Coast, Cliffs and Cinder Tracks

North York Moors I remember for grouse, heather and some rain.

My last trip to this coastline on day 12 of the coast to coast

Staying put this time,  at Cober Hill with its rambling  grounds.

With weather also ‘fixed’ , in high pressure sunshine.

 

Perfect for exploring wide beaches and abruptly ending cliffs.

Seals pottered about the headlands, not oblivious to the  shoals of fish puckering the benign summer sea.

Four days walking the coast from Sandsend to Scarborough. 

A useful loop back for day walks given by the almost parallel cycle track along the old railway line.

My companions had brought their dogs with them.  Not too much of a challenge here to find dog friendly walks.  Bar stopping the more exuberant taking an unexpected dive to a sticky end.

Sandsend to Whitby is largely a ‘dog friendly’ beach .  Sands sweeping wide and uninterrupted until the bright stripes of huts in Whitby bay.

The Abbey imposing above the rambling fishermen’s streets.

Skip a bit south to Maw Wyke Hole.  Wyke meaning, in Yorkshire speak, somewhere a boat can be landed.  Rare in this coastal stretch where the waves work with razor sharpness to bite chunks out of impenetrable cliffs.

All the way along the coast can be walked.  The England Coastal Path skirting the moorland or areas where arable farming turned the landscape to a dusky golden hue. 

For a while the Cleveland Way is imprinted on the coast too.   Just north of Robin Hood’s bay the Coast to Coast trail joins for its final leg.  You won’t find it on an OS map as it hasn’t been awarded National Trail status.  Despite being voted the second best walk in the world.  You will find it signed along this part of the coast and through much of its path through Yorkshire. I digress.

Though the birds had mostly left, this section had pock marked cliffs.  Acned with signs of nesting birds.  Long flown and probably now more visible from sea level. 

Where the steepness relents, down to the Wykes, vegetation has taken hold with wind battered oaks and coastal scrub clinging on to the sides.  Often with the end of moorland rivers reaching their ultimate destination. 

From Hayburn to Cloughton Wyke the path is unexpectedly undulating, matching the small hills of the hinterland.

Somewhat different from my usual mountain territory this coast has much to explore; from the busy beaches of Whitby, small tucked away cottages and castles on cliffs. 

And the inevitable end of tea and cake!

With special barks to Sadie, Annie, Wystan, Caz, Sidney, Mousie  and Elliotta!

More  information on this holiday and others from Walking Women