Ascent: 800m
Weather: sunny and hot, breezy on the tops
Buff: contemplated putting one on, but not for long
Aircraft: 3 jetfighters, 1 black helicopter and 2 military jets.
Flowers: Heather, bilberry, stunted dandelions, daisies, boggy pink flowers (ed- cuckoo flower), violets
We were packed up and ready to leave at 9am, walked back to trail through village along the road, turns out it was mostly pavemented. Leaving the hotel, noticed the stacks of luggage waiting to be collected and transferred to their next night stop. The hotel also offers a transfer for (lazy) walkers back to the car park at the trail head. We walked. The lane was quiet this morning, although there was a moment of bunny-terror (involving us, a big dog and a car) but we think bunny was ok.
Climbed steadily up the forestry tracks, warm but very tranquil and joined the Cleveland Way, after a minor bit of route adjustment to get to the right side of the wall. Stone steps led up on to Urra Moor and then Round Hill which should be written in italics, because it is a burial mound - also has a trig point at 454m - the highest point on our whole walk.
Just before we turned off to visit the mound, there was some beeping coming from the heather. More beeping and a brief sighting of a bird later, and we think it was a golden plover. Mostly today we saw meadow pippets.
Path turned off the bridleway and there was a boggy bit, where we each got one wet foot. It is very warm and sunny today, so soon dried out. Well, soonish.
At Bosworth crossing, the coast to coast walkers go the other way direct through the middle of the moors to Ravenscar (or at least they should do if they're not lost and following us by mistake). We turned left along a wide, dusty track over the moors, passing Jenny Bradley (curious name for a stone) and more golden plovers, over the broad expanse of Tidy Brown Hill.
We had lunch sitting on a rock by a gate on the lane, and then followed the lane down into Kildale. Saw a deer running across the fields below us. Then we were back in sheep farm land, with lapwings hooting, and flowers including purple dead nettles in the hedgerows. We stopped at the Glebe Cottage tea rooms in Kildale for tea and a scone and sat at table outside, watching rather podgy sparrows. Leaving the cafe, we walked up the lane and into woodland, which was nice and shady. We visited the monumemt to Captain James Cook who was born near here at Marton in 1728.
Through the car park at Gribdale Gate and up onto Newton Moor, where there was a shrew, a thrush, some red grouse and a curlew. And of course plenty of pippets. Were passed by mountain biker, soon after passed him as he tried to fix his tyre by the side of the path. Later on he was carrying his bike down the path and was still there quite a while later.
Quick jaunt up to the top of Roseberry Topping, which looked quite daunting as we approached and was steep, but didn't take long. Impressive views from the top and a trig point, and then we walked down the other side, getting growled at by a couple's Alsatian dog on the way. They came down the path a bit behind us, the chap shouting at his dog to stop whatever it was that it was doing and come back quite a lot. We visited an odd little folly/ornate shelter on the hillside and then walked down through pretty woods with wildflowers and birdsong, including a couple of cuckoos. It would have been quite idyllic if it hadn't been for the thought there was a naughty, growly Alsation on the loose behind us.
Leaving the woods down a little track where there was some cow visiting taking place, down to the road and a short distance along to the Kings Head Hotel. The hotel is, as the crow flies, about 4 miles away from where we were last night.
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