Day Fourteen - Clay Bank Top to Blakey - 7 May

Time Departed: 10:20am Time Arrived: 2:30pm Distance: 14 kms Cumulative Distance: 261.7kms Percentage Completed: 80% Weather: Sunny at the start, overcast, cold, very windy Accommodation: The Lion Inn We all enjoyed the hospitality of our bachelor B&B host. He had his own style of managing his B&B having done it for only two seasons. He was a builder for thirty-five years before deciding to convert his large house into a B&B. It had a very relaxed atmosphere and he gave a fair amount of autonomy to his guests.

We decided on the later breakfast of eight thirty as it was a short distance to Blakey. We served ourselves cereals, yoghurt, fruit, toast and tea and coffee from the sideboard and our host served hot breakfast for those wishing to have it. After breakfast he put out the ingredients for making sandwiches for our lunch. Once again something different from the norm where the B&B lady makes our packed lunches. Chris couldn’t eat his bacon after eating his large bowl of porridge so he had the tastiest sandwiches using his leftover bacon. He was “unblessed” at our lunch break when he didn’t share them! Our host took us back to Clay Bank Top in two trips in the red Mercedes and we asked for a photo of him as he was such a lovely guy. The climb up to Urra Moor was the only steep climb for the day. Once we got to the top it was easy, flat walking through the moors on broad tracks. It quickly became overcast and a strong, cold easterly wind came again. The reason walkers walk from west to east is to have the wind on their backs but we have to say we have mostly walked straight into the wind for the entire walk. After an hour of walking and reaching the summit for the day at four hundred and fifty metres at Round Hill we had morning tea.

We had only been walking for an hour at this stage! After passing many old boundary stones along the way we had lunch at one o’clock and the wind was strong and cold. Ron had a brilliant idea of sitting low in the heather and it was a good decision as it was very sheltered and was warmer. We saw many grouse today hovering over the heather and then quickly going under cover.

The North York Moors has the largest covering of heather in England. It’s not in flower at present but as it covers the majority of the moors in the area it must look spectacular when it does. We arrived at the Lion Inn at two thirty and the large carpark was filled with cars.

It is clearly a very popular pub high in the moors. When we went inside the warm air enveloped us and there were people everywhere having lunch and the place was packed. We were efficiently checked in. Our rooms are above the pub and dining areas in the roof section. When we walk down our stairs we are immediately in the dining area. Our room is modern given the age of the hotel which goes back four hundred years. The large pub has an old world appeal with fire places in each of the rooms and these were ablaze. There are a number of walkers staying the night en route to the final destination of Robin Hood’s Bay.