The Cleveland Way 2024: Day One
The Cleveland Way Nordic Walk, Monday 9th September 2024
Helmsley to Sutton Bank
Official mileage: 10.5 miles
Strava mileage: 12.58 miles
Elevation gain:1,363 ft
Moving time: 4:02:24
Steps: 26,444
The route today.
I am Nordic walking The Cleveland Way over 10 days whilst on annual leave, I’m fortunate that we have a T5 campervan called Clara who will be home for the duration, also an amazing husband (Steve) who is happy to drop me off each day, meet me for lunch and pick me up. We spent Sunday driving up to North Yorkshire and our first three nights are at Cote Ghyll on the campsite. When we arrived at the campsite last night after having driven over 200 miles, Steve noticed the rear offside tyre was looking pretty flat, in fact it was registering only 9 PSI instead of at least 32. We carry an electric tyre pump and so Steve inflated it to the correct pressure and we drove onto our pitch to set-up camp and ponder what on earth was going on with the tyre. I was keen to get started in the morning and was not relishing the thought of being delayed trying to get the tyre fixed, public transport was out of the question, with no direct service from nearby to Helmsley, however with a quick shout-out on a couple of Cleveland Way Facebook Groups we discovered that Northallerton (20 mins away) had at least 3 tyre places and we opted to be at one of them on opening. In the morning the tyre seemed to be holding only slightly losing pressure overnight and we rocked up at Northallerton Tyre & Battery 15 minutes after opening and Clara was to be next on the ramp. After a thorough check the tyre was declared to be puncture free and neither us nor the mechanic could work out what the problem was, he discovered our tyre pressures were all over the place so set them all to 45 PSI and we were on our way at last!
Tyre issues and a misty, murky morning.
Setting off for Helmsley we started to travel down the A170 and kept coming across ‘Road Closed’ signs with ‘follow diversion’ signs, however the diversion never seemed to appear, until we got to the actual road closure and the guy in the blue van in front of us leapt out of his van and came to chat to us about the non-existent diversion! Taking a small road deemed ‘local traffic only’ with grass growing up the middle we made our own diversion, with the blue van following us (he wasn’t local either) We eventually got to Helmsley only 30 minutes after our initial start time plan, so not too much time lost. Helmsley is a market town in North Yorkshire and looks a bit Cotswoldy! The start of The Cleveland Way is from the Market Cross in the Market Place and I started Strava at 10.38am.
Norbert is with me for this adventure! The stone sculpture is for The Cleveland Way.
Leaving the Market Place I headed out of the town, past All Saints Church, which has a lovely Lych-gate and continue along the road looking out for a sign for the ‘Footpath to Rievaulx’. I then head down Cleveland Way (apt) and see a stone sculpture by the Cleveland Way Car Park -this is carved with the names of some of the highlights of the route (which currently mean nothing to me!) and an acorn – the symbol of all the National Trails. I now follow the Cleveland Way sign post up a clear track. The stony track heads gently uphill and goes alongside fields of crops, through kissing gates and runs parallel to a wood, then we turn into the woodland and head down some stone steps leading through a wooded valley before climbing back up yet more stone steps to reach the track which is clearly signposted. The track passes Griff Lodge before heading into more woodland down a clear track. Once at the bottom of the track I pause for my flask of tea and a snack whilst gazing out across the view over the fields. I then continue left onto a path that follows a sunken road which leads to the junction where I can turn off to visit Rievaulx Abbey.
Good paths so far
hmmm...not so sure about those stone steps up and down!
Very clear signage leads the way easily
There’s a pretty bridge across the river here and a small path leads off the road and runs alongside the river which I follow for a bit, the river is fairly shallow, but moving swiftly none-the-less. I pass the sign for Rievaulx village and spy the Abbey in the distance. I meet Steve in the car park and although I hadn’t really intended on visiting the Abbey ruins, Steve decides to join us up for an English Heritage membership, so I might as well use the opportunity!
Approach to Rievaulx
Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey is probably one of the most intact Abbey ruins I have visited and gives a really good idea of what it would have looked like before the reformation. It is huge! It has some spectacular architectural features too. It was the first Cistercian abbey to be established in the North of England and was founded in 1132. Under its most famous abbot, Aelred in the 1160’s it housed a 650-strong community. It was one of the most powerful and spiritually renowned centres of monasticism in Britain.
After a wander and some photographs I leave Steve to his more in-depth visit and re-trace my steps back to the junction at the bridge this time turning right in the direction of Scawton. It begins to spit with rain and by the time I reach the next road junction it’s properly raining. Another couple of walkers ahead of me have stopped to don their waterproofs and so I follow their lead and add the raincover to my rucksack at the same time. I continue to follow the road gently uphill until a gravel track on the right can be seen and turn off onto it.
leaving Rievaulx. The Saint Aelred's Pilgrimage is launched on Saturday 14th September and its 41 mile route visits 9 churches along the way.
Walking alongside woodland the track also passes some private fishing ponds (boo, definitely no swimming) and then turns right across a stream on some stepping stones, where a couple of walkers are picnicking. This turns out onto a gravel road and then left at a junction with another gravel road where several farm/country trucks have driven past in front of me. I then pass an isolated lodge/cabin where some kind of event is happening. I deduce the guys in tweed getting out of the aforementioned trucks are on ‘a shoot’ (not photography) and look like they are about to get a good lunch! I have to negotiate my way through several of their parked trucks to find my next turning right up a very rugged, stony path.
Hunting lodge in the distance, rugged stony uphill path!
This eventually comes out onto a much nicer gently sloping field through sheep and plenty of fodder for the shoot. Not sure exactly what game birds they are, possibly partridge as well as pheasant. Anyway they run ahead of me like headless chooks whilst the sheep calmly ignore my presence. After the fields this turns into another gravely track where I come upon some guys in UTV type vehicles who quite possibly are waiting for the ‘shoot’ to begin -no hearty lunch for them! The track goes uphill and passes farm buildings before popping out in the village of Cold Kirby (is there a Warm or Hot Kirby?) Steve is here already making me a brew and some lunch in Clara. We eat lunch together on a bench at the other end of the village green? The sun is intermittent and it’s a bit chilly when it goes behind a cloud.
Cold Kirby
Feet rested and lunch eaten, I make my way through the village (doesn’t take long) and head of left down a track through fields full of sheep with some great views across them too. Eventually after following the clearly marked signposts I end up alongside a forest and then I reach a farm access road near Hambleton House and pass gallops where they train racehorses. Records dating back to the 17th Century show that many good horses were trained out of Hambleton House! Following the farm road down to the eerily quiet A170 (road is closed) I turn right passing the now closed and run-down Hambleton Inn. Crossing the road at the junction for the Yorkshire Gliding Club I take the path off to the right through woodland.
Paths are a little bit muddy in places here
This eventually comes out on a new looking gravelly path on a junction where you can choose to take a detour and turn left and visit the Kilburn White Horse or go right to head straight to the visitor centre at Sutton Bank. I choose to turn left and head along the path that runs between the Yorkshire Gliding Club airfield and the cliffs of Roulston Scar. When I eventually reach the Kilburn White Horse Steve is sat on a bench waiting for me with a nice cold can of Coke Zero! The views from here are amazing and it’s a clear day too. Steve recalls we have been here before and looking down past the White Horse it does look familiar!
The Kilburn White Horse was inspired by our very own Wiltshire white horses, only these cliffs aren’t naturally chalky and so the Kilburn White Horse has to be given occasional coats of whitewash to cover the more natural oolitic limestone found here. It was cut in 1857 and measures 96m by 69m. Perhaps we came during our Clara and the Cathedrals trip in 2020? Norbert gets his first shot at fame on this walk as a passer-by calls him cute!
Norbert agrees the views are awesome from up here!
I leave Steve and double back past the junction and pass a couple of memorial stones – one to The Battle of Byland and one to aircrew of all allied nations who lost their lives in the surrounding countryside. I then cross the A170 to reach the Sutton Bank Visitor Centre (which has already closed) Steve is waiting for me in the car park and we then drive the 40 minutes diversion (thanks A170 closure) back to the campsite at Osmotherly.
