WTC Ways Day 7: Scalby to Levisham

Distance: 22 miles
Ascent: 360m
Weather: misty

Leaving Scarborough, we got a bit lost in a nice, but huge, wooded cemetary complete with a little secret garden. Eventually we made it out on to the cycle track that leads to Scalby, where we saw two greenfinches and a lot of noisy starlings.

Joining the Tabular Hills Walk again in Scalby, we walked along the banks of the Sea Cut, a waterway built in the 18th century by Sir George Cayley to take floodwater out of the Vale of Pickering. Oddly, the water doesn't go out to the sea anywhere near here but turns back inland again, the water going out to sea 150 miles downstream at the Humber estuary. It looked quite brown and fast flowing today.

During the day we've seen primroses, bluebells, crosswort, lesser stitchwort (or perhaps mouse ear) buttercups, vetch, cranesbill, wild garlic, pale pink stuff took a photo of to identify later (ed - cuckoo flower, also known as lady's smock.)

Along the riverside we got swooped at by swallows, housemartins, goldfinches and met some dog walkers, there was a lone canada goose in a field and we had quite a kerfuffle with some sheep on the track (looked like badger faced and blue faced leicesters) and a mum cow and calf, finally managing to get past them and some peace and quiet.

There was some road walking, stopping for tea and cake and a scone at the Everley Countryhouse Cafe, followed by a bit more road walking, turning off the busy road up lane to Wrench Green. Climbing steadily upwards through the village into the forest and the clouds. We walked along misty forest roads and tracks, past some works where they are drilling for orange and through a tree nursery. We decided not to invest in a 15kg box of beef from Broadhead Farm today.

More forestry tracks in the mist, some quite muddy and one containing massive bouncy poodle. We stopped for sandwiches on a big log. There were lots of mountatinbikers. Later it turned a bit wetter and windier as we went past the viewpoint for Blakeley Topping, which was obscured by clouds, but a bit further on we did see a deer. Ot at least a deer's bottom.

The walk leads down Old Wife Lane and around the Hole of Horcum (mostly filled with clag) then up on t'moors. The path over the moors follows an iron age dike - it was a little wet but clear so there was no straying from the path in the mist. We didn't hear any wolves howling, just the tooting of the North Yorks moors railway. At the end of the day, there were lots of lambs and a bunny and we left the moors path down Limpsey Lane into Levisham and the Horseshoe Inn.

WTC Ways Day 6: Filey to Scalby

Distance:  between 16 and 17 miles
Ascent: 650m
Weather: mist, wind and rain, mist, rain, mist
Cows in the mist, pheasants in the mist, crows in the mist, seagulls in the mist and goldfinches by a caravan park.
Happy walkers in the rain: 5 (including us)
Sits in cafes in the rain: 1
Times jumped on by dogs: 2
Confusing detours: 2

Today we walked the end of the Cleveland Way. This sounds a bit odd, seeing as we are planning to walk the whole of the Cleveland Way, but it actually starts in Helmsley and ends in Filey, so to join it up with the YWW we are doing the end bit first and then the Tabular Hills Way to the start. So today we followed the coastal path north to Scarborough, which would have been a short day but there was a last minute decision to make tomorrow's long day 2 miles shorter by adding 7 miles onto today's. Okay then...

The walk this morning started misty, got wet and windy and then very wet. Entering Scarborough, we stopped at the lovely Clock Cafe, which we visited on our last time in Scarborough, for lunch and then to the Royal Hotel to check in and drop our bags.

The official routes through Scarborough seem to be rather vague, we walked around the south bay, followed the Marine Drive to the north bay and up on to the cliff tops to Scalby before turning back along a cycle track. We sidetracked slightly to take in the North Riding Brew Pub and then headed back into town, calling in at the Curry Lounge for thai food.

WTC Ways Day 5: Ganton to Filey

Distance: 16 miles
Ascent: 450m
Weather: warm and bright, hazy
Bunnies, hares, seagulls, pheasants, loonies in the sea.

Leaving the inn this morning, we saw the people from the room next door packing up their car with buckets and spades. Everyone's going to the seaside today!

We left Ganton, passing the church and stopping in their garden of reflection to reflect, and also so Rob could put some tape on his foot. The route leads right past RAF Saxton Wold with signs warning of danger of fire and explosion, uneven ground and microwaves. Blimey. We walked on a bit further before stopping to get my sunglasses out of my rucksack.

The path led down Cotton Dale Lane before turning a sharp left and a very sharp up, straight up the valleyside, coming out from low trees onto a round open hilltop. We stopped briefly to catch our breath look at a pretty meadow with flowers, bees and a curlew flying around and then saw a lapwing having a go at a crow.

The Way skirted more big fields, banked with birds foot trefoil, and then along a section where the path has been diverted. It contoured around a hillside on an awkward sloped path through a field where we herded some herdwick sheep, before having a sit on a bench and sorting out the plaster on my toe. At the bottom of The Camp wooded dale, there was a signpost with the YWW pointing one way and the Centenary Way pointing the other, the CWers now have to make their own route to Filey - having used ours since Thixendale.

Crossing some cow fields, we came to Muston and had a nice pub lunch at the friendly Ship Inn (Star Light Ale heartily recommended) before coming quickly to Filey. We walked along the cliff tops (bit breezy) to the end of the Yorkshire Wolds Way and its monument - and then back along the beach and seafront, stopping off for afternoon tea and scones at the Bronte Cafe. Apparently Anne Bronte used to live in the house here.

Day 4: Thixendale to Ganton

Distance: 22 miles
Ascent: 650m
Weather: warm and sunny, quite windy at times
Birds: Red kites, kestrel, pied wagtail,partridge, curlew, lapwing, goldfinch, oyster catcher
Cake disasters: 1
Times crop sprayed: 2

Stuffed full of breakfast and bags loaded up with food, we left Thixendale by the path up the valleyside, watching two red kites doing aerial acrobatics. It is windier today and feels cooler this morning the sun was shining and, after a quick stop to adjust clothes, it was very pleasant.

We walked around the edge of a dale with cobweb streamers in the trees blowing in the wind; everything looked very green but there were not many flowers at all, just a few daisies in the grass. The evil smelling crop spray we got covered in might have something to do with that.

We passed through deserted mediaeval village of Wharram Percy, with its pretty ruined church, pond and  kestrel sitting on mediaeval telegraph wire. Leaving Wharram le Street a bit later on, we had a sit on a bench and decided to have lunch in Wintringham, six miles off. The route passes by Fizgig Hill, Duggleby Wold and along another lane for a bit into Wintringham. There does seem to have been quite a lot of road walking on the YWW.

As the day went on we began to see more flowers, including forget me nots and crosswort, wild strawberry, cow parsley, white dead nettles, red and white campion and, rather unexpectedly, a trig point in the middle of a wood. We had lunch on bench at edge of Wintringham, within earshot of the birdscarer that we'd walked past not long before when crossing the field into the village, I'm blumming glad it hadn't gone off while I was any closer. Higher onto a wooded hillside at Deep Dale, we saw another red kite (and have now decided they are as common as muck), orange tipped butterflies and herb robert, cowslips, dog violets, and daisy things that looked like daisies but weren't. (Later- they probably were daises.)

The path went up a 'kin steep hillside, where we had a good look at some flowers, a funny wonky gate, artwork with a spaniel swimming in it and cunciulous earthwork very reminiscent of Offa's Dyke. Through a wood carpeted in orchids, and out onto a grassy field edge with bunnies at work warning sign, Some bunnies, considering number of holes in the path, had been busy - the ones we saw were out playing.

In the later afternoon, the YWW definitely became the path less trodden, still well signed but the going was a little harder and the path less distinct, we entered a field of nettles and mole hills, prickles in my shoes, and stopped on a curly bench for an afternoon snack. There then followed a cake disaster (Rob has still not come to terms with this yet) and shortly afterwards we had an encounter with a giddy cow.

Down off the chalk hillside, the paths and verges were very sandy, red and dusty. There was some more walking along narrow country roads, where we managed to not get mown down by cars while avoiding having to leap into the nettle verge. Coming into Ganton, we crossed the A64 (bad accident just round the corner) to the Ganton Greyhound, where we are spending the night.

WTC Ways Day 3: Pocklington to Thixendale

Distance: 16 miles
Ascent: 550m
Weather: warm and sunny
Wildlife: Comedy cat ambush, squirrel, bunnies, sneezing horse, hares, small tortoiseshell butterflies, big spider under the wardrobe. Buzzards, red kite, stereo skylarks, meadow pippits, forget-me-nots, cowslips, buttercups.
Feet: hot
Wingeing: some

We left Pocklington by the Chalkland Way, and crossed the golf course again - not as many golfers out this morning as I expected there to be for a sunny Sunday morning, but we did judge a couple of very able-bodied-looking lazy gentlemen riding in a buggy.

We rejoined the YWW where we'd left it yesterday afternoon and headed up a hillside with a big field on one side and Warren Dale woods on the other, soon leaving behind a group of DofEers. We stopped above Millington to take a picture of the panorama, including York Minster in the far distance, and saw a red kite circling around down in the valley.

There was a bit of hoard related anxiety when we met a massive group of kids (possibly cadets, given the fatigues and singing) but once they'd climbed over the fence from the wrong side they were on, we were pleased to see that they were headed the other direction. At the bottom of a steep bit of hill in a dale known as the Rabbit Warren there was a pile of rubbish that some people had left, crisp and peanut packets and drinks bottles, so we picked it up and put it in a carrier bag to dispose of later. (By the time we saw a bin we'd collected a whole bag full.) At the top of the steep track we saw another group cadets, some of whom seemed quite cheerful, others not so much.

On the brilliantly named Hugget Sheep Walk we didn't see any sheep, being walked or otherwise, but a nice hot tub had been put out for them. The Sheep Walk passed by the edge of woods and field boundaries, with quite a lot of flies out today enjoying the sunshine.

A little further on we walked along a grassy path with a few lone trees dotted along it (slightly marred by hoard of people being very people-y) that led between two fields and we watched chaffinches in the hedgerows and bees buzzing, saw lots of common flowers like dead nettles, dandelions and forget me nots but it was very pretty.

At Hugget village we stopped in at the Wolds Inn and met up with family, who had brought a lovely picnic (with wine!) and joined us for a few miles before they headed back to complete an 8 mile circular walk back to Hugget. Along the way, there was some oohing over lambs, some communing with cows, some prancing on art, some singing, some shushing, some getting stuck in a swing, some being stylish on a stile (still not funny, Martyn), some moaning and even some walking.

We parted ways at the art (Time and Flow by Chris Drury, I think) and we carried on the YWW along a nice grassy dale towards Thixendale and the Cross Keys pub. The pub is very nice, but there is no phone signal here... and no telly!

WTC Ways Day 2: Newbald to Pocklington

Distance: 16 or 17 miles
Ascent: 400m
Weather: warm and sunny, nice breeze
Birdlife: Yellowhammers: 2, one of which was sitting on a big manure heap. Nice. Lots of crows and pigeons, skylarks, housemartins, tufted duck, coots, kestrel, canada geese, red kite, buzzard, swan, guinea fowl, partridges, swallows, three lapwings squeaking.
Hares: 6, possibly more
Stoat: 1
Unidentified brown creature in undergrowth: 1

We left Newbald by pretty little lane and turned off up a track by the side of a pig farm, from where most alarming noises were coming (the pigs having breakfast, hopefully not of one of the other pigs.) Walking along the track by the sides of large fields, it was dry and warm in the sun. There were quite a lot of big flies in the shelter of the hedges and we saw a hare and a lot of crows. The weather was much nicer today, it seems churlish to complain about it being too warm, and we saw a lot of wildlife.

Crossing a quiet country lane signed to Goodmanham we joined Spring Dale (what looked like an old railway line, very straight and flat, lined with hawthorn and ash trees) passing St Helen's Spring, complete with a ribbon-adorned tree. There was a slight confusion that we might have taken a wrong turn at the turn off to Goodmanham, but it turns out there are two YWW options here, we followed the track and then turned back through the village to visit the Goodmanham Arms Ale House, where they are brewing today.

After a drink stop (local beer for Rob, coke for me) we left the village (more confusing signposts) and followed the path around more fields. They do have big fields round here. Saw orange tipped butterflies, white butterflies and small tortoiseshells.

We decided against stopping at the picnic spot shown on the map as it was right by a busy road, and also the tables were taken by families and group of noisy DofEers. So we crossed the road and headed down a track and across a sheep field towards a tranquil little lake, with ducks and coots, and a kestrel circling above, where we had lunch on a grassy bank in the sunshine.

We followed the path over a bridge and through the grounds of big house, bidding a polite goodday to the man with a big scythe and then walking along a lane we saw a red kite, a lot of cyclists (only one of whom said hello), a stoat, two hares, sorry four hares and two partridges in a pear tree field.

There was a brief stop by a pretty church in Nunbunhum (sorry, Nunbrunholme) for Rob to take off his baselayer as it was quite getting warm. We had a good look at a field, as the Way directed us all around three sides to avoid walking up a track along the other side. Walking up the lane from there, there were a lot of butterflies, mostly white and one that was all yellow. We walked through some more fields (big) past some cows all trying to shelter under a very small tree, a buzzard being attacked by a crow, some skylarks a singing (Higher State of Consciousness) and a green beetle.

Leaving the YWW we heading towards Pocklington, via a golf course (lots of lazy people in buggies) and down a lane near the Buddist centre and through a confusing housing estate into town. We are staying at The Feathers Hotel, and currently enjoying a pint of Yorkshire Terrier and tomorrow's weather forecast.

WTC Ways Day 1 Hessle to North Newbold

Distance: 18 miles
Ascent: 650m
Weather: very windy, chilly
Critters: Deer, squirrel, pheasant, multiple bunnies, moorhens.
Flowers: Campion, wild garlic, bottle brush grass stuff with seeds round, bluebells, borage, orchid.

Rough winds did shake the darling buds of May today, but thankfully nothing landed on our heads. There were some quite big branches fallen and sizeable chunks of tree could be heard coming down as we walked through woodland. Out in the wind it was pretty cold at times, but when the sun (and we were sheltered) came out a bit in the afternoon it was quite warm.

After leaving the Inn, we met up with the Yorkshire Wolds Way by a gert big roundabout over the A63, the pavement alongside the main road was busy and the spray from the lorries didn't make for a particularly pleasant start. But soon we were away from roads and into woodland and fields, with much wildlife and sticky mud. A deer presented itself very early on, hopefully a good sign.

We took a short detour into Brantingham around lunchtime in the hope that the pub would be open, but despite the sign proclaiming 'open all day' and how many awards the restaurant had won, it was shut for refurbishment. So we had a sit on a bench next to the duck pond and had our sandwiches. There were a few ducks and a moorhen and a couple of coal tits feeding their young; they'd nested in the wall behind our bench and we had a good view of them, but they were too fast for my photography skills. Photos of walls are quite dull.

Leaving Brantingham we walked along a lane passed a pretty church and a restored sheepwash. It seems everyone loves a sheepwash. We turned off the lane and headed up a path by the side of Woo Dale.
The rain held off and it was mostly dry underfoot, which was good, especially in the woods where a giant caterpillar wood cutting vehicle had been driven through and churned the path up. Leaving the woods, we followed a grassy vale with many sheep, then left the YWW to cross some fields into North Newbald and the Gnu Inn (there's a beer festival across the road tonight, but I think 2 pints of Black Sheep will be my lot.)

WTC Ways Day 0

Distance: a couple of miles
Ascent: not much at all
Weather: everything
Bunnies: a lot
Strange bird noise: 1

Today we start our WTC Ways walk, which will be a 2 week walk taking in the Yorkshire Wolds, Tabular Hills and Cleveland Ways. Starting from Hessle, near the Humber Bridge, and heading up to Filey, then around the Yorkshire Moors up to Saltburn and down the coast to Scarborough, this will be a 250 odd mile hike taking just over 2 weeks.

When I say we start today, we didn't do very much walking on the route today. Today mainly involved going to work, getting excited about going on holiday, looking worriedly out of the window at the atrocious weather, sitting on a tram worrying about what we haven't packed, sitting in the pub, finding out our train was cancelled, sitting some more and then sitting on the next train. Entertainment provided by a man who hadn't got a ticket. Which wasn't very entertaining at all actually.

Black clouds loomed on the horizon as we got off the train, and we headed over a busy road and down a path to the shore of the Humber. The actual start of the Yorkshire Wolds Way is at the start of a little path near a hotel and an inlet with some containers, (ed- there is a special fingerpost on one path near a car park, but we didn't go to the car park, so didn't see it) and a little further on, near to the Humber Bridge, there is a monument and a car park with some cars that it was best not to look at too closely as it was getting quite dark. We made our way through a little wooded park so we followed a cycle track to Ferriby Road and the Premier Inn.

Oldham Way - Day Two

Distance: 26.5 miles total
Ascent: 1450m
Weather: started dry but muggy, drizzle in afternoon turning heavy rain with very strong winds
Bunnies: 5
Hares: 3
Jumping cows: 1
Germs: lots
Ankle injuries sustained: 1
Detours: 1 rather long one, but it did result in a pub lunch so not all bad.

It was dry (although damp) in the morning when we set off after breakfast. The hotel breakfast was good, a help yourself buffet. I hadn't slept particularly well, despite the room and bed being comfortable and being completely shattered. I was woken up at 1am by wedding revelers on their way to bed and then had a really sore throat for the rest of the night. I put this down to not drinking enough during a long day yesterday and made sure to keep taking drinks of water, which obviously is no bad thing. But as I type this today, a few days later, with a box of tissues handy and a Lemsip on the go, no, it probably wasn't just dehydration.

We miscalculated on the lunch provisions for today, and set off with only emergency chocolate and water to keep us going, a bit concerned that there didn't seem to be anywhere obvious to get food from on the route.

Through Park Bridge the Way heads up into the trees on the hillside, which is quite a steep and remote-feeling path for somewhere that is essentially a park in the middle of a city. From Park Bridge we went though Bog Field (very boggy) and then Horse Field 2 (without horses today) and then along the road to turn off up the path towards Hartshead Pike. The path was clearer than last time we were here years ago, when it was overgrown with nettles and brambles, and we were soon out into a wet Duck Field and then onto muddy Cow Path.

A brief stop to admire the views and look at the toposcope (mostly pointing towards clouds) and we were off towards Saddleworth. Between Quick and Grasscroft we realised that the route we usually take, and headed off down without really noticing, isn't the Oldham Way but the Tameside Trail. It was decided that we were going to do this properly, and so retraced our steps up the field and took a left at the bottom of Strawberry Lane rather than right, soon to meet up with Oldham Way markers. Going this way took us closer to Greenfield on the Huddersfield Canal so we decided that we'd make a detour to the village and have lunch there. The Kingfisher pub does a very nice Sunday Roast and puddings to take away - so the rest of the day we carried two enormous wodges of carrot cake with us.

When we left the pub, about an hour later, it was really raining so we stopped under a bridge and put on our waterproofs (under the watchful gaze of a canada goose) and prepared to get wet.

We walked around Dove Stone Reservoir (to give it its proper name at least once) and up to the war memorial on Pots and Pans. Long Lane was incredibly muddy - and kind of set the tone for the rest of the day. Mud, puddles, rain, gales and paths chewed up by off road motor vehicles.

Crossing Standedge, where the Oldham Way joins the Pennine Way for a while, was incredibly hard going. The winds blowing so hard I could barely walk and the rain pelting down, it wasn't much fun. But then the ways part and the Oldham Way turns more grassy and peat groughy. This was very wet and muddy indeed, but soft under the feet and easy to walk.

Getting to New Years Bridge Reservoir involved some wandering around but checking out the post in the middle of the bog got us on the right track and we were crossing the reservoir not long after and through the gate where we'd started yesterday morning.

That just left a short walk back home - we got in at 9:20pm thoroughly knackered, but pleased with our efforts.

I have no memory of this place
edit - Pots & Pans War Memorial Obelisk and Alderman' Hill

Injun's Head, Dovestones

Above Chew Brook, Dovestones

Oldham Way - Day One

Distance: 23.5 miles total
Ascent: 750m
Weather: damp, rain, showers, damp
Seen: Ducklings, goslings, grey wagtail, orange tipped butterfly, bluebells, forget-me-not, rainbow.
Wet cameras: 1
Blisters: 1

The Oldham Way is a 40 mile long distance trail which skirts around Oldham, the official start being at Dove Stone Reservoir covering moorland and parks, and also more urban areas, which definitely add contrast. The waymarker is a blue owl disc, although we only saw one or two of these out on the path, mostly it's a yellow disc with an arrow and Oldham Way written on it. The best marker is the engraved stone one on top of Pots and Pans. On the whole, the Way is well marked, but there are sections where there aren't any markers and it could be a bit confusing - also many of the downloadable routes for gps are wrong, taking the Tameside Trail in an almost direct line between Quick and Noonsun Hill, when the actual route on the ground wiggles its way down through Grasscroft.

We set off from home at just after 10am and walked up the road through Denshaw to the oddly named New Years Bridge Reservoir, to begin our Oldham Way Walk. We decided to do the walk over two days, stopping at Smokies Hotel in Bardsley overnight. We called in at the Co-Op on Ripponden Road for lunches and provisions and headed off into the drizzle. It seemed a bit odd to be walking passed our regular turning back point in Denshaw village before we'd even begun the walk proper. As we climbed the stile and entered the field to begin, the rain was already falling.

We made a brief sandwich stop in Brushes Clough nature reserve when the rain eased slightly and then were off again. There was another lull when we reached the newly done up entrance to the park, near Jubilee Bends, the name of which escapes me and it doesn't appear to be marked on the OS map - anyway we took advantage of a nice new bench to have a proper sit down and some sandwiches.

The route leads up the hillside and over farmland (with very curious sheep and strange grey blue stuff spread on the pasture) towards Royton, Tandle Hill Park and on to the Rochdale Canal. We thought the canal was looking a bit less rubbishy today and made sure to stop and thank a chap with a wheelie bin collecting bottles and litter.

The going was flat and easy along the canal towpath and through Failsworth to Daisy Nook and our overnight stop at Smokies Hotel in Bardsley. The sun came out and there was a rainbow to end the day's walk.