Captain's Log

Sutton Bank

The sun broke through the clouds as I approached Sutton Bank. Then it disappeared and I never saw it again for the rest of the day. It had raised my hopes momentarily that I’d have something more than grey skies to accompany me. There were no large lorries making their way up Sutton Bank which was a relief. The road is so steep that they have to climb up it in a crawler gear and this can make it a very slow climb. I parked at the Sutton Bank visitor centre carpark at the top of the hill and started kitting up.

Today’s walk would take me from Sutton Bank to Rievaulx Abbey. I’d make use of the Cleveland Way that links the two locations, but I’d also use other footpaths where options were available. I’d not done this part of the Cleveland Way before. Over the years, I believe I’ve done most of the national trail by day walks, but someday I hope to complete it as a thru hike. 

The Finest View In England

The fingerpost pointed me to The Finest View In England. I’d already been to the viewpoint before and knew what to expect. I figured that with today’s greyness and mizzle, there wouldn’t be that much to see anyway. It’s quite interesting that a wooden platform has been built on which you can stand to admire The Finest View In England. The platform is maybe a foot higher than the surrounding area. Given that it is located on the top of a high cliff, I’m not really sure what this extra height gives you. Even so I walked onto the platform to witness The Finest View In England. As expected, due to the mist there wasn’t much actually visible. The cliffs could be seen and were quite impressive though and I spent a minute or two watching a murder of crows fly about its face.      

I’d been protected from the wind by the trees in the forestry plantation, but once I’d left them behind I was battered by a strong cold easterly wind. I put my hood up and headed straight into it on a bridleway towards Cold Kirby. The track went alongside an area called the Gallops and as might be expected there was a course constructed for training racehorses. Horse racing isn’t really my thing, but I do find galloping horses an impressive sight and a good photo opportunity. Unfortunately, there were none to be seen today. Maybe it was just too cold for the horses. That wind was chilling me to the bone. 

Cold Kirby

This area certainly caught the wind. I can see why they prefixed Kirby with Cold. I found it to be a bit of an unusual place. The one street in the village ended in a farm track. The houses on either side of the road seemed to be working farms or old farms that were now residential. It would be quite pretty except for the fact the main street was coated with mud. It felt like it needed a good wash down. I left the Cleveland Way near the village church and headed on to another farm track through some fields. There were plenty of pheasants mooching about and some feeders for them. They were very tame and I could get quite close. If the Tweed Trouser Brigade were wanting a future shooting challenge, I don’t think they’d find it in these poor sods.   

I branched away from the farm track on a footpath that descended steeply in some woods. It was muddy and slippery and I was quite surprised when I reached the bottom of the path without slipping on to my backside. I found myself in one of those typical North York Moors Dales called Flassen Dale. Tall conifers lined each side, whilst the bottom of the dale was grass. There was also a farm track that ran down the dale and I started following this. It turned out to be quite a pleasant walk down the valley. I spotted four Buzzards circling the top of the trees along its length and there was plenty of other birdlife. Apart from me and the birds, the dale was quite deserted and I rather liked the feeling of remoteness it gave. Towards its end, a track came down through the trees to my left and the Cleveland Way joined me again. I’d use that track on the way back, but to be honest I found this alternative Flassen Dale route more interesting. Just after the footpath junction, I came across three picnic tables, next to two large wooden barrels and also a couple of raised wooden platforms. There was a portoloo on a raised platform too. I presumed this was something to do with Tweed Trouser Brigade activities rather than facilities for passing walkers. I did make note of the picnic tables though since I reckoned they would make an ideal spot for lunch on my way back. 

Rievaulx Abbey

I continued following the valley down and in Nettle Dale I came across a series of pools. They were quite large and fenced off. There were plenty of wildfowl making use of them. I wondered if they might be used for fishing, although I didn’t see any signs suggesting that might be the case. The farm track finally ended at tarmac and I started following this road down the valley. It was quite narrow, with no verge, and I had to squeeze into the hedgerow a couple of times to let cars pass. The road reached a junction at the pretty Rievaulx Bridge, a location I recognised from when I walked from Helmsley to Rievaulx Abbey (see Rievaulx Ramble). After crossing the bridge, I turned left on to another single track road which followed the bank of  the river. The magnificent ruins of Rievaulx Abbey were now clearly visible further down the valley. There were a few breaks in the hedgerow that allowed me to take some long distance photos of the abbey. I didn’t intend going into the grounds of the abbey itself today. The site is managed by English Heritage and can be an expensive business. It is an impressive place though and it does have an interesting museum, and so it is worth forking out a small fortune at least once in your life to tour the grounds. The English Heritage's carpark was the turnaround point for today’s walk. 

Return

There were a few more walkers about as I made my way back to Rievaulx Bridge. I presume they’d made their way here from Helmsley since the town is a lot closer than Sutton Bank. As I joined the farm track along Nettle Dale, I came across a farmer on an ATV that had stopped at a locked gate. After greetings he said ‘This is the third bag I’ve picked up today’ and he showed me a bag of dog shite that he’d just picked up at the side of the track. ‘Maybe the dog walker is going to pick it up on their way back’ I suggested. ‘No. I’ve not seen anybody else further up the track,’ he replied. I sympathised with him. It must be a shit job. 

I stopped at the picnic tables that I’d seen on my outward journey, to have my lunch. The raised platforms were a bit of a mystery to me. I’d like to think that that members of the Tweed Trouser Brigade might give some singing or acting performance on them when they'd finished causing mayhem on the moors. The platforms were about the same height as the back of a pickup and so they were possibly used for moving stuff to and from the site.  

After lunch, I followed the Cleveland Way track that climbed out of Flassen Dale. This joined a rather muddy farm track that headed in a straight line back towards Cold Kirby. As soon as I got out of the dale the cold wind hit me again. At least it was hitting my back now rather than my face. Cold Kirby was just as muddy as when I’d left it earlier in the day. 'A pretty village, but could do with a clean' would be my assessment. As soon as I left the village, I followed a Cleveland Way fingerpost that pointed along another farm track. This meandered towards Hambleton House, where I found another horse training course in their back garden. There were no horses out galloping although I could see some looking out of the stable doors. In fact, even though I must have been over a 100 metres away, I could smell them too.   

The trail brought me through woodlands that surrounded the Sutton Bank visitor centre. I came across a rather nice bmx cycle area that I’d have loved to have had the opportunity to ride on as a kid. In my days though, we just had to make do with the local quarry and all the hidden dangers that went with it. I found the area around the visitor centre a bit disorientating. There were quite a lot of trails but not many useful signs. The gps on my phone offered reassurance that I indeed was on the correct path. The carparks were nearly full when I reached the visitor centre. It is certainly a popular place.  

Given that the day had been grey, cold and mizzly, I still enjoyed today’s walk. I quite liked Flassen Dale and when I eventually get around to thru hiking the Cleveland Way, I think I’ll choose that route to Cold Kirby in preference to the official one. I didn’t go into the grounds of Rievaulx Abbey, but given a sunnier day and some luck on the lottery, I would definitely visit it as part of this walk.