The original blog ( below ) came with some wonderful pictures – sadly, we our Website is not capable of showing these here as this page is limited to text only, but the full blog can be viewed on:
http://mywalkietalkie.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/the-lyke-wake-walk-and-the-batty-way.html
Hello there.
Like many I had my eye on the Lyke Wake Walk for some time and found it fabulously appealing – it just had to be done!
The question though for many might be How to do it – as it is not a circular walk and so presents a transport logistics problem to solve!
“The Batty Way”
From studying the maps, as we do, I could see the nearest train station to the usual start of the walk is Battersby Junction – so from there I hatched my plan!
DAY 1
Leave my car at the car park in Osmotherley, then do the Lyke Wake walk, staying at Boggle Hole YHA at the end of the walk, close to Robin Hoods Bay.
DAY 2
Walk from Boggle Hole along the coast to Whitby, around 8 miles or so.
Catch the train from Whitby to Battersby Junction
Walk “The Batty Way” (yep I made it up) from Battersby Junction to Osmotherley.
The Batty Way re-joins the Like Wake Walk , and totals around 12 miles or so from the station to Osmotherley.
GPS / GPX
Here is a link to my GPS recording of me walking The Batty Way:
http://my.viewranger.com/track/details/MjAyOTk5Nw==
You can download the GPX file from the Menu link ‘Export to GPX’ from the above link.
How did it go in reality?
Like all great plans – there is no floor, it’s perfect, a great idea and nothing can go wrong. Right?
Well it did go pretty well – but read on if want to take it The Batty Way and learn from my mistakes!
Day 1
Friday 11th September 2015
3:00 AM
I started at 3 AM in the morning, leaving the warmth of my car at the car park at the top of the Cod Beck Reservoir.
3:19 AM
I am in the wood – its dark – very, very dark with no moon.
I have a friend keeping an eye on my Buddy Beacon GPS – but I am sure she isn’t awake right now.
In the woods I find an encouraging confirmation I am in the right place:
4:30 AM
It still dark! I find some unusual roman looking posts.
This one has a useful A symbol. Is this the Alphabet trail?
4:50 AM
It’s still dark and now a bit chilly up on Carlton Moor.
To me these look like Roman and modern trig versions of a significant spot.
Forgive me for not hanging around up here to find out, mind you if I met someone up here at this time of night I would be way spooky.
5:00 AM
Solo walking in the dark is not recommended if you don’t have a good deal of experience.
Even with my long walking history I was not prepared to see a reference to my namesake Richard and rather chilling words – or so it seemed at the time!
5:42 AM
Finally there is a faint blue to the sky – its getting light !
Thank goodness
6:03 AM
Dawn at Kirkby Bank
It is such a beautiful dawn too, with lazy pockets of cloud clinging to the hill sides – not willing to rise so early.
About this point I heard a voice behind me ‘Good morning’ !
After immediately filling my pants I turned around to meet a guy who had been wild camping on his Coast-to-Coast adventure. I thought how he was actually quite low in spirits and weary – but after some long chatting and walking together for a couple of miles, he was back on form and laughing allot ?
6:30AM
I find myself at the awesome Wain Stones.
The light was still low – so my pic is a bit camera shakey.
I walked the first half of the Coast-to-Coast earlier this year and remember reading A.Wainright’s fond description of the Wain Stones – I liked them too – once I found my way through them!
7:20 AM
Things are going well, I am warm, feeling fit and made some good progress.
The only thing that bothers me are all these death march symbols !
8:02
One can only actually do this walk to appreciate the beauty.
10:30 AM
It feels pretty remote now – high up on Blakey Moor – I still have only met one other person on my journey.
10:48 AM
Reached the Lion Inn – the only hint of Civilisation in an ocean of moorland.
11:56
And here I leave the Coast-to-coast path – and onto the real Lyke Wake business end of the walk.
This giant stone felt like a warning symbol – go back! danger ahead!
12:44 Noon-ish
Sure enough I enter the Devils very own bog
To be fair though I think I had it easy, after a spell of reasonably dry weather.
1:30 PM
The alphabet game continues – but I have missed some – unless it is Vowels only !
2:30PM
Trucking along nicely – the sun is shining and I am through the boggy hell and flying toward to Flying dales – I can see the Flying Dales dish in the very very far distance – if I quint ! can you spot it?
3:33 PM
Arrive at a nice little vale – Wheeldale Beck.
Blue sky and happy I am !
4:45 PM
Reached Flydales – there is some fuss about ‘Bye’ laws – but there is no mention of ‘Hello Laws’ so I will call in for a cup of tea 😉
5:25 PM
Reached Lila Cross – dating AD626 and the earliest known Christian monument in the north of England.
About this time I met a guy out running. He stopped to chat to me – he was about 60 years old and his name was Stuart. He told me he regularly runs the Lyke Wake Walk – so you might meet him too. I hope I meet Stuart again one day. I wish I had asked to take pics of the people I met on the way.
7 PM
The final very long mile – you can just see the radio mast in very far distance of you let your eye follow the path.
7:20 PM
Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
The final trig pint marking the end of the Lyke Walk
Just another 3 miles to Boggle Hole YHA!
DAY 2
Saturday 12th September 2015
8:45 AM
The tide is out so I decide to walk along the beach from Boggle Hole to Robin Hood’s Bay, about 3/4 of a mile. The weather is quite grey today, but still it seems a very beautiful place to me!
9:26 AM
After buying 4 bars of Cherry Bakewell Flapjack (I love it!) from the little shop I walk up through the village and back onto the coast path, for a final view of Robin Hood’s Bay.
This year I walked the first half of Wainwright’s Coast 2 Coast with my youngsters Molly and Kirk and my girlfriend Debbie. I think how wonderful it will be to visit this very spot again at the end of the Coast 2 Coast route next spring or summer 2016.
Looking over the cliff edge – it’s a long way down!
There was some pretty serious footpath erosion at the time.
10:30 AM
I am taking it easy this morning – my limbs ache some after yesterday – but still I only have 21 miles to do, so that seems OK – or at least that’s what I thought at the time ..
11:44
Arrive at the caravan park at Saltwick Nab; just a few people about, most staying in their caravans with a newspaper and cups of tea – hmm I could do with a cuppa!
11:57 AM
I had forgotten about the dark theme of yesterday’s Lyke Wake Walk – until now – but here we go again – it’s Dracula town – hello Whitby!
12:15
I thought the best bet would be to check out the train times first to Battersby Junction – so first call Whitby railway station.
Bad News!
I have just missed the mid-day train and the next train is not until 4PM. That’s a four hour wait neatly. That’s not good at all, that means I won’t be at Battersby until 5PM with another 13 miles to walk – bother!
Hopefully you will have read this and learn from my mistake of not checking the train times.
Ah well – now for best thing to do in Whitby – eat fish and chips!!
This is my favourite cafe – right on the end of the promenade The Battery Parade Cafe
2:00 PM
Now I am lovely and warm after a very relaxing time at the Battery Cafe .. notice the Batty theme continues !
It just so happens that today is the Pirate Festival in Whitby – so using up the extra time here is no problem !
Pirates everywhere!
The weather turns bad for a spell but that didn’t stop this fabulous pirate lady from dancing through a torrential thunderstorm.
3:30PM
I better head for the train!
I wish this was my train!
This is it – ah well it’s colourful at least 🙂
5:10 PM
Off the train and finally onto The Batty Way
5:27 PM
Church at Ingleby Greenhow. Looking toward the Cleveland Way now – it runs along the edge of the hills ahead of me – Clay Bank and White Hill
6:16 PM
And here we are – back on the Lyke Wake Walk heading back toward Osmotherly – but it’s a good 10 miles from here.
6:40 PM
The evening views from Whitehill are really superb. This really is an awesome walk.
7:10 PM
And here at the fabulous Wainstones the sun finally sets.
I spend a while at Wainstones contemplating life. It is so beautiful here, and appears to be just as I imagine the planet Mars.
10:30 PM
It takes me another three hours to finish the walk – the last two hours being in the dark – but the stars were superb and the Esk Valley was lit up like a Christmas tree.
I really loved the Lyke Wake Walk and the Batty Way.
Richard.