Cleveland Way
Encyclopedia
The Cleveland Way is a National Trail in ancient Cleveland
in Northern England
. It runs 110 miles (177 km) from Helmsley
to Filey
, skirting the North York Moors
National Park.
and Filey
in a horseshoe
configuration. The trail is waymarked
along its length using the standard National Trail acorn
symbol.
The trail falls into two roughly equal sections. The inland section leads west from Helmsley, then north, then east around the west of the North York Moors National Park. It then leaves the National Park near Guisborough
to meet the coast at Saltburn
. The coastal section follows the coast from Saltburn to Whitby
, Scarborough and Filey.
sections of the trail provide a habitat for species including red grouse
, curlews and Emperor moth caterpillars. The coastal sections may provide sightings of sea birds such as Great Cormorant
s, Shags
, Puffins, Guillemots and Sea gulls.
The Cleveland Way connects with various other long distance footpaths
. These are listed in order from Helmsley to Filey.
The Ebor Way
goes from Ilkley
(where it connects with the Dales Way
) to Helmsley. The White Rose Walk
from Kilburn White Horse
to Roseberry Topping
crosses the Cleveland Way. The whole coastal section of the Cleveland Way forms part of the North Sea Trail
. The Esk Valley Walk
from Castleton
ends at Whitby
. The Coast to Coast Walk
starts or ends at Robin Hood's Bay
, and the Lyke Wake Walk
crosses the moors from Osmotherley to Ravenscar
. The Yorkshire Wolds Way
goes from Filey to Hessle
, near Hull
, where it connects with the Trans Pennine Trail
which forms part of the European walking route E8.
Cleveland, England
Cleveland is an area in the north east of England. Its name means literally "cliff-land", referring to its hilly southern areas, which rise to nearly...
in Northern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It runs 110 miles (177 km) from Helmsley
Helmsley
Helmsley is a market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. The town is located at the point where the valleys of Bilsdale and Ryedale leave the higher moorland and join the flat Vale of Pickering. It is situated on the River Rye and lies on the A170 road, east...
to Filey
Filey
Filey is a small town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the borough of Scarborough and is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on the North Sea coast. Although it started out as a fishing village, it has a large beach and is a popular tourist resort...
, skirting the North York Moors
North York Moors
The North York Moors is a national park in North Yorkshire, England. The moors are one of the largest expanses of heather moorland in the United Kingdom. It covers an area of , and it has a population of about 25,000...
National Park.
History
The trail was opened in 1969. It was the second official National trail to be opened.Route
The trail can be walked in either direction linking the trailheads of HelmsleyHelmsley
Helmsley is a market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. The town is located at the point where the valleys of Bilsdale and Ryedale leave the higher moorland and join the flat Vale of Pickering. It is situated on the River Rye and lies on the A170 road, east...
and Filey
Filey
Filey is a small town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the borough of Scarborough and is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on the North Sea coast. Although it started out as a fishing village, it has a large beach and is a popular tourist resort...
in a horseshoe
Horseshoe
A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
configuration. The trail is waymarked
Waymarking
Waymarking is an activity where people locate and log interesting locations around the world, usually with a GPS receiver and a digital camera. Waymarking differs from geocaching in that there is no physical container to locate at the given coordinates. Waymarking identifies points of interest for...
along its length using the standard National Trail acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
symbol.
The trail falls into two roughly equal sections. The inland section leads west from Helmsley, then north, then east around the west of the North York Moors National Park. It then leaves the National Park near Guisborough
Guisborough
Guisborough is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England....
to meet the coast at Saltburn
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a seaside resort in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The town is around east of Middlesbrough, and had a population of 5,912 at the 2001 Census.-Old Saltburn:...
. The coastal section follows the coast from Saltburn to Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
, Scarborough and Filey.
Flora and fauna
The moorlandMoorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
sections of the trail provide a habitat for species including red grouse
Red grouse
The Red Grouse is a medium sized bird of the grouse family which is found in heather moorland in Great Britain and Ireland. It is usually classified as a subspecies of the Willow Grouse but is sometimes considered to be a separate species Lagopus scoticus...
, curlews and Emperor moth caterpillars. The coastal sections may provide sightings of sea birds such as Great Cormorant
Great Cormorant
The Great Cormorant , known as the Great Black Cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the Black Cormorant in Australia and the Black Shag further south in New Zealand, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds...
s, Shags
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
, Puffins, Guillemots and Sea gulls.
Connecting trails
Long-distance footpaths in the United Kingdom
-England and Wales: National Trails:National Trails are distinguished by being maintained by the National Trails organization . , there are fifteen such trails, one of which is not yet complete....
. These are listed in order from Helmsley to Filey.
The Ebor Way
Ebor Way
The Ebor Way is a 70 mile long-distance footpath from Helmsley, North Yorkshire to Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England. It takes its name from Eboracum, the Roman name for York....
goes from Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
(where it connects with the Dales Way
Dales Way
The Dales Way is an 84-mile Long Distance Footpath in Northern England, from Ilkley, West Yorkshire to Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria....
) to Helmsley. The White Rose Walk
White Rose Walk
The White Rose Walk located in North Yorkshire, England, was devised in 1968 by the Yorkshire Wayfarers, It starts at the Kilburn White Horse and is completed by touching the trig point on top of Roseberry Topping...
from Kilburn White Horse
Kilburn White Horse
The Kilburn white horse, , is a hill figure formed in the hillside near the village of Kilburn, in North Yorkshire, England. The horse is long by high and covers about and is said to be the largest and most northerly in England....
to Roseberry Topping
Roseberry Topping
Roseberry Topping is a distinctive hill on the border between North Yorkshire and the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, England. It is situated near Great Ayton and Newton under Roseberry. Its summit has a distinctive half-cone shape with a jagged cliff, which has led to many comparisons with the...
crosses the Cleveland Way. The whole coastal section of the Cleveland Way forms part of the North Sea Trail
North Sea Trail
The North Sea Trail is a long-distance path linking seven countries and 26 partner areas in Northern Europe around the North Sea.The project's aims are to support sustainable tourism and to explore the heritage of communities along the North Sea coast....
. The Esk Valley Walk
Esk Valley Walk
The Esk Valley Walk is a long distance footpath in North Yorkshire, England. The route first follows a loop on the North York Moors to the south of Castleton, reaching the source of the River Esk, and then follows its journey to the North Sea...
from Castleton
Castleton, North Yorkshire
Castleton is a village on the River Esk, part of the civil parish of Danby in the county of North Yorkshire in England. It can be found about 15 miles south-east of Middlesbrough, in the North York Moors. There was once a medieval castle sited on Castle Hill....
ends at Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
. The Coast to Coast Walk
Coast to Coast Walk
The Coast to Coast Walk is a 192-mile unofficial and mostly unsignposted long distance footpath in Northern England...
starts or ends at Robin Hood's Bay
Robin Hood's Bay
Robin Hood’s Bay is a small fishing village and a bay located five miles south of Whitby and 15 miles north of Scarborough on the coast of North Yorkshire, England. Bay Town, its local name, is in the ancient chapelry of Fylingdales in the wapentake of Whitby Strand.-Toponymy:The origin of the name...
, and the Lyke Wake Walk
Lyke Wake Walk
The Lyke Wake Walk was started by a local farmer, Bill Cowley, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England, in 1955. He claimed that one could walk over the North York Moors from east to west on heather all the way except for crossing one or two roads and he issued a challenge that walkers took up...
crosses the moors from Osmotherley to Ravenscar
Ravenscar, North Yorkshire
Ravenscar is a coastal village in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire, England, approximately north of Scarborough. It is within the civil parish of Staintondale....
. The Yorkshire Wolds Way
Yorkshire Wolds Way
The Yorkshire Wolds Way is a National Trail in Yorkshire, England. It runs 79 miles from Hessle to Filey, around the Yorkshire Wolds...
goes from Filey to Hessle
Hessle
Hessle is a town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, situated west of Kingston upon Hull city centre. Geographically it is part of a larger urban area which consists of the city of Kingston upon Hull, the town of Hessle and a number of other villages but is not part of the...
, near Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, where it connects with the Trans Pennine Trail
Trans Pennine Trail
The Trans Pennine Trail is a long distance path running from coast to coast across northern England entirely on surfaced paths and using only gentle gradients ....
which forms part of the European walking route E8.