Cleveland Way Day 1


Yesterday we arrived in the town of Helmsley from where we start our walk on the Cleveland Way. For the next 10 days we will walk from town to town, with about the first five in North Yorkshire and then the next five along the coast.

Our charming digs. 


Off we go! The Rye River runs through town and we crossed it on our walk. 

We made a stop at the Riveaux Abbey, established in the 1100s by a group of monks dedicated to prayer and hard work. 


The Abbey was populated for more than 400 years by more than 600 monks. The remains are impressive. 



Much of the Abbey was demolished in the 1500s on the orders of Henry VIII. 

Back on the trail, we encountered 100s of pheasants. At first we thought we were spotting something special and then we'd encounter huge flocks in fields where the gamekeepers are fattening them up for an early October hunt. 

The weather was amazing today with a spectacular sky and just a few sprinkles with temps in the 60s. 

A peacock butterfly! Isn't it gorgeous?

We enjoyed a few wooded sections in addition to lots of farmland.


And gradually climbed up onto the moors. 


This is one of many gates we passed through. The upside down acorn is our indicator that we are on the national trail. Through this gate, we hoped to see some horses in training, but no luck. 


Our first heather in bloom. 


All in all, a lovely 10.5 mile day to kick off our walk! 

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 27, 2024 at 5:55 PM

    Those photos of the trail are so appealing! Every time I see a scene like that I want to set out on a multi day walk. And you get to do that! Lovely indeed!-Kelly

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 31, 2024 at 2:30 AM

    Amazing butterfly! -Diana

    ReplyDelete

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