Day 13 Clay Bank Top to Glaisdale 18 Miles
The end of the walk, which for a couple of weeks has seemed so distant is now suddenly within touching distance and only two days walking away. They are long days though, seventeen to nineteen miles a piece depending on which book you read (I did this walk prior to possessing my very own GPS which no doubt would have given yet a different number!) We are dropped off at Clay Bank Top just after 9am and, like yesterday the day starts with an uphill leg and lung warmer, a steady six hundred feet of ascent from the road up onto Urra Moor.
The rain of yesterday has gone and it is dry and sunny morning with good walking underfoot. When we reach the Trig Point at the top of Urra Moor we are once more treated to some good views of the Cleveland Plain and Roseberry Topping is again prominent on the skyline. The actual top of Urra Moor is called Round Hill and at 1,454ft it is the highest point on the Cleveland Hills and the Yorkshire Moors National Park. We pause for a while to admire the view and looking back across the Cleveland crest we have the satisfaction of seeing our walking route of yesterday. After a few pictures at the Trig Point my next objective was clear. A mile or so from the top of the Moor the trail joins the old Rosedale Ironstone Railway and for five miles it provides good flat walking terrain all the way to the Lion Inn at Blakey.
I suggest to Gwen that as the weather was good we press on at a pace to the pub where we could enjoy a good lunch before tackling the second half of the day. This, especially the lunch bit sounded good to her so off we trotted along the old railway. The advantage of following an old railway of course is that a quick and steady pace can be maintained along its flat surface and there are no rocks, hazards or hills to climb. Getting up to speed we followed the route as it wound itself, snake like around the contours of the streams that had formed mini valleys leading down to Farndale Moor.
Farndale Moor itself and the rest of the Yorkshire Moors beyond provided a lovely backdrop to the walk along the railway and at no point did we feel that we were just churning the miles out. By 12.30pm we are sat, warm, dry and comfortable by the log fire in the Lion Inn, enjoying a hearty lunch and, unusually for me, a lunchtime pint.
An hour later, reluctantly, it’s time to move on and when we get outside the weather is on the turn. From the pub the trail follows the road for a while around the head of Rosedale. There are a number of interesting ancient marker stones and crosses to be seen on this section, some just a short way off the road. As with a lot of ancient history it’s not entirely clear why these crosses and monuments are there or what exactly they mean but with the passage of time they have acquired names such as ‘Fat Betty’ and ‘Young Ralph’ and some it seems date from as early as the 7th century.
The trail leaves the road at a track that leads to a shooting lodge, Trough House and as we step off the road onto the moorland, the rain starts. Thankfully it is short lived and as we skirt around the head of Great Fryup Dale the rain stops and the sun comes out again. The trail then crosses a section of moorland at the head of Great Fryup Dale and there are fine views down the Dale and all around us as we walk along, our feet squelching on the freshly rain soaked mud and the purple heather scraping on our trousers. After another short section of road the path finally heads down into Glaisdale and towards the village of the same name. My legs are pretty tired by the time we reach our B&B at Hart Hall Farm. The farm has an annex for guests and as we are the only ones, we have it to ourselves. Lying in bed about to fall asleep I can hear an owl ‘twit twooing’ in the distance. Tomorrow we will reach the North Sea.
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