SEAHOUSE SAUNTER SECOND DAY

Saturday 22nd. February 2010. Much of this route I have walked over before on recent outings on the moors. "The Saunter" starts on The Cleveland Way, takes in bits of The Inn Way to the North York Moors and parts of different tracks familiar from other challenge walks done in the park over 2008-2010. Todays route finishes it's final miles along The Esk Valley Way, that's a route I have yet to do and will tackle as soon as I can find a description of it's course, it's a National Park creation and their walk booklet is out of print currently. I have been giving the NYM a good going over in the last six months and am beginning to get a better feel for the daled geometry of the moors and valleys, but there is still much still to learn.

Todays section took me from Murton Grange over Newgate Bank (part of the Bilsdale Circuit) Across Rudland Rigg into Farndale. From here back up and then down once more into Rosedale, so quite a lot of climbing is involved in passing from one valley to it's eastward neighbour. The guide gives the total ascent as 5,500' and in the snowy conditions with a heavy pack I was feeling it on my legs at the end of the day! But never-mind this was a wonderful day's walking and not a soul seen apart from ten motorcyclists out messing on the moors east of Rudland Rigg, they were making a bad job of the conditions, I hope it will put them of returning. Thanks to perfect visibility I had no trouble route-finding though I am never at my most relaxed passing through farms and in these parts all the valley paths seem to pass through farms, a legacy and testament of the times when footpaths were created to draw men from hearth and home to labour in the farm and field. At five o'clock I reached the old mineral railway line dating back to Rosedale's Klondyke years when ironstone was shunted to Middlesbrough, there is a beautiful spot here discovered on my Inn Way walk and I decided to spend a repeat night at this perfect winter camp, - see picture. This was a wise decision as there was nothing but snow-frozen moorland for miles ahead. So a happy long night to enjoy and reflect upon a great day's walking.