If this is the first of my UK Coast to Coast Adventure Journal posts you are reading, please do consider going back to the beginning for the full story.
Day 11 of our UK coast to coast hike would have us leave the “tepid agricultural tract” (Wainwright’s term) we’d been in for the last couple of days, and head into the Cleveland Hills and the North York Moors National Park. Starting at Oaktree Hill, we’d first walk to Ingleby Cross, where the flat section would end, before continuing to Osmotherley for our overnight.
It was to be a very short day. Just ten miles, or there abouts. This was in part due to our pre-hike planning decision to break up the long day from Richmond to Ingleby Cross by playing about with the mileages (see my day ten post for a bit more on that decision), compounded by the logistics of finding places to pitch up that weren’t already closed for the season.
With days 12, 13 and 14 being much bigger in terms of distance and terrain, one last short day in this more leisurely part of our coast to coast hiking experience was not causing us any discontent.
The Day 11 Plan
Our plan was to walk to Ingleby Cross in time for a late and leisurely lunch stop in the village. We’d then do the last three-or-so miles to the YHA in Osmotherley in the early afternoon, so we could make camp with plenty of time to do some trail chores, and maybe even have a nap – oh the luxury. This would also play to the weather, which was forecast due to be reasonable in the morning, but wet in the afternoon.
Osmotherley village isn’t on the official coast to coast route, but it is a popular stopover point, thanks to the amenities in the village. At just a mile off the route with easy footpath access from the main trail, it was a detour worth taking. Add to that it would be our third and final gifted YHA stay of the hike, and we were all set.
UK COAST TO COAST HIKE ADVENTURE JOURNAL
Day 11 | Wednesday 20 October | Oaktree Hill to Osmotherley
It was wet and somewhat windy night, but I had a decent sleep in the beautifully manicured garden of the farmhouse at Lovesome Hill Farm. While it felt like we were in the middle of the countryside, pitched in amongst the roses of the farmhouse, and with the working farmyard just the other side of the house, it wasn’t as rural as we could have easily made out.
Our tents were only a few metres from the A167, which takes traffic between Northallerton and Darlington. The road never really fell silent overnight, and became very busy with commuters and lorries very early in the morning.
This wasn’t too much of a problem for me, I’ve lived in built-up areas and don’t get too bothered by traffic noise in the main, but I know Jenni found the constant tyres on tarmac more than a little disruptive. Whereas I woke up in my very dark-inside anthracite Vango Banshee with my screaming phone alarm, Jenni had been woken by the traffic and had been awake for some time.
A Farmhouse Breakfast
I took advantage of the windy morning by packing up everything except my tent into my red duffel bag before heading into the bunk barn for my morning ablutions, giving the banshee a chance to dry out a bit after being wet for a day or two. The flysheet was almost dry when I finally broke camp, a definite improvement on recent days. Although I did have to chase my pole bag around the garden as it floated around on a swirling gust of wind for much longer than was fun…
We’d booked breakfast with our host when we checked in the afternoon before, and were presented with a tray of fantastic locally produced food in the bunk barn common room bang on time. We had a plate of cooked breakfast each, with fresh eggs and local bacon, but the highlight was the homemade marmalade for our toast, and the homemade apple juice to wash it all down. Delicious!
It looks like Lovesome Hill Farm no longer offer bunk barn or camping accommodation – it’s not on their website anymore.
Farms, Farms, Farms
We eventually paid up and got going. It was cool but a bright day, and we knew that ten miles would be a breeze given the promised terrain, so we could take it nice and easy. Oh, and we also knew there should be cake at Ingleby Cross, so I don’t need to tell you that spirits were high.
The route all the way to Ingleby Cross went something like this: Cross a road, walk through a farm, cross a slightly smaller road, walk through a couple of farms, say hi to a farmer, cross a bigger road, walk through a farm, cross a railway, watch a train, pee behind a bush, walk through a couple of farms… and so on.
Our route had us use a random selection of footpaths, tracks and tiny country lanes through farms. This kind of route can often be a little hard to follow because it’s easy to get the wrong side of a hedge or miss the signpost showing the way through the yard. But for us, here, navigation was easy enough.
The notes in the guidebook and the line drawn on the OS Map were plenty to keep us right, and I noted in my journal that evening that it had been one of the easiest farm-based days I’ve ever walked. There were no missing or hidden signs, unclear detours, or unkind obstacles; the farmers on this stretch seem kind to walkers.
Talking Rats
And while the route was easy walking through busy farms, it was a bit, well, monotonous. Thankfully, things were broken up by a few interesting features along the way. One of which involved talking rats and a tuck shop…
The residents at Wray House Farm, a farm that sits close to the east coast mainline railway, and about halfway to Ingleby Cross from Oaktree Hill, have gone all out with their honesty box. Not only have they installed a full-sized fridge – which was powered on – as a tuck shop for tired travellers, they’d also decorated the area with a bunch of Halloween tat. Talking Halloween tat.
I knew it was coming. I had seen others mention it in blog posts and YouTube videos about walking the coast to coast. But it was even better in real life, and made us both smile. We grabbed some treats from the fridge, dutifully putting our coins in the money box, and were sure to set off the talking rats at least two more times before we continued on our way.
Ingleby Cross
A few more miles of the farm, road, farm routine, a bunch of stiles, and a fair few coast to coast signs, and we came up to the A19. Another one of those vertical milestones of the trip, this is a main trunk road, and we were somewhere between Middlesborough and Thirsk. There’s a shop attached to the petrol station here which is apparently useful for a resupply, but we were all stocked up and so didn’t need to visit.
The guidebook commented that it would take energy and concentration to dash across the fast-moving dual carriageway, and it wasn’t wrong. What a ridiculous road to have to cross! I hope that one of the improvements made to the coast to coast route now it’s a been given National Trail status is a pedestrian bridge here to allow a much less stressful crossing!
Still, we made it across, and were soon standing at the entrance of The Joiner’s Shop ready for our date with cake. We took a seat upstairs, each got coffee and cake (mine was a slice of their buttercream covered Biscoff cake – very nice), and caught up with things back home while we had a bit of signal. It was a nice place to spend an hour, even if it wasn’t the cheapest place we’d stopped along our coast to coast journey.
The Cleveland Way
Then it rained. Thankfully we’d done right to put our waterproof trousers on in the café toilet before we left, and just about managed to get some photos taken under the coast to coast sign on the café frontage. We only had three-ish miles to go – it wasn’t going to be that bad. But it wasn’t just a bit of rain. It was a lot of rain. So much rain. Yuk!
Our route from Ingleby Cross took us up (up and up) along a long, wide and winding track that snaked its way through Arncliffe Wood. We had some shelter in the trees, but were still getting soaked, which was a shame, as the woodland was so pretty.
The views between the trees should have been wonderful, but the cloud was low. Instead, we had to put up with keeping our hoods up and heads down as we trudged our way along the steep but easy-underfoot path. I know you can’t have everything, but still, it was a bit unpleasant.
At one point we cut a corner off the relentless-feeling zigzags, which resulted in some confusion, and we ended up walking the wrong way for a few minutes. Thankfully, our sense-of-direction prevailed, and we noticed before we’d gone too far in the wrong direction.
We left Wainwright’s coast to coast route where it joined the Cleveland Way above Mount Grace Priory, following the sign out of the woods and down to Osmotherley. Arriving at the YHA just after 2pm, we’d given ourselves a whole afternoon to rest and relax before the five big climbs of the North York Moors would be upon us the following day.
Not Staying in the YHA
Far too early to check in, we set up camp in the lounge of YHA Osmotherley, which is set in a converted linen mill and run by Cote Ghyll Mill Caravan Park. It would have been nice to get our tents up straight away, but it wasn’t like we were uncomfortable. We were warm and cosy, got our gear drying out in the vast drying room, and made use of the television to keep us occupied as we put our feet up on the comfortable sofas. Oh, and we had those fizzy drinks we’d bought in the Halloween themed tuck shop, too. Sorted.
When the reception opened it turned out our stay, which had been booked by YHA head office for me thanks to my partnership with them, was actually at the adjoining campsite rather than at the YHA itself. Instead of cancelling our booking as it clashed with a sole-hire activity week, the team here had simply moved us to their other site. We didn’t have far to go; it was right next door.
I admit we were both a little disappointed to start with, as the best thing about camping at a YHA is having access to all the (indoor!) communal facilities, where you can relax and chat to other people staying. Of course, it turned out just fine. The staff were very welcoming, and we had a lovely, albeit muddy, stay.
We had plenty of space to pitch, a large and warm ablutions block to use with lovely hot showers, a coin-operated laundry, and a small drying cupboard which no-one else seemed to be using. The only thing missing was a common room, but as we were only a 20-minute walk from Osmotherley village centre, we moved to a local pub after we’d done our camp chores, and spent the evening there.
Queen Catherine Hotel
Jenni and I have eaten in Osmotherley before, during our Lyke Wake Walk with Allyssee way back in 2015. This time around we chose the Queen Catherine Hotel, which promised homemade food in a comfortable setting. Oh, and it was super warm in there, with power outlets and WiFi, too.
I had a most excellent homemade lasagne, which came with chips and salad. It was so cheesy! I honestly don’t think I’ve had such a cheesy lasagne before or since. No complaints, it did the job just perfectly. It was a bit empty in the restaurant, but that didn’t bother us, it was a nice place to sit, warm up, and while away the evening.
In fairness we didn’t stay late. It was forecast to be a very cold night, so we walked the 20-minutes uphill back to the campsite at a sensible time and called it a night.
Reflections on Coast to Coast Day 11
It might not sound it from my ramblings in this adventure journal post, but in all honesty, day 11 of our coast to coast hike was a bit of a weird day. Not a bad day or anything like that, not even a boring day like it could easily have been given the terrain, just a bit weird. I don’t know why. Maybe it was the talking rats, I can still hear the cackling even now…
The last of our short days, getting us just ten miles closer to Robin Hood’s Bay, it was fine enough. We certainly made the most of what we had, and the milestone of having fewer than 50 miles to go to reach our goal of dipping our toes in the sea again wasn’t insignificant.
The Best Bits
We’d had a lovely farmhouse breakfast at Lovesome Hill Farm, a farm-focused wander including fun at the Halloween themed Wray House Farm, a long break for coffee and massive slice of cake at Ingleby Cross, a very wet walk up through Arncliffe Woods (even if there were no views), and a feet-up afternoon in the TV room at the YHA.
It would definitely have been better if we’d gotten nicer weather in the afternoon. I don’t mind admitting that our walk through Arncliffe Wood was quite miserable, which a real shame. If we’d had bright skies, we’d almost certainly have detoured to see Mount Grace Priory, or the Lady’s Chapel on the hill (we were so close to it!). And we might have even gone into Osmotherley for a look in daylight.
But what we lost in extracurricular wanderings, we gained in cosy feet-up time in a little television lounge at a YHA – a YHA we weren’t even staying in – oops!
Weird or not, it was a decent enough Wednesday, and probably one of the nicest short days we had on the whole coast to coast hike. Maybe that was the cake talking.
