The New Lyke Wake Club

A Family Tradition – Heloise and Claire

I would like to register myself and my friend’s Lyke Wake Walk completion date and time with yourselves. 

Heloise Fowler and Claire Morton.

We started it on 20th June 2026 at 09.09am and finished on 21st June 2026 at 08.04am, a time of 22hrs 55mins. 

I thought it would be a lovely date due to the Summer Solstice and Father’s Day. My father Ian Milsom (Son of John Milsom – Fylingthorpe Ships in Bottles) sadly passed away earlier this year, and has completed the Lyke Wake Walk five times as a Cub Scout leader. I really hope you have him registered in your archives. Fingers crossed anyway. I thought this would be a good challenge to do in his memory. 

I’ve written a little report below for you all to read and a few photos too. I hope you enjoy the read. 

Over the weekend for Summer Solstice and Father’s Day, myself and my amazing friend Claire Morton decided to walk the LYKE WAKE WALK Challenge. 40 miles within 24 hours across the North York Moors from Osmotherley to Ravenscar in memory of our wonderful Dads. My Dad did this 5 TIMES! I mean wow, it was very hard and hats off to him for doing it! I visited his final resting place afterwards in Robin Hoods Bay and just said ‘I can’t believe you did that more than once!’ 

The actual terrain was stunning and it was a gorgeous day. The Cleveland Hills were hard but beautiful and loads of people about. We also came across baby grouse on the way to the Lion Inn, where we chilled and prepared for the night time section, obviously with shandy and chips lol. Essentials. 

The next section after leaving the Coast to Coast Path, we then had pure moorland and could see RAF Fylingdales in the distance. The terrain was a mixture of hard and soft worn footpaths and bogs. The heather was just starting to come out and there were stunning cotton plants in the waters around us. The Curlews were also nesting, and we got told off by them for walking the trail. The sunset was glorious and we could see for miles, I also loved that the sun never really went down, there was a faint glow in the horizon which was really special. At about 1.30am we just sat on a rock, turned off our head torches and looked up at the night sky which was absolutely spectacular. We could see the space station too, another truly special moment. We were greeted with a dawn chorus at about 2.30am and at about 3am the sun started to rise again, where we had a gorgeous sunrise.

Across the last 10km we had a mixture of sea fret and sun and came across Lilla Cross and lots of walkers and runners doing ultra marathons.The last hill was a slog and we were truly worn out by the last few kms. But it was so worth it and I’m so proud we completed it. 

It’s definitely a challenge though. We completed it in 22hrs 55mins in the end and that included all the stops and shandy at Blakey Ridge, Lion Inn. 

I went and lit a candle for my Dad in Bay afterwards and sat by his grave for a while telling him all about it. 

A wonderful unforgettable experience 

Thankyou again for all you do.

Kind Regards 

Heloise Fowler nee Milsom 

A Great Plan – Karen and Carl Murphy

Karen once said, “I’ve got a great plan,
Let’s walk the Lyke Wake—come on, Carl, you can!”

Carl looked confused and scratched his head,
“Forty miles walking? I’d rather be in bed!”

But Karen was certain, she’d made up her mind,
“Think of the adventure and views we will find!”

At 4 a.m. the taxi came,
To take them to the start of the Lyke Wake fame.

The driver looked shocked as they climbed inside,
“Forty odd miles walking?” he said, looking wide-eyed.

“Forty point two-eight miles you plan to do?
Are you sure there isn’t a shorter route for you?”

He shook his head and stared in surprise,
“That’s some walk you’ve got ahead,” he said with wide eyes.

Karen just smiled and said, “We’ll be alright,
We’re ready for hills from morning till night.”

Carl gave a grin and adjusted his pack,
“Too late to turn round, there’s no going back!’

With protein bars packed and spirits so bright,
They headed for the moors in the morning light.

Unsupported they walked, with all gear on their back,
No helping hand waiting along on the track.

The sun turned up with a scorching display,
A red-hot monster of a summer’s day.

The hills felt endless, the miles felt long,
But they kept each other cheerful and strong.

Then Karen cried out, “What’s that I can see?
A snake on the path staring back at me!”

She nearly stood on it, what a fright,
The snake probably thought, “I’m quitting this hike tonight!”

Carl said, “Keep moving, we’ve come too far,
We’re not being beaten by a snake on the path where we are!”

Through heather and bog, they battled the way,
Sweating and laughing throughout the day.

Fourteen and a half hours later they cheered,
The end of the challenge finally appeared.

Forty point two-eight miles were complete,
Though their legs were begging for a comfy seat.

Their feet said, “Enough, we’re finished today!”
Their knees replied, “We’re walking away!”

To Grand Villa Heights they slowly went,
Where every last bit of energy was spent.

A shower and a bed felt wonderfully right,
After conquering the moors from morning till night.

So here’s to Karen and Carl’s amazing feat,
Two stubborn walkers who wouldn’t retreat.

They faced the heat, the hills and the snake,
And conquered the mighty old Lyke Wake.

So next time Karen says, “I’ve got a great idea,”
Carl might check the distance and disappear!

But deep down he knows, whatever they do,
There’s no better adventure than one shared by two!

Karen & Carl Murphy – 8th July 2026

Coconut Water and Local Ale – Indy

Hi, I’m Indranath a Sri Lankan completed the walk yesterday! Happy to share my experience with club members. 

Report on the Completion of the Lyke Wake Walk

Date of Walk: 1 July

On 1 July, I completed the Lyke Wake Walk as an unplanned solo challenge across the North York Moors. The day began with the earliest train from Huddersfield to Northallerton, followed by a bus to Osmotherley.

I started the walk from the Osmotherley bus stop at 08:40. Conditions during the first half of the route were excellent—warm, dry, and ideal for walking. But costs me litre of coconut water which was my only fluid source. Most of the normally boggy sections had dried out, and even my white walking shoes remained in surprisingly good condition.

I reached the Lion Inn at 14:20, where I stopped for a well-earned break. A pint of local ale (the name escapes me) and half litre of water helped replenish my energy before continuing at 14:40. While I may have forgotten the name of the ale, I will never forget the distinctive smell of the peaty moorland, which is one of the lasting memories of the walk.

The second half of the journey brought a change in the weather. Continuous light drizzle, accompanied by a refreshing evening breeze, persisted for the final 20 km. Rather than making the walk more difficult, these conditions helped keep me cool, reduced the risk of exhaustion, and slowed my water consumption.I reached Flyingdales at 21:02, only to realise there were still around two miles remaining to the official finish. My original plan had been to catch the 93X bus to Scarborough and then the last train back to Huddersfield. However, with the time and distance remaining, I changed my plans and looked for accommodation near Ravenscar. Fortunately, I was able to secure a room at the Grand Villa.

I reached the official finish at the Lyke Wake Walk radio beacon at 21:47, completing the route in 13 hours and 7 minutes. I managed to take the traditional finish photograph in the last remaining daylight, providing a fitting end to a memorable day.

Looking back, I would recommend early July as an excellent time to attempt the Lyke Wake Walk. The combination of dry ground, comfortable temperatures, and long daylight hours made for favourable conditions. Walkers should nevertheless carry plenty of fluids, as the route is remote and physically demanding, with limited opportunities to refill water.

Completing the Lyke Wake Walk alone was a challenging but immensely rewarding experience. It required endurance, careful pacing, and adaptability when plans changed. The sense of achievement on reaching the radio beacon after more than thirteen hours on the moors made every mile worthwhile.

Best regards

Indy

Dodging Midges – Dave and Patric

Hello,

I’d like to report a crossing by myself and my good friend Patric, this is our first Lyke Wake Walk completing the walk in 16 hours 47 minutes including breaks on (20/06/2026). 

We started at the Osmotherly stone at 4:05am, the sun was just rising with a fair bit of cloud cover, we made steady progress over the first sections with the warning of a heatwave on our minds, luckily a cloudy start to Saturday morning gave us some relief and the heat wasn’t too bad. Once we had hit the old railway line to the Lion pub, the sun came out and things started to heat up although a light breeze was a welcome feature to the walk. The boggy sections were still quite boggy in places and with some “re-wetting” projects going on this too made things a little damp under foot at times. On our way to Flylingdales we were fortunate to see the steam train heading to Pickering and an adder on the path (which I have never seen before).

At times when the breeze stopped, the temperature increased and we were plagued by midges which spurred our pace on to try to leave the midges behind (not entirely sure how successful that plan was!). The last section seems to take an age with Ravenscar mast never getting any closer while traversing through the burnt areas of last years wildfires. With the master in what seemed touching distance we decided to have a sprint finish with whatever energy we had left to the finishing stone. We both had a very enjoyable time, and are looking forward to organising our next crossing in the future! 

Best regards

Dave

An Epic First – Becky and Emma

It is with deep sorrow that we report a successful crossing on Monday May 25, in 15 hours and 50 minutes.

Sisters Emma and Becky Furness successfully completed their first crossing in the traditional East to West direction, ably supported by Becky’s husband, Paul, as support crew.

Our woe began days before our walk as the weather forecast began to predict hellishly hot conditions and we debated the sense in committing ourselves to 15+ hours of trudging over the wild moors in 30 degree heat with little chance of shade. We arrived in Osmotherly determined to attempt the crossing with three objectives: 1) remain mostly not dead, 2) have fun, 3) complete the crossing (in that order of priority) We left a message in the sign in book, outlining our intent, in case we didn’t make it back. 

At 4.13am, in the soft glow of dawn, we solemnly departed the Lyke Wake Stone with only some suspicious sheep and distant cuckoo for company, the temperature already a fresh 11 degrees. 

The early miles following the well-marked Cleveland Way, following in the footsteps of our Grandad some 40 years before, felt uncannily easy.  As undulating woodland gave way to hills and heather we wistfully took in the views of the coast a little way off to the north. We carried on with a respectful degree of cheer, tackling the steep ups and downs and laughing in the face of death during our first ever scramble up and over the Wainstones. 

Our first support stop was at Clay Bank at around 8.30, where Paul walked out to meet us before returning us back to the car for a welcome breakfast buffet. The temperature from the car display told us it was now 21.5 centigrade, so we smeared ourselves with sunscreen and donned our hats and long sleeves, preparing ourselves for the long section ahead.

As we climbed up Carr Ridge from Clay Bank the grouse warned us to ‘Go Back, Go Back, Go back!’. We did not heed the warning, and after a little while we thought the heat might already be getting to us as the rocks on the path ahead appeared to moving in the heat haze, but happily it was only tiny fluffy grouse chicks, scrambling over the heather, with mum and dad scooting close by.

This section was incredibly good underfoot and the going was good, we passed a pond and performed a daring rescue of a butterfly that had landed in the water. We noticed the pond was chock full of tadpoles – all respectfully in black, of course.

We then hit the railway section which whilst easy underfoot felt unending and in sections where the embankment rose on both sides the heat was oppressive out of the breeze. We solemnly vowed not to ask what the temperature was again; it was better not to know. 

Finally the roof of the Lion Inn came into view and this spurred us on with the promise of a cold drink and shade! (This was quite possibly the most delicious and refreshing pint of bitter shandy ever quaffed) Paul met us, and cheerily announced ‘it’s 28 degrees out there!’ We whimpered, fortified ourselves with pork pies reheated on the roof of the car, and bravely continued. 

Thankfully, the bog section, due to the oven-like temperatures, presented only mild challenges and offered an excellent showcase of some super conservation work. We experienced slight confusion caused by the number of waymarkers which have sadly met their end and lie as they fell: gone too soon.

We had not appreciated that the boggy bit was followed by a bit more bog, and then a horrible stony path, seemingly designed to produce a sense of humour failure by being depressingly uneven underfoot and too narrow to allow for the use of poles to steady ourselves. We were however, heartened to find that there was not a single raven at the Raven Stones, which we took as a sign that hope remained that we would succeed in our exertions. Not all was exactly well though, as our feet were starting to bother us a little and we both discovered that we’d acquired quite an extensive sweat rash just below the tops of our socks, and our underwear began, unfathomably, to chafe! Misery indeed.

We were grateful to see Paul at Eller beck Bridge, and he us – he had been struggling to keep cool without shade whilst awaiting our arrival, and had at one point noticed the car which he was sheltering in recorded a hellishly hot 44 degrees. Shortly after leaving Eller Beck came one of the walk’s high points – possibly not literally – as a beautiful little adder deigned to show itself, then treat us to some fine swearing in snake, before retreating into the grass to us to resume allow our mournful progress. Another brush with almost certain(ish) death.

Moving off from Lilla Cross one of the party began to feel an overwhelming urge for a very different kind of passing, yet struggled onwards for many a mile with Yorkshire grit and a clenched… jaw.  Upon reaching the edge of Jugger Howe ravine all sensations suddenly and miraculously ceased – perhaps it was only a ghostly visitation from a lonely spirit of the moors. If this is what attempted possession feels like, we shall add holy water to our packs next time.

With some words of encouragement from Paul, and the promise of a hot buffet at the reception, we were given our final send-off up the hill to the beacon. In the fading light we set off, determinedly, feet miraculously rejuvenated with a change of boots, towards the mast. The tales were true, this feels like a mirage which you may never reach, but under a bright moon we covered the ground and at 10:20 we reached the Lyke Wake Stone. Here we coaxed our beleaguered knees to bend and mustered a smile (of relief) for an essential picture. It was still 18 degrees when we folded our still limbs into the car for the journey back to our digs in Osmotherley.

We staggered back to the sign in book on Tuesday to add a note to say that we had survived our ordeal. Having been described as weird on more than one occasion, it is lovely to now have a badge to prove it!

Emma & Becky Furness

Walking time: 15hrs 50mins
Actual crossing time: 18hrs 07 mins
Total distance: 39.2 miles