Cleveland Way 2018 Prologue

Wednesday 8^th August 2018

I admit I am more comfortable catching a train to where I start a walk, but have caught a bus from a train station in the past (Minehead for the SWCP for example) but am a bit hesitant when there are multiple buses, and the bus stop you need to be at not exactly obvious.  To get to Helmsley it was four trains followed by two buses and I thought I needed to walk between different bus stops to continue, but the driver of the first bus advised me I could catch the second from where he let me out, which was easier.

On the second bus a chatty guy was giving me unsolicited information about the area we were travelling through.  He wasn’t annoying and did leave the bus prior to it reaching Helmsley.

I checked out the village and purchased a very expensive Cleveland Way map (that I later realise I didn’t need as my guidebook had an additional map book in a back pocket).  I located the hostel and sat outside reading for 2 hours until opening time.

I sorted my stuff, did laundry, and chatted with a slightly odd guy (that I encountered again in Haworth a year later) in the same dorm room who liked telling pretty much the same story over and over.  When I encountered him the following year, I chose not to engage with him.

 

Thursday 9^th August 2018

After leaving the hostel for the morning, I first went into the village, and then had a look at the castle (not yet open for the day). 

I chose not to hang around to wait to enter and took a photo from outside the walls before heading off along the first 5km of the Clevesland Way (not that I was starting today) to walk to Rievaulx Abbey.

At the Abbey I hung out for almost 2 hours, taking several photos.  Also, I was eating parts of my packed lunch when a sheep in a field just across a stone wall bleated and looked at me.  I’m guessing it gets fed by visitors, so I tossed over a few pieces of an apple I was eating (but kept the crisps to myself!).

An interesting fact.  I have mentioned in the description on my blog that an episode of Midsomer Murders enlightened me to the existence of long distance walking in England.  I do believe the location that the walkers are in during that episode is Rievaulx Abbey.

I headed back to the hostel (being able to enter during closed hours now I was a guest with the access code) as the blisters that had started during the Dales Way were bothering me.  I reclined on a couch to read but ended up falling asleep for a couple of hours.

The evening was spent at the hostel eating and chatting with other occupants.

Day 1