Thursday 6 July 2017

Day 12 - Osmotherley to Blakey Ridge

Day 12 - Osmotherley to Lion Inn (Blakey Ridge)

20 miles
Start: 8am
Finish: 6pm

Stayed and ate at the fantastic Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge, high up on the North York Moors; an oasis of warmth and hospitality amongst the vast heather moorlands.

Route: Osmotherley, Cod Beck Reservoir, Cleveland Hills, Lordstones Cafe, Wainstones, Round Hill and the Ironstone Railway.

A long and tiring day, especially in the sunshine and humid heat. The day started drizzly, but brightened up by the time we got to Lordstones Cafe for our morning coffee. Then it was a rollercoaster walk across the rising and falling Cleveland Hills escarpment, with the Wainstones a particular highlight. Then the final (fourth) climb of the day took us up onto Round Hill, the highest point on the North York Moors. Several miles of shooters tracks then the old Ironstone Railway (passing the famous Hand Stone and Face Stone) took us towards the Lion in, HOWEVER, with 40 minutes to go to the Lion Inn a huge thunderstorm caught up with us so (with safety in mind), we dropped down into the relative safety of Farndale, so we weren't the highest things on the North York Moors in an electrical storm! This meant a big climb back up to the Lion Inn once the storm had passed, but a passing minibus kindly ferried us up the steep hill from Church Houses.

Just 2 days to go...

















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