The first 3 days were spent walking over the north York moors, gradually heading toward the sea.
Day 1: I rose at 6:15, had breakfast at 7:30. Met several other walkers at breakfast: an English couple about my age who also have a dog, a couple from Colorado, and an older English couple. Also the man who let me in last night and his father. They are walking the Coast to Coast trail, as are the Australians.
I left at 8:10. There are 2 places worth visiting near Osmotherly and I detoured to visit both of them. First Lady's Chapel. The Chapel of Our Lady of Mount Grace was founded in 1515 by Catherine of Aragon, the first of Henry VIII's six wives. It is now a popular place of pilgrimage as evidenced by crosses marking the stations of the passion of Christ as you approach the lovely little church.
After visiting the church I went to visit Mount Grace Priory. To get to it I had to go through a farm and some fields and pastures in which cows and sheep were grazing. Then through a bit of woods. Mount Grace Priory which was founded in 1398 was a Carthusian Monastery. The monks, under a vow of silence, were housed in small individual cells where they lived, ate and prayed. Each cell had a square hole in the wall through which the monk received his food, yet it was so angled that he could not even see the person who brought the food. The monks lived at Mount Grace Priory for 140 years until Henry VIII closed them down. The ruins here are supposedly the best preserved Carthusian ruins in England, However they are situated behind a manor house, with lovely gardens and a sign that dogs are not welcome. It was also closed. So all I got was pictures of the manor house and gardens from the tarmac. On my way back to the Cleveland Way (that being the path I am following), I met the couple from Colorado coming down. The Priory was just opening so they were in for a treat. I saw them later in the day as well, they had visited the priory and gardens, and caught me up. As they disappeared ahead of me it was the last I saw of them. I think they must be doing twice the distance of everyone else per day.
Back on the Cleveland way, the path went first through farmland. Lucy,was excited about the rabbits and pheasants. Where I entered the first moor there was a bench where I rested and had some chocolate, giving Lucy a piece of dried fish. The trail led over a moor, then along a farm track until it turned off into a forest, where there was forestry going on. It was sad to see the huge stumps and hear the crash of newly felled trees. Eventually we entered the moor again, a long stretch this time.
When we came down to the Lord Stones cafe at 1pm it was definitely lunch time. I had a wonderful chicken salad (free range herb fed chicken), a glass of fresh pressed orange juice and a cafe mocha. Then I went to look at the Lord stones before continuing on my way. They are the boundary markers where the lands of 3 lords met. Afterwards it only took 20 minutes to climb up to the stone seat, from which I had planned to make my way along local footpaths to my accommodation. However it seemed to early for that, so I continued along the moor instead: steeply down, then steeply up again, through a large rocky outcrop, with bronze age carvings, known as "the Wainestones" and along the top until the path again descended steeply to the road.
Here I phoned the landlord from a car park and he came and picked us up. Myself and 3 Australians. The Australians were met at the accommodation by another Austrailian couple who were going to walk the last 3 days with them. The accommodation is a converted farmhouse. When we arrived we were offered tea and shortbread in the living room. My room is huge with 3 beds. The doors have no keys, but there are only 8 guests, all walkers. Besides the 5 Australians and myself, there was the younger English couple with the dog. After tea, I showered, and massaged my feet and Lucy's paws. Then, since we were located in the middle of nowhere, we were driven to the closest village which has one pub, The Black Swan, where we could have dinner. I was invited by the Australians to join them in the dining room, which was very nice of them. I had duck, mashed sweet potato and salad. Our landlord sat in the bar watching the football game. England lost to Uruguay (I think) that night, but drove us back to our lodging when we were done eating. The couple with the dog ate in the bar, where they could have the dog with them. This is apparently generally accepted in England. I had left Lucy asleep in our room. Later I learned that their dog who could walk off leash most of the time, could not be left alone in a room without scratching at the door.
26 km. 6:50 hrs. 3.82 km/hr
Day 2: Slept like a log and did some yoga in the morning to stretch my tired muscles. Breakfast was at 8 am and then we were driven back to Clay Bank and started our walk. I walked just in front of or just behind the 5 Australians until our paths diverged. The moor today was not as dramatic, but there were a lot of sheep which excited Lucy greatly. Also saw a WWII fighter plane doing loops aver our heads.
Eventually I caught up with the couple who have the dog and we walked near each other all the way to The Kildale tea rooms where we had lunch. They left the tea rooms before me and I didn't see them again today. I had a brie and tomato sandwich on thick slices of fresh brown bread, salad and chips, fresh juice and a latte. The tea rooms were cute. Obviously a family business - there was a sign on the door saying how they close early on mondays to take their daughters to their ukelele lessons after school. Only the father was there when I arrived, he had sent his wife home because business was slow, and got caught alone in the lunch rush. He was sooo stressed, rushing around like a chicken without a head.
The rest of today's walk was through farmland and forest to the Captain Cook Monument. Captain Cook seems to be a big hero around here. At the Monument I left the Cleveland Way to take local footpaths through forest and farms down to Little Ayton and then the road to Great Ayton, where I was booked in at the Royal Oak inn. My room here is pleasant and there's a bathtub. So the first thing I did was have a long soak, before having vegetarian Lasagne for supper downstairs, while Lucy went straight to sleep. My feet are hurting like the dickens and I wonder whether I have taken on too much with 5 days.
22.5 km, 6:30 hrs, 3.45 km/hr
Day 3: Delicious breakfas this morning, but way too much. it was my first chance to try black pudding, but I was dissappointed. I found it to be very dry. The sausages I wrapped in a napkin to give to Lucy later in the day. The older english couple were at breakfast today. The couple with the dog must be staying somewhere else. The landlord was very sweet. He drove us all to the monument car park after breakfast. As we arrived he pointed to a pond and said a set of his car keys were there somewhere. He and his children had been playing hide and seek and he'd lost his keys. He had had to run back to the town to get the spare keys. Before leaving he gave hugs all around.
My first goal was to climb Roseberry topping, a distinctive hilltop that I have seen in the distance throughout the last 2 days. There were a lot of people with dogs coming and going there, and Lucy has given up picking fights. She's also been more relaxed about strange people and didn't bark at all at horses,cows and sheep which we passed.
My feet didn't hurt so much today. I mostly feel it in my legs. Its been a hot and sunny day with little wind. Lucy was tired by the time we got to Skelton and kept trying to go up the walk to various houses, hoping it was our accommodation for the night I think. At Victoria house in Saltburn we got room on the third floor a view to the cliffs where I'll be walking tomorrow. Victoria house has a fantastic Victorian atmosphere, the pictures, knick-knacks, furniture, even a grate in my attic room. I had a wonderful shower, massaged my feet and Lucy's pads, then had some tea and sweets before going out for dinner.
Had an absolutely fabulous dinner at Jadoo Indian restaurant.: first papadum, a crisp flatbread with yogurt mint sauce and a mango sauce. Then lamb in a mild nut curry with pieces of fresh pineapple and mango. The vegetable rice pilaf turned out to be white rice coloured pink, orange, yellow and white ( by different vegetables). For desert I had coconut and honey nan. All with Indian pop music playing in the background.
20.5 km, 6:20 hrs, 3.3 km/hr
Day 1: I rose at 6:15, had breakfast at 7:30. Met several other walkers at breakfast: an English couple about my age who also have a dog, a couple from Colorado, and an older English couple. Also the man who let me in last night and his father. They are walking the Coast to Coast trail, as are the Australians.
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Stations of the Passion on the way to Lady Chapel
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| Mount Grace Priory Manor House and Gardens |
After visiting the church I went to visit Mount Grace Priory. To get to it I had to go through a farm and some fields and pastures in which cows and sheep were grazing. Then through a bit of woods. Mount Grace Priory which was founded in 1398 was a Carthusian Monastery. The monks, under a vow of silence, were housed in small individual cells where they lived, ate and prayed. Each cell had a square hole in the wall through which the monk received his food, yet it was so angled that he could not even see the person who brought the food. The monks lived at Mount Grace Priory for 140 years until Henry VIII closed them down. The ruins here are supposedly the best preserved Carthusian ruins in England, However they are situated behind a manor house, with lovely gardens and a sign that dogs are not welcome. It was also closed. So all I got was pictures of the manor house and gardens from the tarmac. On my way back to the Cleveland Way (that being the path I am following), I met the couple from Colorado coming down. The Priory was just opening so they were in for a treat. I saw them later in the day as well, they had visited the priory and gardens, and caught me up. As they disappeared ahead of me it was the last I saw of them. I think they must be doing twice the distance of everyone else per day.
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| Lucy |
Back on the Cleveland way, the path went first through farmland. Lucy,was excited about the rabbits and pheasants. Where I entered the first moor there was a bench where I rested and had some chocolate, giving Lucy a piece of dried fish. The trail led over a moor, then along a farm track until it turned off into a forest, where there was forestry going on. It was sad to see the huge stumps and hear the crash of newly felled trees. Eventually we entered the moor again, a long stretch this time.
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| Lord Stones Cafe |
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| One of the Lord Stones |
When we came down to the Lord Stones cafe at 1pm it was definitely lunch time. I had a wonderful chicken salad (free range herb fed chicken), a glass of fresh pressed orange juice and a cafe mocha. Then I went to look at the Lord stones before continuing on my way. They are the boundary markers where the lands of 3 lords met. Afterwards it only took 20 minutes to climb up to the stone seat, from which I had planned to make my way along local footpaths to my accommodation. However it seemed to early for that, so I continued along the moor instead: steeply down, then steeply up again, through a large rocky outcrop, with bronze age carvings, known as "the Wainestones" and along the top until the path again descended steeply to the road.
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| Me and the Dog at the stone seat |
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| View from the stone seat. Somewhere down there is my accommodation. |
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| Stone wall |
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| Wainestones |
Here I phoned the landlord from a car park and he came and picked us up. Myself and 3 Australians. The Australians were met at the accommodation by another Austrailian couple who were going to walk the last 3 days with them. The accommodation is a converted farmhouse. When we arrived we were offered tea and shortbread in the living room. My room is huge with 3 beds. The doors have no keys, but there are only 8 guests, all walkers. Besides the 5 Australians and myself, there was the younger English couple with the dog. After tea, I showered, and massaged my feet and Lucy's paws. Then, since we were located in the middle of nowhere, we were driven to the closest village which has one pub, The Black Swan, where we could have dinner. I was invited by the Australians to join them in the dining room, which was very nice of them. I had duck, mashed sweet potato and salad. Our landlord sat in the bar watching the football game. England lost to Uruguay (I think) that night, but drove us back to our lodging when we were done eating. The couple with the dog ate in the bar, where they could have the dog with them. This is apparently generally accepted in England. I had left Lucy asleep in our room. Later I learned that their dog who could walk off leash most of the time, could not be left alone in a room without scratching at the door.
26 km. 6:50 hrs. 3.82 km/hr
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| Our room at Drumondby Bridge Bed and Breakfast |
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| bronze age burial mound |
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| One of many wierd stones |
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| Sheep |
Eventually I caught up with the couple who have the dog and we walked near each other all the way to The Kildale tea rooms where we had lunch. They left the tea rooms before me and I didn't see them again today. I had a brie and tomato sandwich on thick slices of fresh brown bread, salad and chips, fresh juice and a latte. The tea rooms were cute. Obviously a family business - there was a sign on the door saying how they close early on mondays to take their daughters to their ukelele lessons after school. Only the father was there when I arrived, he had sent his wife home because business was slow, and got caught alone in the lunch rush. He was sooo stressed, rushing around like a chicken without a head.
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| Glebe Cottage Tea Rooms in Kildale |
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| Approaching Captain Cook Monument |
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| View from the Monument. The large village is my destination. |
22.5 km, 6:30 hrs, 3.45 km/hr
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| Royal Oak Inn in Great Ayton |
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| Roseberry Topping |
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| Roseberry Topping |
My first goal was to climb Roseberry topping, a distinctive hilltop that I have seen in the distance throughout the last 2 days. There were a lot of people with dogs coming and going there, and Lucy has given up picking fights. She's also been more relaxed about strange people and didn't bark at all at horses,cows and sheep which we passed.
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| The Cleveland Way continues toward the sea |
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| The hikers whom I keep meeting up with: the older English couple and the couple with the dog. |
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| View of Skelton, Skelton Castle and the sea |
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| A beautiful wood approaching Saltburn |
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| An artistic bench in the woods/park approaching Saltburn |
My feet didn't hurt so much today. I mostly feel it in my legs. Its been a hot and sunny day with little wind. Lucy was tired by the time we got to Skelton and kept trying to go up the walk to various houses, hoping it was our accommodation for the night I think. At Victoria house in Saltburn we got room on the third floor a view to the cliffs where I'll be walking tomorrow. Victoria house has a fantastic Victorian atmosphere, the pictures, knick-knacks, furniture, even a grate in my attic room. I had a wonderful shower, massaged my feet and Lucy's pads, then had some tea and sweets before going out for dinner.
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| Our room at Victoria House |
Had an absolutely fabulous dinner at Jadoo Indian restaurant.: first papadum, a crisp flatbread with yogurt mint sauce and a mango sauce. Then lamb in a mild nut curry with pieces of fresh pineapple and mango. The vegetable rice pilaf turned out to be white rice coloured pink, orange, yellow and white ( by different vegetables). For desert I had coconut and honey nan. All with Indian pop music playing in the background.
20.5 km, 6:20 hrs, 3.3 km/hr
