Staithes ~ Medium Walk

Distance Covered: 4.5 miles   Time to complete walk: 2 hours

Safety Tips: Be prepared for some serious inclines on this walk, however the views are worth it. Take care when walking on the cliff edge path.

This walk from the picture postcard fishing village of Staithes, follows the Cleveland Way, with epic views of the coastline and cliffs, and then ends up with  some woodland walking.

 

Staithes

 

Route of the Staithes Walk

Getting There

From Middlesbrough, follow the A174 coastal route via Loftus Bank, the Staithes turn off is a left turning after you pass through Easington.

The Walk

Parking can be found at the top of Staithes on your right. The road into Staithes is very steep and parking at the top avoids driving your car down the bank on the narrow road into Staithes.

From the car park turn right and follow the bank down into Staithes admiring the fishing villages cobbled streets and quaint buildings. There's a nice pub on the sea front which you can return to after the walk if your thirsty for a drink!
You can also explore the village a bit before your walk and have a bite to eat. Staithes is a unique village and merits extra time to explore!

Leave the village by a narrow street to the right of the Cod and Lobster pub. You should pass the house where Captain James Cook once lived and follow the coastal path up a series of steps. This is the climbing part of the walk, and at least you get it out of the way at the beginning. The climb is a gradual one. Go past the farm and out onto open fields.

 

Staithes beach

                                           Cleveland Way sign

Once you reach the top of the gradual climb you will be rewarded with stunning coastal views.

 

 

 

Follow the Cleveland Way towards Port Mulgrave. On reaching Port Mulgrave, following the road away from the sea, you should reach an old style telephone box. Turn right opposite the phone box into a lane between two large houses.

 

 

Keep left beyond the houses and cross three fields until you reach the A174 road. Cross  the A174 to reach the slip road opposite and then down some steps. Follow the path down into the woodland valley.

 

 

Cross Dales Beck over a footbridge, then follow the path uphill and to the left.

 

 

Footbridge over Dales Beck

 



 



Turn right at the junction of paths and walk to a gate at the end of the wood. Walk along the long narrow field and go through a short belt of trees. The track now descends steeply towards a wooden bridge by the caravan site.

Cross the bridge and follow the caravan access lane as far as the road.
Turn right at the road and follow it as far as the A174. Cross over and turn left back into Staithes. Now where was that pub again?

Staithes


Staithes has a sheltered harbour, bounded by high cliffs and two long breakwaters. A mile to the west is Boulby Cliff where, for a brief period, alum, a mineral used to improve the strength and permanency of colour when dying cloth, was mined. The mining operation ended when a cheaper chemical method was developed. The ruined remnants of the mines can be seen from the cliff top when walking the Cleveland Way between Staithes and Skinningrove.
Staithes is a destination for geologists researching the Jurassic (Lias), strata in the cliffs surrounding the village. In the early 1990s, a rare fossil of a seagoing dinosaur was discovered after a rockfall between Staithes and Port Mulgrave to the south. This fossil has been the focus of an ongoing project to remove the ancient bones of the creature. Port Mulgrave remains one of the best places on the northern coast to find fossils of ammonites and many visitors spend hours cracking open the shaly rocks on the shoreline in the hope of finding a perfect specimen.
The permanent population of the village has dwindled due to more than half of the houses being second homes owned by outsiders from cities such as Leeds and York and further afield. Even though fewer than half of the houses in the village are occupied by local people, the traditions of the village have not yet died; many of the local women still wear Staithes bonnets, and the Staithes Fisher Men's Choir is still going strong. There is active local participation in the local RNLI Lifeboat crew.
The CBeebies series Old Jack's Boat, starring Bernard Cribbins, is set in and filmed in Staithes, with Old Jack's house located at 4 Cowbar Bank in the town.
There is a local pub crawl known as the "Roxby Run". This starts at the "Fox and Hounds" in the nearby village of Dalehouse then goes to Staithes Athletic Club, the "Captain Cook Inn", the "Black Lion" (now closed) the "Royal George" before finishing at the "Cod and Lobster" on the harbour.



Ampleforth ~ Easy Walk

Distance Covered: 4 miles   Time to complete walk: 2 hours

Safety Tips: Be prepared for the steep incline at the very beginning of the walk. Use your GPS if you stray off the walk. 

This is an ideal walk for beginners. Steep at the very start of the walk, its all downhill after then with pleasant walking through cornfields and woodland around the surrounding countryside near the pretty village of Ampleforth. Take a picnic, as towards the end of the walk there's a picnic table!

 

Studfold Ring

 

Getting There

 

From Middlesbrough go up Ormesby Bank and follow the signposts to Great Broughton. Stay on this road which is the B1257 until you reach Helmsley. Follow the road out of Helmsley towards Thirsk. At a signpost which says route avoiding the Sutton Bank take this route and take the first right turning which will lead you to Ampleforth. Parking is on the roadside in Ampleforth.

 

The Walk

 

 

Route of the Ampleforth walk

 





From the road side parking, along the main road in Ampleforth look for a gap between the White Horse Inn and the post office, opposite a post box.

 

        

                                                                  Start of the walk

 

This is the only climbing part of the walk, and although a bit strenuous, don't worry as its all downhill afterwards. Make your way through entrance gates onto a second drive. Turn right to a junction and go over a stile.

 

                                                                     Stile onto field

Climb to the top of the bank and you will reach a track, follow it to the left, passing through gates to carry on at the edge of a paddock. Entering the next field bear right to the far corner, and keep going by a fence and a broken wall to your right. When you reach the very top, walk left and then right and continue ahead by the perimeter of a long field. If you've lost your bearings you should have the circle of trees surrounding the Studfold Ring to your left.

 

Studfold Ring

 

 

 
The Studfold Ring is a banked enclosure dating from the Bronze Age. Carry onto the end of the cornfield path and you will reach a stile which leads you onto a road and onto the main road, the High Street.

 

Stile onto High Street

 

 



Turn left and follow the High Street for three quarters of a mile, passing the entrance to Studford Farm and passing by a lane that leads back to Ampleforth. About 200 yards further on leave the road to the left dropping onto a forest track.

 

 

Forest track

 

The track leads downhill into the plantations of College Moor. Look for the second fork in this path which leads to the left and take this path.

 



                                                  Take the left fork on the track

Follow this path and when it ends on a right bend look for a hidden path to the right which leads into the woods.

 

Path into the woods

 



This path doubles back and leads into the woods. Follow this path until you reach a stile and a picnic table is on your right. A great place for a pitstop and food and refreshments!.

 

Picnic Table

 



                             

After your picnic, turn left on the lane and follow this back onto the main road and turn left back into Ampleforth. To your right on the way back are some great views of the Howardian Hills.

 

 

 

 



 



 

Ampleforth

 

Ampleforth is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England, about 23 miles (37 km) north of York. The village is situated on the edge of the North York Moors National Park. The parish has a population of 883 according to the 2001 census and includes Ampleforth College.
Until immediately after the Second World War Ampleforth mainly consisted of houses built along the main road which serves as the principal thoroughfare. Here there are several buildings dating back to the 19th century including the village's shop and the adjoining Coram Cottage, constructed in 1856.
After the Second World War the village began to spread southwards and further east along what now are called Mill Lane and East Lane. At the southern end of the village there is a former council estate constructed in the 1960s which formed the greatest part of the development. Construction of new houses continues today. Along East Lane small farms are gradually being developed into large homes so that the rural and residential split becomes less marked
The Church of England parish church is dedicated to St Hilda, an English abbess who founded Whitby Abbey. The church dates back to Saxon times, with elements from the 13th century. Attached to the church is a primary school run jointly by the Church of England and the North Yorkshire County Council Education service.
Ampleforth Abbey is only 1 mile (1.6 km) away. Our Lady and St Benedict's church is served by the monks of Ampleforth and has been the parish church for the village's Catholic population for many decades, often being considered a chapel-of-ease to the farmers of the area. Attached to the Roman Catholic parish is the co-educational primary school, St Benedict's, which is run by the Diocese of Middlesbrough as a systemic school.
There are two public houses in the village, the White Swan and the White Horse. The latter takes its name from the large white horse which was carved into the hillside a few miles to the west.
Ampleforth had a Quaker settlement on the edge of the village, in Shallowdale to the west. The 16th century Carr House Farm was occupied by flax workers to weave flax into linen

Reeth ~ Medium Walk

Distance Covered: 5.5 miles   Time to complete walk: 2 hours

Safety Tips: Use your GPS signal if you feel you have strayed off the walk. Be prepared for the steep incline of the walk.

This is an enjoyable walk,  with riverside, woodland and field walking and offers panoramic views of Swaledale at its summit. It will take around two hours to complete and is approximately 5 and a half miles long.

 

View of Swaledale

 

Getting There

From Middlesbrough take the A66 to Darlington and then take the A66 and then the M1 to Scotch Corner. At Scotch Corner look for the Richmond turn off which is the A6108. Follow this through Richmond and continue on it until you come to the B6270 right turning to Reeth. Follow this and parking can be found on the Green in Reeth and the parking fee is a voluntary contribution.

The Walk

                                                     Route of the Reeth Walk

From the Green, walk in a downhill direction back to Reeth Bridge.

 

Reeth Bridge

 

Over the bridge, carry on along the road for a while until it swings to the right. Look for a signpost sign to Grinton on the right and follow this footpath.

 

                                                               Grinton signpost

Follow the riverside path to a signpost then continue on a well marked path across fields until you reach Grinton Bridge. There is a right of way path to the left which will enable you to reach the road alongside the bridge.

 

Right of Way path

 

Cross the road and look for a path to the left beside the bridge. Follow this path which will follow the river for a while. Keep on it until you reach a metalled lane.

 

 

Riverside path view

 

Stile to metalled lane

 

Follow the lane, for about half a mile until you reach Marrick Priory. Marrick Priory, is used for residential and outdoor activities.

 

 

Marrick Priory

 

Walk past the buildings and over a cattle grid and immediately through a gate on your left which is signposted "Marrick".

 

 

Cattle grid

 

Gate to Marrick

 

Walk up the grassy track then follow the paved footpath through woodland. This is the climbing part of the walk, and the incline is steady but you may need to stop for breaks.

 

                                                                Woodland path

Continue the walk through a few fields, with a wall to your right, until you reach gates at a farm. Go through the gates and onto the road. Opposite Harlands House turn left and follow the road.

 

Harland House sign

 

Follow the road until you come to a triangular junction and take the left turning.

 

 

Take left turning

Follow the road past farm buildings for a quarter of a mile. Look for a stile at a footpath sign on your left.
             

 

Stile on left of road

Follow the track with the wall to your right and keep an eye out for another stile to your right which enables you to cross over to the other side of the wall.

 

Stile in wall

 

Continue on the track with the wall to your left, in the direction to meet a road in the distance. 

 

 

 





 

Path with road in the distance

 

Turn left on the road and follow it for three quarters of a mile. The road will descend steeply and offer panoramic views of Swaledale. On a bend to the left and before the two roads meet in a fork look for a small stile in the wall to your right. This should be signed "Fremington".

 

 

Stile in wall to the right

 

Go straight ahead through a field onto another stile. Continue along this waymarked field track, following all the waymarkers until you finally end up on a walled path behind houses.

 

 

 

Road path near houses

 

Follow the road left and then to the right and as it bends to the left go straight ahead through a stile.

 

 

Road and path leading to stile

 

Keep by the wall on the left and follow the path back to Reeth Bridge through more stiles and a field. Head back to Reeth for refreshments!

 

 

Path back to Reeth bridge

 

 

Reeth

 

In Saxon times, Reeth was only a settlement on the forest edge, but by the time of the Norman Conquest it had grown sufficiently in importance to be noted in the Domesday Book. Later it became a centre for hand-knitting and the local lead industry was controlled from here, but it was always a market centre for the local farming community.
On 5 July 2014, the Tour de France Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate passed through the village.
Village amenities include three public houses (the Black Bull Hotel, the Buck Hotel and the King's Arms), a post office and village shop, as well as the Burgoyne Hotel, which has been featured in the Good Hotel Guide and named one of Alistair Sawday's "Special Places to Stay", one of five National Park Centres for the Yorkshire Dales is located in Reeth. The local health establishment is Reeth Medical Centre, which serves over 200 square miles of land, caring for over 1,500 patients from the surrounding area.