Introduction

Introduction Helmsley Hambleton Inn Rest Day Osmotherley Great Broughton

Rievaulx Abbey ruins

Kildale Saltburn-by-the-sea Port Mulgrave Whitby Ravenscar Scarborough

In the north-east corner of England, there is a large plateau of moorland bounded on the west by the flat expanse of the Vale of Mowbray, on the east by the North Sea, on the north by Middlesbrough city and by York city to the south. Most of this plateau is contained in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. The Cleveland Way (CW) makes its way in a horseshoe-shaped route around 175 kilometres (108 miles) of the Park boundary.

The journey begins from the market town of Helmsley and quickly gains the western escapement of the moors (at first the Hambleton Hills and then the Cleveland Hills). This gives panoramic views over the Vale of Mowbray to the Pennine Hills and heather-filled glimpses into the heart of the moorland. Past Kildale, the CW makes a beeline for the coast at Saltburn and then continues its lofty progress southwards along the coastal cliffs. The highest point on England's eastern seaboard is crossed over Rock Cliff at 203m (666 feet). The cliff-line is interrupted by several quaint fishing villages and the larger coastal towns of Whitby and Scarborough. The official end of the CW is along Newbiggin Cliff at the old boundary between the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire. For walkers the real end is a few kilometres further at the town of Filey.

The CW is not a hard walk with most sections having easy walking. The least easy section is between Osmotherley and Clay Bank where a sequence of four moors are separated by small dales with about 100m descent and ascent for each dale. Take care when walking along the coastal cliffs - they are steep, liable to slips and the path can be slippery in wet weather. Navigation is no problem since most junctions have 'Cleveland Way' signposts and there are waymarkers with the Countryside Commissions logo (a stylised acorn) to confirm the route.

There is plenty of accommodation available on the trail with a few exceptions - the nearest accommodation for Sutton Bank is the Hambleton Inn (camping available), at Clay Bank you will probably need to detour into Great Broughton for B&B (there is camping available 1 kilometre south at Holme Farm) and the only accommodation in Kildale is limited B&B at Bankside Farm.

Information for the walk can be gathered from the following guidebooks:

The National Trail Guides: Cleveland Way - written by Ian Sampson, published by Aurum Press Ltd. (1989) in association with the Countryside Commission and the Ordinance Survey. This book covers the whole route in considerable detail with extracts from Ordinance Survey maps showing the route. There is good advice on how to walk the CW, what to take and what to expect. Included are a number of articles about features met on the CW. As an added bonus there are four circular walks described that take in some part of the CW. At the back of the book there is a section of useful information - transport, accommodation, useful addresses, the OS maps to use and other books to have a look at.
A Guide to the Cleveland Way and Missing Link by Malcolm Boyles, (Constable, 1977). This includes a route back to the start of the CW at Helmsley from the official end at Newbiggin Cliff.
The Cleveland Way by Bill Cowley, (Dalesman Books, 1987).
Cleveland Way Companion by Paul Hannon, (Hillside Publications, 1986).
A Guide to the Cleveland Way by Richard Sale (Constable, 1987).
North York Moors by Ken Ward (Jarrold Colour Publications, 1989). This is not a CW guide but does cover some of the moorland sections along its own route. It could be used as the basis for extending the CW.

I did this walk in March, 1993 so the standard warning applies - this is not an up-to-date or comprehensive guide so consult the above references.

Other Cleveland Way Pages:

The Armchair Guide to the Cleveland Way. Updated early 1998. Lots of good photos.
The Cleveland Way by Bryan Thomas.
See the North York Moors National Park Authority site for all the information you need about the North York Moors.
Look at Cleveland Way Accommodation & Services Guide for good general information and lots of details of accommodation and services.