Lordstones, Cringle Moor and Cold Moor - July 2023

Towards the end of May 2023, we decided to walk two sections of the Cleveland Way (Helmsley to Sutton Bank and Sutton Bank to Osmotherley) which I will cover in future posts. The Cleveland Way covers 109 miles in total, traditionally starting at Helsmley and walking inland through the North York Moors National Park with the later legs of the walk taking in the coastal paths from Saltburn to Filey.

People walking the Cleveland Way will plan their own itineraries depending on fitness, possible detours, time available and so on. However, a popular 'Day 3' route is the notoriously tough third section from Osmotherley to Clay Bank, which involves ascents and descents over five moors (Scarth Moor, Live Moor, Cringle Moor, Cold Moor and Hasty Bank). Although not technically challenging, it involves some decent climbs and steep descents. It covers 11 miles in total, shorter than previous legs, but involving more ups and downs. Some walkers choose to power on from Clay Bank towards Kildale (approximately 21miles) on the third day, to cover more ground.

I have been keen to walk the Osmotherley to Clay Bank section of the Cleveland Way for some time, and regretted not taking an extra day off to make that third stretch part of our short break in May. After finding ourselves with some time on Sunday, we decided to drive out to Lordstones Country Park to take in a small part of the walk. Having left later than expected, we undertook a short five-mile circular walk, taking in Cringle Moor and Cold Moor. The ascent to Cringle Moor is short and fairly gentle. The views at the top from the famous Alec Falconer seat are incredible. We were battered around by the wind and rain as the top of the moor is very exposed, but with our dog on a lead and decent waterproofs it made the experience more invigorating than unpleasant. Despite some ominous dark clouds, we were very lucky with the weather with only a few brief showers and some blustery winds.

Cringle Moor seemed popular with families going up to the top and down again, but it was far quieter than Roseberry Topping (more on that in another post). On the descent from Cringle Moor we passed a number of day-hikers and people walking the Cleveland Way. After the steady walk along Cringle Moor followed by a rapid crazy paving descent, we reached the base of Cold Moor. I was unhappy about going through a field of cattle with our dog. Although not reactive, she has her moments of barking at things and it is impossible to predict when she will choose to do so. The cattle seemed pretty unbothered, however, and were a reasonable distance away.

We came back along the bridleway with Cringle Moor rising up sharply to the side of us. The path to Lordstones was fairly flat, with fern on either side and some stretches passing over spoil heaps. The walk finished with a nice wooded section and after grabbing a coffee at Lordstones, we drove to Mount Grace Priory to have a look at the ruins and the award-winning gardens.

Pros: Very good paths up, down and across Cringle Moor. Superb views. A good mix of different terrains.

Cons: Could get muddy and slippy in wet weather. The walk was too short for us. Cattle in fields.

Next time: The views on this walk are breathtaking and we will happily return, but this time for a longer walk. There are plenty of circular routes starting in Osmotherley, Lordstones or Hasty Bank, so plenty of exploring still to do.