Ascent: 450m
Weather: misty start, clearing but still cloudy.
It was very misty this morning, the top of Roseberry Topping shrouded in cloud. We walked back up the track and through the woods by a more gentle route than the one we came down by yesterday, through rowan trees with bluebells, rose bay willow herb and bracken starting to shoot. We'd been going for about 20 minutes before Rob remembered to turn on the gps, so we'll be about mile out.
We came out through Hutton Low Cross and Hanging Stone Woods beneath Hutton Moor - there is a view point that we decided wasn't worth a visit on a dull and misty morning like this one, plus the woods are not really looking their best at the moment as they have been burnt, chopped down or blown about quite a lot.
Turning up a track on to Hutton Moor, and then almost straight away turned off that on to a grassy path with stone slabs, some of which were a bit sunken in wet. There were lots of birds around, over-excited lapwings, curlews, cuckoos, a jay, red grouse, chaffinches, black birds, crows and pippits. It rained very briefly while I was trying to take a photo of some cows.
Up on to forestry track passing another view point (mist) with yellow poppies and clumps of forget-me-nots growing on the verge and more pink bog flowers. I really must find out what they're called. (ed- cuckoo flower.)
Out onto deforested area with a newly laid stone track, some patches quite recently burnt, judging by the smell. The skies cleared a bit and we had some views of the coast including a big ship which looked like it was sat on a hill. Down the valley, we walked along the edge of a wooded bank covered with bunnies and then down a concrete road and into a wood crisscrossed with trial bike tracks. We had a dedicated footpath that was left unchurned, thankfully. Leaving the woods, we crossed a busy road and called in at the Fox and Hounds for lunch.
Loaded up with sandwiches, beer and chips we left the pub and climbed many steps up a hillside to woodland and on to Airy Hill Lane. This leads direct to Skelton, where there was blue sky and cows. The Skelton town council have put out quite a few boards encouraging people to visit the delights of their town, but the Cleveland Way just cuts down through some housing estates and out the other side, into woodland with a newly laid path. It's very popular with the local dog walkers by all evidence...
There was a lot of ups and downs (and spandex) in the Valley wood gardens, plus a tree with a little door in it and a fancy green man bench with Metallica lyrics inscribed on it. Of course, Saltburn is a true rock and roll town, being the birth place of David Coverdale. There isn't a blue plaque. I've checked.
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