Osmotherley to Clay Bank and Great Broughton

Thursday 12th June 2008

13.5 miles of walking, 11 miles on Cleveland Way

Although we only walked a similar distance to yesterday, today's walk was more demanding, but very enjoyable with excellent views all day. We had waterproofs on several times because of the wind and some light rain, but the day was basically dry and the sun came out in the evening.

We left Vane House about 8.45am and bought postcards at the Post Office, which will lose its post office status later this year and is threatened with closure. We headed back up the hill out of Osmotherley and along the track around Rueberry Hill. Good views, though the noise from the A19 was rather invasive. We climbed up through South Wood, meeting another couple of walkers who appeared from the north, which we later realised was the route of the Coast to Coast. We decided at this point that Sampson is rather a pessimist - he describes the track we were on as a 'long haul to the top' but actually it wasn't that bad. He also describes the 'technical ironmongery of a British Telecom television booster station' on Beacon Hill - I don't think it has much to do with television, it is essentially a microwave relay station. The summit of Beacon Hill marks the start of the Lyke Wake Walk.

From this point we had our first view to Roseberry Topping (which stayed in view for much of the following few days - until we'd climbed it), with the industry of Teesside in the distance. There were also good views across the moors to our right and down to the villages at the bottom of the escarpment to our left. We descended across Scarth Wood Moor to the road at Scarth Nick. The instructions in Sampson at this point were correct, but the OS map (copyright 2007) and the map in the book were both slightly incorrect (showing the path going right onto the road and then left rather than vice versa). Very pleasant walking downhill through woodland, then eventually across a field and across Piper Beck (on a footbridge) and Scugdale Beck (on the road). Two tractors and a car passed us as we walked along this very brief and very narrow section of road.

We turned up a path along the edge of Live Moor Plantation then turned right, climbing steeply through the trees and continuing beyond the top of the plantation until we were close to the top of Round Hill. We continued walking at high level, past Gold Hill and then past the gliding club (another one! - not so posh) and onto Carlton Moor. We eventually descended to the road at Carlton Bank and stopped to lunch (eating our own provisions today) by a small pond at the Lord's Stone Country Park. There were waste heaps of burnt shale (pink in colour) visible at this point and elsewhere during the day, remnants of the alum industry that lasted for over 250 years on the North York Moors.

A sign told us that it was only three and a half miles to Clay Bank, but this was by far and away the most difficult walking of the day, with three steep ascents (to Cringle Moor, Cold Moor and Hasty Bank) and three steep descents (eventually to Cley Bank). The walking was bracing (distinctly cold on the tops and very windy) but the views over the escarpment edge to our left and down the Raisdale and Bilsdale valleys to our right were superb. With the exception of a brief section around the Wain Stones, the route was always clear, usually along paved paths. This section of the Cleveland Way was the busiest that it had been so far, probably because it is a shared section with the Coast to Coast and the Lyke Wake Walk, but it wasn't a problem. Tina had passed us earlier in the day but we must have overtaken her at lunchtime because she appeared from behind again. We were amused by two men, notionally walking together, but one kept getting ahead of the other.

We descended steeply to Clay Bank then turned left down the busy B1257 for the two miles to Great Broughton. We were able to cut one corner off by walking through a field where a path had been cut - most of the way! The views back the way we had come were good, but the road walking was not particularly pleasant.

We received a very warm welcome from Andrea Todd at Newlands House. We discovered later that she, her husband and their little dog squirrel have been here for about a year, after staying here themselves whilst walking the Cleveland Way. Andrea is running this place whilst working full-time, which I find amazing. Her husband helps when he is not working on an oil rig (as now). The house is lovely - we have a lovely big bedroom and bathroom.

Tina was staying at Newlands House too (we were all here for the next two days, with Andrea working as our taxi service to and from the path) and we had a chat with her over our welcoming cup of tea. In the evening we walked down to The Bay Horse for a very pleasant meal. There were excellent views back to the ridge we'd walked along earlier in the day.

Following day