I’d heard of and visited the wonderful Yorkshire Dales but was unaware of the magic of the country east of the Dales by the sea… the Yorkshire Moors, until I visited there with my two friends, Dave and Claire.
We stayed three nights at Craven Cottages near Rosedale in the heart of the Moors – lovely stone cottages converted from old farm buildings surrounded by low escarpments of blue-purple heather above the green sheep lands and babbling brooks (yes there are such things) of the valleys.
As soon as we arrived we walked through the valley farmlands into Rosedale in search of a pub. There were three in town, but none open. Well perhaps the White Horse one was open, but we did not walk high enough up the hill to find it. But our consolation was red wine and cheese by the fire back at the cottage.
Our first full day’s walk was from James Cook’s home town of Whitby to Robin Hood Bay – a dramatic coastal walk along cliffs, but with enough up and down on the stony path to make my knees ache. But this helped me fully enjoy the beer at the pub before catching the bus back to Whitby. Before heading home, we explored the town and piers and had a surprisingly wonderful meal at The Marine. The toffee pudding melted in my mouth and was better than any I’ve tasted before.
The next day was a 15 mile circuit work through the proper Moors. The wind was ferocious, but the walk up and down escarpments in the national park made me fully appreciate the joys of the moors – thick spongy low vegetation with the heather about to burst into purple; low mist rising up with the wind; jumbles of rocks edging the escarpments and panoramic views of hedged farmlands and pine plantations. The soft vegetation suited my knees much better meaning I could enjoy the pub at the end of the day even more!
The last morning was a meander along one of those babbling brooks edged by fields packed with daffodils and then a stroll back through farms and farmyards before the inevitable cream tea. A visit to the Rievaulx Abbey crowned our stay in the moors and too soon it was time to head back to Nottingham, which at less than two hours away wasn’t really that far, at least by Australian standards! I’ll be back.
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