arrival on september 20th, 2022

September 20, 2022

Its been a long day from South Carolina to Helmsley in the Ryedale District of North Yorkshire. Planes to Manchester, four separate trains to Leeds, then a cab to Helmsley. The reason for being here, is to do another long distance hike.

Im walking with my girlfriend Mary Beth, who was a tough cookie on the last walk, I think she is really fired up to tackle this one , either that, or the English beer.

Arriving a cloudy Manchester morning just at sunrise

We are spending tonight in a cute but old village inn downtown, so we can get started walking from the market place in downtown in the morning. It’s great to be back in my country of origin, and I forgot how friendly and welcoming the English are, you know your back in an English village when you see the cottages and flowers

The Cleveland way is 110 miles long (180 km ), and should take about 8 days. Its one of Englands oldest trails ,and was founded by the National Trails organization in 1969.

We head north, then east, before heading back south along the coast, more like a lopsided horse shoe in shape. The highest point is 454 meters (1400 ft) above sea level, this isnt that high, but the trail is a constant test of climbs and descents.

FROM ABOUT THE 7TH CENTURY, CHRISTIANITY STARTED TO SHOW ITSELF IN THIS REGION AND ITS NOT UNUSUAL TO FIND ANCIENT STONE CROSSES ALONG THE PATH.

Monasteries started to pop up and towns grew around them, but all the monasteries were dissolved by HENRY VIII after he broke with the CHURCH OF ROME. Many of the monasteries were given to his friends and supporters, and the monks and nuns were expelled from England. Because the monasteries were in rural areas, the owners had little use for them and they fell into disrepair.

Once we turn the corner and head south at the 2/3 rds mark, we walk the coast which was known during the18th and early 19th centuries as a whaling meca. Once whale oil was replaced by gas, the industry died, and by 1830, only one whaling boat was known to remain.

Over time, fishing gave rise to a ship building industry, and local timbers, mainly Oak, were used to build ocean going boats. All three wooden ships that were commissioned and sailed by Captain Cook on his Pacific explorations, were built here.

Once again, this industry, and the coastal economy took a hit, as Iron ships in the late 19th century became the order of the day, and the industry grew in the larger port facilities like those on the Tees. The last wooden ship was launched out of the town of Whitby in 1871.

each day we will blog, so you can check on whether we are behaving or not, this format does not work well on phones, so sometimes to follow more than two or so days, you have to use an ipad or laptop.

Tonight, this is our little old village hotel 🏨