COAST TO COAST MAY 2015 - DAY TEN

KIRKBY STEPHEN TO ROBIN HOOD'S BAY

DAY TEN - RUSWARP TO ROBIN HOOD'S BAY - 8 MILES

We chose to walk from our overnight stay at Ruswarp back to the route we had left at Hawsker.

Leaving the village behind we followed the Esk Valley Walk until we got to the track of the former railway line that used to run south to Scarborough.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarborough_and_Whitby_Railway

 

The route goes over a dramatic viaduct over the River Exe from which we got this view of Whitby Abbey http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/whitby-abbey/

  

View off the viaduct up the Esk to Ruswarp.

View in the same direction later on from the former railway track. The track took us through Stainscare and Hawsker where we re-joined the Coast to Coast. After stopping in the café at the caravan park in Hawsker Bottoms we continued to the coast.

Here the Coast to Coast joins the North York Moors Coast Path for the final three miles into Robin Hood's Bay.

The view from that point north towards Whitby.

Our route heading south east.

View from Clock Case Nab towards Normanby Stye Batts

Turning south west into Robin Hood's Bay we get the first view of the town. https://www.robin-hoods-bay.co.uk/

We descended down through the narrow streets to the bottom by the beach.

Tourist shops, cafes and pubs abound. I bought a tee-shirt and a rucksack badge. Dipped my boots in the sea and put the stone I had carried from the Irish Sea into the North Sea as tradition demands. The group had their photograph taken to record the completion of the expedition

I had a photograph taken at the finishing board attached to a wall opposite the Wainwright Bar and then made my way up through the town again to the Victoria Inn for lunch a few beers and then waited for the Packhorse mini-bus to take us back to Kirkby Stephen.

 

Thanks to Packhorse for sorting out the accommodation and the luggage transfers and for providing us with a framed certificate and thanks to my great companions in the Eastleigh Ramblers for their company and for putting up with me always being at the back taking photos.

 

Keep watching the blog, June's adventure is the Rhinogs and Snowdonia along the Cambrian Way

http://www.cambrianway.org.uk/

 

COAST TO COAST MAY 2015 - DAY NINE

KIRKBY STEPHEN TO ROBIN HOOD'S BAY

DAY NINE - EGTON BRIDGE TO HAWSKER - 14.23 MILES

A beautiful day for a walk - the last long one before the end.

As the rest of the party hung about waiting for those who had gone to the stepping stones over the Esk to get some pictures two set off in the morning sunshine.

Egton Hall from the rear. A large part of the area is the Egton Estate.

Between Egton Bridge and Grosmont an old toll road is used and this is a sign attached to the side of Beckside Farm half way along.

Grosmont is a beautiful village at the junction of the main railway line from Middlesbrough to Whitby and the private North York Moors Railway which runs south to Pickering. http://www.nymr.co.uk/ We hung around waiting for the steam train to leave.

Video of the steam trains https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBOjIFPVnrg

 From here it is a steep climb up a road to the top of the moors. This is the view half way up. The route we had followed came over the moors at the back and right along the wooded valley.

At the top we left the road on Sheep House Rigg to see a line of stones called the Low Bride Stones.

We then climbed along the ridge to inspect another collection called the High Bride Stones where we had a coffee stop.

http://www.stone-circles.org.uk/stone/highbridestones.htm

The path across Sleights Moor towards the A169

The descent from the A169 towards Little Beck.

Once down in the valley bottom the route follows a beck up to a waterfall called Falling Foss.

A mineral working on the way up.

The Hermitage a rock hollowed out as a hermit's cave, reputedly by a George Chubb in 1790, on top of which is two wishing chairs carved of stone.

Beside this large waterfall is http://www.fallingfossteagarden.co.uk/ where we stopped for drinks and cakes.

Video of the restoration of the tea garden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tcxwM2zAT4

 

We were only half way and it was well into the afternoon because of time spent watching railway trains and visiting cafes so it was on up May Beck with earnest  to get back to the moors.

Having got out of the trees we could look back to the way we had come.

The route then crosses Sneaton Low Moor and the Graystone Hills, looking back it was moor as far as you could see. On arriving at Hawsker we diverted to the Hare and Hounds for a drink. http://www.hareandhoundshawsker.co.uk/Site/Home.html Because of the size of our party we were taken off route by taxi to Ruswarp on the River Exe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruswarp

We stayed overnight at Ruswarp Hall http://www.ruswarphallhotel.co.uk/ and had our evening meal at the Bridge Inn.

 

COAST TO COAST MAY 2015 - DAY EIGHT

KIRKBY STEPHEN TO ROBIN HOOD'S BAY

DAY EIGHT - BLAKEY RIDGE TO EGTON BRIDGE - 11.72 MILES

Today started cold, windy overcast and the moors did not look as welcoming as they can do.

Wainwright devised this route when access to the moors was fought over and some of the road walking we were to do this day could be avoided now as much of the area is Access Land,  but we were here to do the route and this meant heading north along the road to Rosedale Head.

For the next hour we were to have Rosedale down on our right which is one of the prettiest in this region.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosedale,_North_Yorkshire

 

 

This large menhir goes by the name of Margery Bradley and is located next to the road. It has been defaced by the initials of the landowner and a bench mark. Marked "BS" on OS maps.

This can be found after forking right on another road just before Young Ralph Cross to work east around the head of Rosedale. Just off the road it is White Cross also known by its more popular nickname "Fat Betty" one of the more unusual of the many moorland crosses. http://thejournalofantiquities.com/2012/08/15/fat-betty-cross-danby-high-moor-north-yorkshire/

Fat Betty from the road, the grass track is part of the Esk Valley Walk which we were to meet up with again later in the day http://www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=esk+valley+walk

 

Finally we left the road to take a bridleway that runs around the head of Great Fryup Dale passing Trough House (locked). - Video portrait of the dale, many of the pictures taken from the route https://vimeo.com/84678508

Wood Head at the head of the Dale http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fryup

Any area at the head of the valley known as "The Hills". This was the view from where we had a coffee break.

The bridleway continues across Glaisdale High Moor.

On reaching a road you look down on Glaisdale.

 

 Following the road north east the route follows the ridge between Glaisdale and Fryup Dales.

At Glaisdale Rigg the tarmac road is left for this unsurfaced ancient Whitby Road which follows the north side of Glaisdale across Glaisdale Low Moor.

This is an ancient signpost, around the top is inscribed the destinations of the road and the vertical pillar is slotted into a square hole in the base stone.

Just off the route on a heather strewn hillock is this memorial stone the inscription reads MRS STAINTHORPE NEE GEORGINA RAWDON-SMITH 1914-1967 'SHE LOVED THESE MOORS'

The route descends into Glaisdale where coffee and cakes was taken in a little café and then on down again to the River Esk to join the Esk Valley Walk. This view down through the wild garlic is the first sight of the river.

From Glaisdale to our destination for the night at Egton Bridge we followed the river and the Esk Valley Walk out of the wind at last.

The route through East Arnecliff Wood

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Esk,_North_Yorkshire

 

As you enter the village of Egton Bridge this stone is passed

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Postgate

 

The party was split between accommodation at The Old Mill and Broom House. This is the River Esk from the road between the two. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egton_Bridge

Broom House http://www.broom-house.co.uk/