Lyke Wake Walk March 2015

So yes, this is one walk we can't stay away from. March 2015 marked our sixth crossing in approximately 18 months, and somehow I don't think we are showing any signs of slowing down.

This walk saw Claire, Dave and myself do the walk walking west to east, which was definitely a good idea as we had a decent tail wind for the most part on this blustery weekend.

We set off from Cod Beck, having had a chat with some volunteers from the "Osy Toads", AKA the Osmotherley Toad Patrol, whose aim it is to make sure as many toads as possible get safely across the nearby main road and to and from the Reservoir. As we set off, we saw quite a few toads resting on the road and I hope they had a successful onward jouney!

Conditions were great until we reached the ford at Hollin Hill after a couple of miles, when a light drizzle became a more persistent rain - time to get the waterproofs on. The weather calmed down after a while, so we had good conditions which is always nicer when tackling the Cleveland Hills. In January the steep steps down from Carlton Bank and Cringle Moor had been icy and treacherous, so we were grateful for the milder March weather.

We opted to go round the tops of the Wainstones and Hasty Bank using the Broughton Plantation route and this path was much drier than I was expecting, so we made good progress on this section.

The climb up to Urra Moor is always a tough one, but knowing that this is the last big ascent for a long while helps put a spring in your step. By now it was getting a bit colder but after cracking open a couple of handwarmers we soon restored feeling in our hands!

When we hit the track at Bloworth Crossing weather conditions deteriorated rapidly and we were soon battling a howling wind and near-horizontal rain. Not what the weather forecast had told us, and these nasty conditions persisted from roughly 2am through to 5am. Our usual banter dried up whilst our bodies took a lashing, as we put our heads down and rode the storm.

We took the path via Flat Howe and this path is becoming much easier to navigate than it was a year ago. We stopped for a breather when we reached the road, and fortunately the rain started to ease, as I wasn't looking forward to crossing the bog in the wind and driving rain.

The rain stopped and the sun started to rise, making the route much easier to follow. I think this was the first time when crossing the bog that the path itself was apparent. We'd always just muddled our way through this section and more often than not in the dark, but here was an actual path for us to follow - amazing!

With a bit of daylight and better weather our spirits lifted and we were back to babbling our usual nonsense. We had a break for food at Shunner Howe, then headed down the wrong path as usual onto Hamer road, meaning going back up the road a short way to get back on the path through White Moor to Blue Man i'-th'-Moss. Conditions on this section were better than expected and after a quick stop to say hello to the man in blue, we made steady progress alongside the Plantation down to Wheeldale Road.

I love crossing Wheeldale Beck, in particular when the stepping stones are navigable. Despite the steep drop down to the beck, and sharp climb back up, this is a little green oasis after miles and miles of bleakness and a lovely place to rest.

We had another food stop at Simon Howe, with the next section over to Goathland Moor clear in our sights. By now it was apparent that we were making steady progress and we really had a spring in our steps all the way over to Fylingdales and up to Lilla Cross.

I always have a bit of a cheer at Lilla Cross, for a couple of reasons. Firstly the cross itself symbolizes the walk for me. Ancient, steeped in history and mythology, this stone is an indelible mark on the landscape that will outlive us all. Secondly, it also marks the spot where the end of the walk is in sight, so let's hear it for Lilla Cross.

The walk across Fylingdales moor is long and draining and without much variation apart from the cairn at Burn Howe. Surprisingly this wasn't too boggy and before we knew it we were perched atop the drop into Jugger Howe. As always this is a test for tired limbs, but for me the variation in scenery more than makes up for it.

We were still steaming along, straight over the Whitby road and upwards towards the radio mast and Lyke Wake stone, completing in a very respectable 16 hours 30 minutes, and in good time to head to the pub and bed for the night.

Lyke Wake Walk September 2014

Well this is becoming a bit of a recurring theme isn't it?! For the third time this year, Claire, Dave and myself found ourselves drawn to this crossing of the North York Moors across land steeped in legend and history.

It would be hard to top the June 2014 crossing where we were treated to perfect conditions, accompanied by a beautiful sunset and sunrise, but this journey once again turned out to be a special one.

It was my second reverse crossing, the first time having been done in atrocious conditions back in January. This time, as we set off, once again in the dark, but with incredibly clear skies and reasonably dry conditions underfoot.

Doing the walk in reverse means that the first ten miles require more navigation than expected - what seems like a straightforward walk during the day from Fylingdales over to Ravenscar becomes a lot more challenging at night. Instead of being one simple track headed towards the mast, paths divert off to the left and right all over the place and you have to keep your wits about you. This time, Fylingdales was completely lit up and looked even more alien at night than it does during the day, but this helped simplify navigation beside Little Eller Beck and along the boundary fence of the RAF territory.

The rest of the night passed almost without incident. Dave couldn't resist the urge to lie down on the few pieces of tarmac crossed to gaze up at the firmament, It has to be said this was possibly the most incredible night sky I had ever seen, and just when I thought it couldn't get any better Claire and I got to see a giant shooting start dart across the skies.

Of course no LWW can be completely trouble-free. The minor incidents this time were getting slightly lost on the trek back up Wheeldale, and a short twenty minute game of hunt-the-GPS-in-the-heather, which Claire won, and for which I will be forever grateful! This happened just as the sun was rising - any earlier and we would never have found it.

With the sun rising in our backs as we hit the railway track, we had the beautiful sight of a mist-filled Farndale accompanying us for the next couple of miles. Rather annoyingly, by this stage I had developed a couple of blisters which slowed me down and make the last twenty miles of walking pretty uncomfortable.

As we headed over Bloworth Crossing up to the heights of Round Hill and Urra Moor we passed the first walkers of the day. Oddly enough we only saw Cleveland Way types, I had been expecting to meet at least one or two other groups of people tackling the LWW from West to East on this beautiful day.

A reverse crossing meant that we got to experience the views and scenery of the Cleveland Hills in the daylight. This means a slow rollercoaster ride over tops like Hasty Bank, with the walk through the Wainstones being a particular highlight. By now the blisters were causing me problems, and I had slowed down a fair bit, but the scenery was more than enough compensation for a bit of discomfort.

We had an additional voice of encouragement when the New Lyke Wake Walk Club general secretary Gerry Orchard gave us a quick call to see how we were getting on, during one of the rare occasions of having a strong phone signal!

The Cleveland Hills were bustling with activities, with plenty of people out enjoying the clear weather and the recently renovated Lord Stones site looks to be very busy which is good news for the National Park.

The last few miles of the walk seem to go on for ever on tired legs, but with a reverse crossing the final stretch crosses a variety of terrain as you come down through woodland after Live Moor, crossing farmland before returning to the wooded Coalmire plantation. The last steps as you exit the plantation have now reached legendary status in our little walking group and they don't fail to disappoint every time - an absolute killer!

All that remained was the last section of tarmac to greet the stone at the start/ end, then back to the car at Cod Beck. Minutes later we were enjoying the welcoming atmosphere in the Queen Catherine hotel at Osmotherley, toasting another fine North Yorkshire Moors experience.

Lyke Wake Walk June 2014

Regular readers may recognise a theme. But this is not a repeat, but a tale of another crossing of the North York Moors legend that is the Lyke Wake Walk. Our third crossing in eight months no less. As with our previous two crossings, Dave, Claire and I chose not to use a support party, carrying all our supplies as well as stashing some bottles of water on the moors for later.

For me this was the first Summer crossing, having previously done  the walk in decent to terrible Winter weather. This time around, conditions were pretty much perfect. We picked the longest day of the year, on a decent but not too hot day, after a relatively dry spell.

We set off on Friday night at abut 9:45pm from Cod Beck reservoir just outside Osmotherley. We missed out on a photo at the LWW stone as a large walking group decided to hold a meeting there before setting off on their own expedition. It wouldn't have hurt to move over and let us have the stone for a minute, but these guys weren't about to budge, and so we set off, having a good old moan right from the outset.

I have to say it was a real joy to start the walk in daylight. Not only could we see where we were going, but we were soon treated to a beautiful sunset. There aren't many occasions when Teesside gets described as attractive but this is definitely one of them.

Shortly after we were heading up the first of the Cleveland Hills, making the steep climb up to Live Moor and onto Carlton Bank. By now the light had failed and the headtorches came into action. It was fairly cool for the time of year, ideal walking conditions. We grabbed a bite to eat at the trig point of Carlton Bank before heading down and back up Cringle End.

When we passed the Lord Stones site, we could hear the merriment of people headed home after their night out, but our night was only just starting. We had an interesting moment as we headed towards the Wainstones, walking through a field of cows that were eerily silent as they watched us tramp across their patch. The Wainstones were spectacular even in the dark and this is definitely a place to explore independently of a LWW crossing.

After the Wainstones and the next hill Hasty Bank we had the long steady climb up Urra Moor over Round Hill and over to Bloworth Crossing, before getting some speed up on the railway track. We took the "new short cut", cutting onto the moors to our left over towards Ralph Cross, rather than following the track to the Lion Inn. Although we did lose the path here and there, this was definitely a good time saver. By now the sun was coming up for what promised to be a glorious day.

We stopped for some food at the foot of Fat Betty, before heading along the road to meet the boggy section....

Which was about as dry as you can get! The peat bog was bouncy, pleasant underfoot and great fun to cross. There was the occasional marshy patch and I don't think that the pond not too far from Shunner Howe will ever dry out, but this section was a real highlight of the walk as it was so easy to cross.

The dry ground continued over the road and the path up to Blue Man I' th' Moss was fine too. After Blue Man, it does get rocky making this section possibly the most challenging terrain under foot. The views open right up over towards Flyingdales, but it is a little deceptive as what looks like a fairly flat vista ahead of you hides the fact that Wheeldale is just ahead.

This deep little valley is very scenic, but hard work, with a steep climb down to the stepping stones over Wheeldale Beck. I took the opportunity to take my boots and socks off to dip my feet into the Beck and this was an amazing sensation, totally refreshing. With the sun on our faces and a nice sandwich, this was a beautiful place to stop for a breather.

But the LWW wasn't anywhere near done with us and so we made the steep ascent up to Simon Howe. In the past this has felt like a hard slog - especially when the bank up is wet and slippery, but this time it didn't hurt quite as much. When we get to Simon Howe it really feels like you are well over the halfway mark, and for me this is quite a motivator - all of a sudden the Fylingdales monster isn't a speck in the distance but right there a mile or two ahead.

A look at the clock told us that we were making excellent progress and that also meant that we would get to our pub and hostelry in good time - that's pretty much all we needed to spur us on.There were quite a few people at the layby at Fylingdales a mix of support parties and rail enthusiasts. Just over the road, for an unexplained reason there was a man asleep near the RAF boundary fence. Definitely an odd place and time for forty winks!

The newly cleared path up alongside Little Eller Beck made the section up to Lilla Cross nice and straightforward - the last thing you need when you are exhausted is to go and get lost waist deep in heather!

The dry weather also meant that the rough terrain beyond Lilla Cross was not the heavy wet nightmare that it can  be, but at this point fatigue was setting in and made this section the toughest and dullest part of the walk.

You would have thought that the steep ravine of Jugger Howe that follows would be hell but somehow I don't mind it. I love the scenery here, plus the knowledge that the end is more or less within reach makes it not feel so bad.

However once the ravine is crossed, there is some tough path and road walking to be done and at this stage I knew there were some blisters coming into play. We hit the A171 road, knowing that we only had another couple of miles to go, and that there was a nearby pub with soft beds and cold beer awaiting. Although this last section was quite a killer for myself and Claire as we had both amassed a fair old collection of blisters, it was still a celebratory climb up to the mast.

Sixteen hours and five minutes after setting off from Osmotherley we had once again completed the Lyke Wake Walk, with plans for the next crossing already hatching.

Thanks again to my long suffering partners in crime Claire and Dave. Always a winning team!

Another Winter Lyke Wake Crossing

And once again the North Yorks odyssey that is the Lyke Wake Walk had drawn us in. This was  my second attempt - the first time ended with me quite clearly thinking (if it’s possible to think clearly after a straight walk through the night for nineteen hours) “never again”! That thought only lasted on night and I remember at breakfast in the bed and breakfast in beautiful Rosedale the next morning how we already started planning the next crossing.

That actually took longer than anticipated, and so a year and a half later, Claire, Dave and myself were joined by Lyke Wake Walk newcomer Jimmy.This time around we were doing the walk without a support vehicle – no-one waiting at strategic spots to cheer us on and welcome us with hot drinks and food. More importantly no chance to bail - once we had set off from Osmotherley, that was it, no turning back.

We met up at the mast in Ravenscar, as we needed to leave a car there. Dave and Jimmy had spent the afternoon driving round the moors, dropping off bags of food and drink on the way so we wouldn’t have to carry too much. At 9:40 pm, we were back at Osmotherley, hands on the Lyke Wake stone for a quick photo, before setting off. And once again it begins...

As with my previous crossing a Winter crossing is bitterly cold, and the first mile was actually really tough going, attempting to walk on slippery asphalt that was like an ice rink. It was good to get off the road and into the countyside proper. For me, this is the moment when the Lyke Wake Walk really comes into its own, as you trudge along through the pitch black with a couple of head torches lighting the way. On some stretches on the moors, we all turned the lights off and could easily navigate my moonlight and this was quite a magical moment.

The next few miles use good woodland paths and cross a couple of fields. Previously we were accompanied by ghostly sheep in these fields but they seem to have been tucked up somewhere warmer on this cold night.

You then the higher ground of the Cleveland Hills, on the long haul up and over Carlton Bank. From here you have a spectacular view of the lights of Middlesbrough down to the north of you, and the sprawling hills around you.

By now we had settled into a decent walking pace, passing the newly opened (but at this time of night very much shut) Lord Stones Cafe and the night was still very much magical. By the time we hit the railway path and Bloworth Crossing we were going at some speed, and it meant that this section flew by and before we knew it, we could see the Lion Inn not far ahead. Here was our first food stash, and Dave and Jimmy had done us proud, providing with a gourmet feast. Home-made cookies, sandwiches, pasties, bananas and bottled water which miraculously had not frozen.

After this break I was nearly frozen solid and it was time to break out the hand-warmers to try and warm up a little as we headed off along road headed away from the Lion. Soon enough we had passed the sign for Fryup and it was time for the dreaded bog section. Except this time, the bog pretty much stretched from here all the way to Ravenscar as it was muddy all the way.

I maintain that the infamous bog isn't as bad as the next section - the bog you anticipate, but for me the next section past Blue Man I'Th' Moss is just as bad, and twice as long!

After a very long trudge, we had slowed right down, but that was to be expected. Eventually we reached the road at Wheeldale, and then headed down into the ravine. Normally we would use the stepping stones to cross the beck, but after recent heavy rains these were underwater and there was no real way of telling how slippery they would be. We weren't keen on completing the walk soaking wet and ice cold, so we walked upstream a little until we found a section we could just about jump across. Jimmy and Dave were once again the heroes here, going over first and helping me and Claire.

Simon Howe was next, and a brisk climb up from the beck was actually enjoyable for me, as it helped me warm up a little. By this point Dave and Jimmy were both suffering a little from bad knees, which is never pleasant. From Simon Howe, the early warning installation at Flyingdales no longer seemed so far away but even here the ground was decidedly boggy underfoot. We watched a train pass by as we reached the North Yorks Railway track, and at this point, we were still very much full of food and laden down with drink, so we left the food drop here intact and picked it up the next day when driving back.

I had been dreading the next section, as the walk along Eller Beck up to Lilla Cross last time was a bit of a nightmare with no discernible path, and a lot of streams to jump across. However this time, the direct footpath has been cleared and is easy to follow which we were very pleased about.

Once we had got up to Lilla Cross we could finally see the mast at Ravenscar. Once again, it seemed incredibly far away and at this point I could see some of our party getting a bit disheartened. I took a slurp of Claire's rather disgusting energy gel and off I went. This was the worst section for me as far as the path was concerned. Thick heavy, wet clay that stuck to your boots like glue and made for heavy going. This is also the point where two miles on the map feel like five miles on the ground - the section to Jugger Howe just feels endless!

Claire was really not looking forward to Jugger Howe, but although I had suffered a bit on the last few miles, Jugger Howe didn't phase me. I love the view as you go down the steep steps, cross the footbridge and back up the other side, knowing that the end is so near.

And yet so far. It's back on the metalled track across Stony Marl Moor rather than soft or boggy ground and this is a killer on the feet! The very last section is another that feels longer than it ought to. However this time round, finishing in daylight was a massive boost to the morale, as you could see the mast getting closer and closer, instead of the dull trudge it is in the dark with nothing there to motivate.

The sun was setting and by the time we reached the mast, the moors behind us looked beautiful and inviting. Beyond the mast we could see the vast expanse of the North Sea, and it was joy all round as we completed the walk at Ravenscar, exactly 18 hours after setting off from Osmotherley.

So that was it, LWW crossing number two completed for me. It felt a lot easier than the first time round. I think this was largely due to knowing what I was facing and being mentally prepared for the duration of each section and the challenges ahead.

Completing the Lyke Wake Walk gives you a real sense of achievement. It isn't impossible, nor is it the sole reserve of extreme walkers, but it does require some planning, patience, determination and a will to complete it. I admire anyone that attempts the walk.

We stayed the night in the excellent Flask Inn on the Whitby road, with its super comfortable beds, and cosy bar. Once again, we had some folk saying "never again" in the bar that evening, and by the next morning plans for the next crossing were being made. The Lyke Wake Walk just gets under your skin.