The Ecstasy of Wilderness: June 2010

Day 4/4 Cleveland Way (section of the Way) 54km - Osmotherley to Carlton - 2 Jun 2010

>> Thursday, 3 June 2010

11.5km, took 2.75 hours

After breakfast with all the cheerful coast-to-coast walkers, I left Osmotherley. The bright sunny weather was a total contrast from yesterday's. However, I got a bad start. When caught in a junction in South Wood, I had wanted to take the higher route which seemed to be the right one as shown on my map. Two male walkers came by and said that the lower one should be the right one (quite confidently). I took their advice which I blamed myself terribly later.

I need to learn to make my own decisions sometimes. I should be confident by now after all my experience from the past 2.5 years of rambling in the UK. Hiaz...

Anyway, I persisted on along the wrong path whose terrain grew from bad to worse to quite impassable! I did not turn back because I thought I had come that far and should be able to find an alternative route back to the official track later on. The ground was of soft mud at some places and my right leg sank straight into it. It remained dry inside, saved by my gaiters. It was not too long before both my legs went deep into another muddy section. Gone case lah! I looked and felt terrible then! I wondered why this had happened on my last hike...maybe because my very first hike was like that, so I had to end it the same way too! Argh!

I was totally demoralised when I felt the damp mud seeping into my right socks. The gaiters had not helped after all. I made a decision then: to detour to the nearest village and find my way home. Hence, I walked to Swainby, then took the A172 to Faceby and finally to Carlton. At Whorlton, I stopped by at Crossbank Riding Centre hoping to do some hacking but they said they no longer provide hacks. :( I hoped on the bus to Northallerton (met a very helpful and friendly driver whom brightened up my lousy day) and then got the train back to Newcastle.

What a weird way to end all my hiking in the UK. I threw away my muddy and 'partially worn-out' gaiters too. With this, I end my rambling hobby and I hereby conclude and close my blog. Happy reading folks, and I hope my entries have been helpful to walkers who appreciate the wilderness just like I do. Cheerio...

Day 3/4 Cleveland Way (section of the Way) 54km - Boltby to Osmotherley - 1 Jun 2010

15.2km, took 3.75 hours

It was a very wet and low visibility day. After a good breakfast at the B&B, I left Boltby in search of the shortest way to rejoin the Cleveland Way. Wanting to do short-cuts, I ended up at Boltby Reservoir where forest tracks were going in all directions, and unfortunately not listed on my map! I had to get my compass out in several situations to make sure I was not walking in circles. I passed a group of 4 horse-riders, trotting and walking. I envied them silently.

After 1.5 hour, I finally found the official well-built track leading out of the forest. It was a great relief. I emerged on moorland at Steeple Cross. Visibility had worsened and rain had grown heavier. It was a pity that the extensive moorland views were blocked by the thick fog. I trotted on, picking up my pace, hoping to get out of this terrible weather as soon as possible.

The path ascended and descended gently, passing a forestry plantation before emerging briefly onto a road beside a carpark at Oakdale Head. I slowly blended into the urban surroundings as I approached the village of Osmotherley. There were some really steep climbs but I pressed on, knowing well that I would be reaching my destination soon.

The village was smaller than expected and I headed to the YHA straight away despite knowing that it would not be opened till 5pm. It was located at the outskirts of the village, not very near, sadly. :( While waiting for the reception to be opened, I took a shower, dried my wet clothes and boots and spent the remaining hours in the TV lounge. I had dinner in the YHA with many coast-to-coast walkers who were sharing thousands of interesting encounters. Envied them...I would have done that walk if I could afford 2 weeks more. But now, there's no time left. :(

Day 2/4 Cleveland Way (section of the Way) 54km - Hambleton to Boltby - 31 May 2010

14.4km, took 3.5 hours

Lots of thoughts (about the upcoming group project presentation) were clogging up my mind and the excitement about returning to Singapore continued to keep me awake throughout last night. I got up at 5am for no particular reason and couldn't return to sleep after that. Breakfast was at 8am and I started off shortly after.

A brilliant day once again, windy but much more sunshine than yesterday. Leaving the A170, a path followed an ancient dyke cutting through the forest to emerge on the edge of the escarpment, taking me by surprise! I should have predicted that though, based on the narrow contours alongside the Way - those were high-soaring cliffs overlooking west towards Yorkshire.

An official detour led along past the gliding club to the viewpoint above the famous White Horse. I managed to hear and spot a few gliders up in the sky...so cool, imagine taking up flying/gliding as a sport! The White Horse was kind of a let-down as I couldn't see the whole horse due to its enormous size and the location of where I was standing. I probably had to climb all the way down or hover in the air in one of those gliders in order to catch a full glimpse of it. I retraced my steps back to rejoin the Way.

I was walking at a leisure pace today. There was no urgency as today's walk was a brief one. I arrived at Sutton Bank and spent some time in the Tourist Information Centre shop. I bought some cute handcrafted gifts and browsed through the exhibitions on display.

Beyond Sutton Bank, the straightforward path followed the edge of the escarpment with magnificent views out across the Vale of York. Bright yellow fields brightened up the fantastic day. I took a forest path which led down to Boltby. This was not part of the Cleveland Way, but was the most direct route to Boltby - where I would be staying tonight. The forest path was quite challenging: steep descent, very uneven, muddy at places...seemed to be a terrain for horse-riding, rather than for walking. Hiaz...talking about horse-riding, I couldn't get a slot to hack today because of the busy bank holiday. Sad... :(

I arrived at Boltby and realised something: No stores, no pubs...only houses! Mmmm...I guess I would be skipping lunch/dinner today then. I checked in at 'Town Pasture Farm B&B' and was given an ensuite triple room (1D+1S). Very clean and pleasant-looking accommodation! I spent my afternoon washing up and taking a 2-hour nap, before continuing my reading ('Key of Light' by Nora Roberts). Great book!