Day 13 - Osmotherley to Blakey Ridge
05.07.13
DISTANCE WALKED: 20.3 miles
This was my longest section, and it felt like it. The guidebook described it as gruelling; I think that was a blatant misuse of the subtle art of understatement. If I had tackled today on day one, I would have laughed in the face of gruelling. After 13 days, I was reaching for the compeed and ibuprofen. I don't think I have a muscle in me that doesn't ache, my knees wont go downhill anymore and my heels have finally given way to blisters. But, the weather was glorious, the scenery was glorious and you should have seen the state of the birds on those moors.
After a honey laden breakfast courtesy of the bees from my B & B & Bee, it was a bit of a climb out of Osmotherley to meet the Cleveland Way at Scarth Wood Moor, which is also the start of the Lyke Wake Walk. This is a 40 mile crossing of the North York Moors to Ravenscar, to be completed within 24 hours. Many walkers dress as undertakers (Lyke was the local term for a corpse) because the route is alleged to follow that of monks carrying coffins across the moors to the only consecrated burial grounds. I follow the LWW for quite a bit, on and off for the next couple of days.
Up and up the path continues to Live Moor and then dips down to Carlton Moor. From here you can see right across the Cleveland Plain. A first glimpse of the North Sea is visible beyond the industrial morass of Teeside. It was possible to make out Middlesborough and Hartlepool, and even to see a tanker in the bay. Steep drop in the path here, followed by another steep climb right back up again to Cringle Moor, where I stopped for elevenses (but it was quarter to one by this point!) Then followed another steep and knee punishing descent from Cold Moor.
And then another climb (see a pattern developing?) and a scramble over the Wain Stones, a favourite of Wainwright's. Then follows Clay Bank Top and, you guessed it, another steep descent to meet the B1257 which crosses between Hasty Bank and Carr Ridge. One more ascent to Urra Moor and that completed 10 tough miles of hard ups and downs. AW suggests that only strong walkers should consider proceeding further on the route today. I wasn't sure how strong I was at this point, but I did know I had another 10 miles to go.
But the path levelled out over Urra Moor and I stopped for my lunch at the trig point (the highest point on the Cleveland Hills at 445m and also on a tumulus). Stone markers line the route making navigation super easy. The colours on the moors were wonderful; meadow pipits were everywhere, along with the occasional curlew. I spent some time trying to get a decent picture of red grouse, of which there were plenty (including chicks), but they are very camera shy. Not surprising really as the for most of them the only time they hear something being clicked it is a trigger. Shame. However, I did get a good picture of a golden plover. Also I forgot to mention a tick for a blackcap yesterday.
Arriving at a junction of tracks, Bloworth Crossing, the route leaves the Cleveland Way to serpentine along the cinders of the Rosedale Ironstone Railway, which makes for easy walking all the way now. The railway was built in 1861 to convey iron ore from the mines here to the big blast furnaces of Teeside and Durham. It was closed and dismantled in 1929, but as AW writes, "the track is still here, but it is silent; yet even in death it has lost nothing of its grace and dignity but remains a mute and inspiring monument to the men who planned and built it over a century ago." To temper all this profundity, he does also comment, as fast walking continues, that "we surge on happily along the permanent way. We're enjoying this: it is like playing at trains again. Better than that, it's like being a train yourself." I did give a little "choo-choo" at one point. And eventually, at a curve in the last railway cutting, the Lion Inn comes into view on the skyline ahead. Just before you get there is Blakey Howe, a tumulus excavated to provide a hollow for cockfighting in days gone by.
The Inn dates back to 1553 and although nothing much to look at on the outside it is all low ceilings, hotch-potch rooms and time-worn beams once indoors. Landlord carried my case up the stairs to my little room. As it was 7.30 pm when I arrived, I just had a quick freshen up and went to the bar for a hearty dinner and a pint of Wainwright's Ale. Then bath and bed. A mere 14 miles tomorrow. Easy.
Today's tunes were The Smiths "Reel Around the Fountain" (I was thinking about songs with honey in and had only got the cheesy 70's ones until a flash of inspiration....two lumps please, you're the bees knees, but so am I). Also The Waterboys "Big Music" and Bowie "Space Oddity". And of course Kate Bush "Wuthering Heights". Stats a surprise but the flat railway track must have made up for the painfully slow (literally) ups and downs of the first half.
Odometer
20.3 miles
Cumulative Miles
177.3
Total Ascent
992 metres
Total Descent
844 metres
Moving Time
7h 36 m
Stopped Time
2h 54m
Moving Average
2.7 mph
This was my longest section, and it felt like it. The guidebook described it as gruelling; I think that was a blatant misuse of the subtle art of understatement. If I had tackled today on day one, I would have laughed in the face of gruelling. After 13 days, I was reaching for the compeed and ibuprofen. I don't think I have a muscle in me that doesn't ache, my knees wont go downhill anymore and my heels have finally given way to blisters. But, the weather was glorious, the scenery was glorious and you should have seen the state of the birds on those moors.
After a honey laden breakfast courtesy of the bees from my B & B & Bee, it was a bit of a climb out of Osmotherley to meet the Cleveland Way at Scarth Wood Moor, which is also the start of the Lyke Wake Walk. This is a 40 mile crossing of the North York Moors to Ravenscar, to be completed within 24 hours. Many walkers dress as undertakers (Lyke was the local term for a corpse) because the route is alleged to follow that of monks carrying coffins across the moors to the only consecrated burial grounds. I follow the LWW for quite a bit, on and off for the next couple of days.
Up and up the path continues to Live Moor and then dips down to Carlton Moor. From here you can see right across the Cleveland Plain. A first glimpse of the North Sea is visible beyond the industrial morass of Teeside. It was possible to make out Middlesborough and Hartlepool, and even to see a tanker in the bay. Steep drop in the path here, followed by another steep climb right back up again to Cringle Moor, where I stopped for elevenses (but it was quarter to one by this point!) Then followed another steep and knee punishing descent from Cold Moor.
And then another climb (see a pattern developing?) and a scramble over the Wain Stones, a favourite of Wainwright's. Then follows Clay Bank Top and, you guessed it, another steep descent to meet the B1257 which crosses between Hasty Bank and Carr Ridge. One more ascent to Urra Moor and that completed 10 tough miles of hard ups and downs. AW suggests that only strong walkers should consider proceeding further on the route today. I wasn't sure how strong I was at this point, but I did know I had another 10 miles to go.
But the path levelled out over Urra Moor and I stopped for my lunch at the trig point (the highest point on the Cleveland Hills at 445m and also on a tumulus). Stone markers line the route making navigation super easy. The colours on the moors were wonderful; meadow pipits were everywhere, along with the occasional curlew. I spent some time trying to get a decent picture of red grouse, of which there were plenty (including chicks), but they are very camera shy. Not surprising really as the for most of them the only time they hear something being clicked it is a trigger. Shame. However, I did get a good picture of a golden plover. Also I forgot to mention a tick for a blackcap yesterday.
Arriving at a junction of tracks, Bloworth Crossing, the route leaves the Cleveland Way to serpentine along the cinders of the Rosedale Ironstone Railway, which makes for easy walking all the way now. The railway was built in 1861 to convey iron ore from the mines here to the big blast furnaces of Teeside and Durham. It was closed and dismantled in 1929, but as AW writes, "the track is still here, but it is silent; yet even in death it has lost nothing of its grace and dignity but remains a mute and inspiring monument to the men who planned and built it over a century ago." To temper all this profundity, he does also comment, as fast walking continues, that "we surge on happily along the permanent way. We're enjoying this: it is like playing at trains again. Better than that, it's like being a train yourself." I did give a little "choo-choo" at one point. And eventually, at a curve in the last railway cutting, the Lion Inn comes into view on the skyline ahead. Just before you get there is Blakey Howe, a tumulus excavated to provide a hollow for cockfighting in days gone by.
The Inn dates back to 1553 and although nothing much to look at on the outside it is all low ceilings, hotch-potch rooms and time-worn beams once indoors. Landlord carried my case up the stairs to my little room. As it was 7.30 pm when I arrived, I just had a quick freshen up and went to the bar for a hearty dinner and a pint of Wainwright's Ale. Then bath and bed. A mere 14 miles tomorrow. Easy.
Today's tunes were The Smiths "Reel Around the Fountain" (I was thinking about songs with honey in and had only got the cheesy 70's ones until a flash of inspiration....two lumps please, you're the bees knees, but so am I). Also The Waterboys "Big Music" and Bowie "Space Oddity". And of course Kate Bush "Wuthering Heights". Stats a surprise but the flat railway track must have made up for the painfully slow (literally) ups and downs of the first half.
Odometer
20.3 miles
Cumulative Miles
177.3
Total Ascent
992 metres
Total Descent
844 metres
Moving Time
7h 36 m
Stopped Time
2h 54m
Moving Average
2.7 mph