climb, but the views
on a clear day are of course outstanding. The train follows more
moorlands and then through the Guisborough woods and steeply down to
Slapewath, an area of old mineral workings. Perhaps fortify yourself
with a pint here before continuing the last 4.5 miles to Saltburn-by-the-Sea;
an old fishing village; come small Victorian seaside resort that was once
famed for salt making and smuggling! The whole nature of the walk
changes from here as you head off along the coast.
q
Day
7
Saltburn to Runswick Bay 12
miles. Walk along
successive dramatic cliffs, past the highest point on the English east
coast at “Rock Cliff” near Boulby. Highlight of the walk today is
perhaps, however the beautiful little fishing village of Staithes, (pron
Stairs). The little fishing boats at the quay are called Cobles and they
still set out to undertake this dangerous activity. Captain Cook served
his apprenticeship in a shop on the seafront which has long ago, been
stolen by the sea! The trail continues onto the red roofed attractive
village of Runswick Bay, by the Jurassic shale cliffs, a fossil
hunter’s paradise!
q
Day
8 Runswick Bay
to Whitby Bay 8 miles. Quite a short day to give you the chance to
have a good look round Whitby Bay. From Runswick, there is another
section of cliffs before reaching Sandsend, from where you walk along
above the beach to Whitby Bay. This red roofed town grew rich especially
between 1750 and 1850 on fishing, whaling, jet mining and shipbuilding.
Whitby is also famous for its Abbey ruins and for Count Dracula (there
is a Dracula trail in the town). We would recommend that of all the
places on this route, you have a fish supper here!
q
Day
9
Whitby Bay to Robin Hood’s Bay 7 miles. The
shortest day, giving you the opportunity to leave Whitby late, and have
plenty of time in Robin Hood Bay. The climb out of Whitby Bay involves
199 steps and takes you up to the old abbey ruins, and to St Mary’s
church with its boat deck construction inside. The trail then follows
the coastal cliffs once more, with good bird life, depending on the time
of year! You then rejoin the Coast-to-Coast trail for the last few miles
into Robin Hood Bay. This little places drops steeply down to the sea
and the Bay Hotel is a good place to sit with a beer on the ocean
terrace, watching the sea and all those people celebrating that have
just completed the Coast to Coast walk.
q
Day
10
Robin Hood Bay to Scarborough 14 miles. After a couple of
easy days, you now have quite a long one to the seaside resort of
Scarborough, certainly the largest settlement that you will visit on
this tour! The route goes past the planned for but abandoned resort of
Ravenscar where the Victorian street layouts can be detected where the
grass has receded. At nearly 200 metres high, you will get possibly the
most beautiful view of the Yorkshire coast from here. You then follow
the cliffs gradually descending into Scarborough with its 2 sandy bays,
its castle remains on a headland and chances for swimming, ice cream
etc. This is said to be the first English seaside resort, having long
been associated with spring waters from the 1600s.
q
Day
11
Scarborough to Filey 11 miles. The last romp along behind
Cayton Sands and then along the cliffs again to the calcareous grit
stone promontory at Filey Brigg (also a nature reserve). If it is low
tide, you can march across the sands to finish at Filey, otherwise you
need to retrace your steps to get round to this pleasant fishing/resort
town.
q
Day
12
Depart Filey after
breakfast.
PLEASE
NOTE: It is generally normal practice when staying in hotels that you
check-in on or after 2pm and checkout by 10am the following morning.
Guesthouses/bed & breakfast establishments are normally check-in on
or after 4pm and checkout by 10am.
Included
Bed
& breakfast throughout. Ensuite facilities where available.
Luggage transfers from Inn to Inn. Full route notes and map package.
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