Re: Bob's Bits.
Robin Hoods Bay to Cloughton – Friday 26th May 2017
The 10:07am, X93 Coastliner service from Scarborough to Middlesbrough was almost fifteen minutes late.
I stood in the heat of the mid morning sun and kept reading the timetable over and over again, could it possibly be my mistake? Had I missed something, What did that shading mean, Or the asterisk. Just as I was beginning to doubt that there would ever be a bus, it appeared around the corner. There is only one place to sit on a Double Decker, and that is upstairs. It was crowded downstairs but older people don’t like stairs so I guessed there would be plenty of seats up there. I was wrong, but I did manage to find a suitable half seat next to a fat bloke who shuffled up grudgingly to reveal another inch of cushion....
As the bus slowly trundled along the twisting country roads and down the steep hill to Robin Hoods Bay it finally came to rest at the road junction where it would turn to rejoin the main road on its way to the next stop at Whitby. After listening to all the chatter about walking I was surprised to be one of only a few to alight at this stop, and I wondered where the rest of the occupants would be spending their day.
I was soon making my descent of the narrow cobbled street down to the sea front where I would find, carved into the signpost, the Acorn symbol identifying the Cleveland Way Coast path back to Cloughton, some ten miles away, although the Cleveland Way proper starts about ninety miles away in Helmsley and ends on Filey Brigg.
Having dropped almost to the bottom I now have to ascend hundreds of steps up on to the cliff tops. I was amazed how light work I made of these steps, but realised there was still a long way to go, so I’d better be careful if this walk was to be successful and not end up a basket case. I paused to take photos and rushed on to the next set of steps at ‘Boggle Hole’ interesting name! I stayed here once at the Boggle Hole Hotel just a mile up the valley. I was running lots of marathons at the time and with a fellow runner decided it would make a good place to train, plenty of hills and it was miles from anywhere. I remember there were lots of Mr and Mrs Smiths staying there as well who hardly left their rooms.
It wasn’t just a ‘flash in the pan’ the climbs were taken at ease, and I realised that despite having a few bad runs at home recently, I was in the shape of my life. Post Heart Attack at any rate, but the climb I faced now would be the mother of all climbs and by far the steepest and longest of the whole walk. I have arrived at the old alum mines at the foot of the hill, It looks interesting and deserves more investigation than I have time to devote today, I shall return in the future. With this thought in my mind I take a long hard swig from my water bottle and do battle. I manage to make it to the top without pause, I was right, I am in good shape, I could have gone faster if I’d have wanted. I was sweating a bit though as it trickled down from my forehead and stung my eyes.
There is a very nice Tea Room in Ravenscar, I have taken tea and tuna sandwiches there on a few occasions. I had decided earlier that my serial bars would be sufficient to see me through to the end, but I realised that this great big empty hole in my stomach could not be filled by serial bars alone, so in I went and had the usual, I’m glad I did, the vitalising effect that Yorkshire Tea provides is not to be understated.
Thinks.....’Must visit the tea room with Mrs Fox sometime’.....
Back on track and still following the Acorn emblem I passed by Staintondale with its steep steps down and then even steeper steps climbing out, until I arrived a Hayburn Wyke. Tall majestic cliffs covered in forest with a secluded sandy beach nestled between two headlands, and more steps, but only a couple of miles to the end of today’s walk. The last mile or two is on the small unfenced road that leads away from the sea and into the scattered farmhouses and posh barn conversions in the hamlet of Cloughton.
The last time I did this walk it took me five and a half hours, I managed today’s walk in Four hours and twenty minutes, and got a very nice suntan as well........