The forlorn screech of gulls is constant, and kestrels hover above the cliffs without twitching a feather. I welcome the brisk breeze from the North Sea, as even Britain, known for its cool, grey weather, has experienced heat waves this year, evidenced by the parched, golden fields.
I’m walking the Cleveland Way, a 175-kilometre trail, officially opened in 1969. It starts at the small inland market town of Helmsley and travels over various hills and dales across the romantic moorlands of the North York Moors National Park, to the coast, where it then follows the North Yorkshire coastline from Saltburn-by-the-Sea to Filey.
The path is part of the new English Coast Path, a national trail that when completed, will go around all of England’s coast (4,500 kilometres), making it the longest managed and waymarked coastal path in the world.
The Coast Path routes are based on history (like Liberty Way), famous literary persons (like Bronte Way), or locations. The Cleveland Way was a route dreamed up by the Ramblers Association (a UK walking charity founded in 1935 to protect and expand the places people love to walk), to run along the edge of the North York Moors National Park and link up the Cleveland Escarpment and the Yorkshire Coast.
Most people walk the Cleveland Way coastal path from north to south, to keep the prevailing winds at their backs, but for me, the gateway is Filey, at the south end. The taxi driver who has brought me here from the York train station, an hour away, tells me that Filey is his favourite seaside village. It’s less crowded and touristy than some of the other towns up the coast, and where he likes to take his family for beach time, mini golf and boutique shopping. And, of course, for the fish and chips – there’s a shop on every corner.
Marked by signs with distinctive black acorn symbols, the icon for the national paths, the Cleveland Way aims to stay as close to the coast as possible, usually on natural-surface trails. On day one, most of my 17-kilometre walk is easy-going, atop the cliffs overlooking the sea and alongside hay fields and grazing sheep.
I overnight in Scarborough, the largest seaside resort on the Yorkshire coast, snuggled next to a high rocky promontory atop which sits the mid-12th century Scarborough Castle.
The next morning, after a long promenade walk to circumvent town, the coastal route to Robin Hood’s Bay is more challenging, with many more ups and downs through lush ferny headland valleys. These parts are slow going, and it takes six hours to complete the 26-kilometre section. My feet are sore by the time I walk up the steep hill through historic Robin Hood’s Bay to catch a taxi to nearby Whitby, where my next hotel room is booked.
In Whitby, I join an HF Holidays group tour for another two days of walking, the first day another section of the coastal Cleveland Way, and the final day, a walk in the North York Moors National Park, which boasts one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in England and Wales. You can walk the British paths any time of year, but the best time in the moors is mid-August to mid-September, when the heather is blooming.
I’m used to hiking in the mountains of BC, where if you get off the trail, you can become dangerously lost. As it turns out, getting lost is also a problem on the moors, as the signage is often unclear, but our group leader and her trusty GPS keep us on track.
The sheep wander freely in the moors, laying along the side of roads and haphazardly crossing in front of moving vehicles. They are extremely passive, and barely look at my group as we tromp through their fields. Cows, however, are another story, and the experienced Brits in the group advise they always carry a hiking pole to fend off angry cows, which sometimes gang up to protect their herd (I’d already read that five people a year are killed by cows in the UK).
In the park, there are over 800 “scheduled monuments” (a site that’s legally protected because of historical importance, like archaeological sites and ancient burial grounds), and we come across burial sites and boundary stones (stone markers that were a landmark, or others where the meaning is unclear), some from as far back as Neolithic times.
Unlike Canada, where the federal government owns national parks, the UK National Park authority owns less than one per cent of the moors with 80 per cent owned by private estates and farmers who manage the land to support grouse shooting and sheep.
Historically, private moors were highly guarded by landowners for these purposes. Since 2000, however, due to public pressure, the government legislated a Countryside & Rights of Way Act, which gives the public the conditional right to walk in certain areas of the privately-owned countryside, including the moors.
Moorland owners continue to invest heavily in their grouse moors, employing gamekeepers to manage the land with the best interests for grouse preservation. Guests, including international hunters, pay exorbitant per diem rates for the privilege of a day’s shooting.
“Whichever way you feel about grouse hunting,” says Helen, our group guide, “without it we would lose the heather to invasive species like bracken. Grouse like the heather shoots and flowers, so they are carefully tended.”
As we cross through our third moorland of the day, along a well-worn trail sandwiched by swaths of heather blazing in a smoky pink fashion show, I see her point.
IF YOU GO:
Where to Stay and Eat:
Filey – stay at White Lodge Hotel, a historic property located at the end of Filey’s famous Victorian Crescent; dine at Inghams Fish Restaurant – I ordered the cod and chips for 12 pounds, and I couldn’t eat it all. For an authentic British experience add on a side order of mushy peas.
Scarborough – stay at the Bike and Boot Inn, a hip, vibrant hotel especially suited to the active traveller, located close to the beach and train station, with perks like a free bike storage and dog grooming area; enjoy dinner at Embers Kitchen, where Chef Dan Hargreaves serves up a seasonal menu of British dishes with a twist.
Whitby – overnight at the no frills, affordable Arundel House, where they serve up a tasty and filling traditional English breakfast; eat your dinner at Albert’s Eatery, whilst surrounded by Whitby Jet (a jet-black fossilized wood gemstone) displays.
HF Holidays – is a UK operator who offers affordable (even when you factor in the exchange rate) multi-day walking tours. I joined the 3-Night North York Moors guided hiking group (cost of approximately 349 pounds). The accommodation for this tour is the historic Larpool Hall in Whitby, and delicious, abundant meals are included. Walking tours book several months in advance, so be sure to reserve early.
For more info on the UK go to VisitBritain.com
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