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Bracing
Walking on North Yorkshire Trails
  The
Cleveland Way was opened in May 1969; the second of the British National
Trails after the Pennine Way. It stretches for approximately 110
miles/177km along the edge of the North York Moors and the North Yorkshire
Coast and reaches its highest point on Urra Moor 454m (1,489ft). The
scenery encompasses farming landscapes and forests - some have hardly
changed for centuries - dramatic rolling country with abrupt scarps and
sandstone edges, bleak moors, dramatic cliff and beach seaside scenery. It
semicircles the largest open moorland in England and then follows the
Heritage Coast on top of rugged, but grassy cliffs. Eighty percent of the
trail is within the North York Moors National Park.
All this moor and
cliff walking is punctuated at intervals with interesting market towns and
sleepy fishing villages, steeped in historical and literary associations.
Examples include Helmsley Castle, Rievaulx, Robin Hood's Bay, Whitby
Abbey, Staithes Harbour, Captain Cook (who grew up near Roseberry Topping,
worked at Staithes, and set sail in 1747 from Whitby Bay), Count Dracula
(who dined out on the locals at Whitby), and James Herriot (the vet who
got dragged or chased through the fields by intemperate domestic
animals!).
Although not as
physically dramatic as the Lake District, this area does boast a
distinctive, sublime beauty of its own, it also tends to have a more
clement, drier climate. The walk must not be underestimated, there is a
lot of ascent and descent throughout, traverses over high moorland and
some steep inclinations.
Highlights of the
Cleveland Way include, the remains of the Norman Rievaulx and Whitby
Abbeys, the Captain Cook Monument, Robin Hoods Bay with it's cliff-hanging
cottages, Staithes (pronounced Stairs) a famous old fishing village and
Scarborough, the quintessential Yorkshire seaside resort.
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Accommodation
11
nights/12 days - Our normal overnight stops are described below. Due to limited capacity in some spots, these may differ at the time of booking.
At Helmsley
our hotel is located in the market place, a fine country inn is formed out of two buildings which are local landmarks. It is renowned throughout the area for it's culinary delights and fine selection of wines and beers. In
Kilburn the hotel claims to provide a second to none service to their customers without the formalities which one would find in the larger hotels. Close to the centre of
Osmotherley we use a large, old stone guesthouse. A friendly welcome is offered and all rooms are ensuite, clean and spacious. At
Clay Bank Top a licensed guesthouse is used in the tiny hamlet of Urra. Good home cooking is available using fresh, local ingredients wherever possible. Our
Great Ayton hotel has been in the same family since 1978, it is an 18th Century rural hostelry that is at the heart of the village. Original features include the beamed ceilings and welcoming log fires, that add to the charm and character of this traditional inn.
Saltburn is approx half way, and is the home of our family run guesthouse located in this picturesque Victorian seaside town, only a few hundred yards from the beach. It is the only guesthouse here to hold a four star award from Visit Britain Quality in Tourism. At
Runswick Bay our large detached stonebuilt family run guesthouse is situated in an enviable position offering the quietness of a quaint old fashioned fishing village with a beautiful sandy bay complete with rock. Our
Whitby guesthouse is centrally situated in possibly one of the best positions on the West Cliff having superb sea and abbey views and being only minutes away from the whalebone arch; the beaches; the old town via the swing bridge and all shopping. In
Robin Hood Bay ‘The Villa’ was built in 1892 as a lodging house, the first of its kind, at the top of Bay Bank. It has been lovingly restored retaining all its original features such as: servant bells, original cast iron fireplaces in all bedrooms and 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. In
Scarborough we try to stay at a recently refurbished Windmill offering quality accommodation based around a cobbled courtyard. The hotel has many unique features. Finally in
Filey our guesthouse is situated 100yrds from the crescent gardens which overlook 5 miles of award winning beach which forms Filey Bay.
Sherpa
Notes
Waymarks
National Trail white acorn symbols, on gates, stiles and finger posts.
Accommodation and Meals
On bed and breakfast basis, in comfortable hotels inns and guesthouses.
Start
and End of Tour
Helmsley is at the start of the route, but has no railway station. Malton 16 miles away is the most convenient because it links with a reasonable bus service to Helmsley. Bus services run to Helmsley from Malton via Pickering, Middlesborough, Thirsk and York
(limited days only). There is also Thirsk Railway station 17 miles away and a limited bus service.
You can leave from either Filey
railway station or from Scarborough which has good rail connections via York.
There are also bus services back from Filey to Scarborough. |
vacations
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