Weather: Sunny intervals,
some showers
Distance:
19.5 km (12.1 miles) Total Distance: 2944 miles
It had
been a balmy night with the dorm windows open.
This meant that the early visiting seagulls on the roof outside seemed
deafening at what must have been four in the morning. I got up at 7.30 and made myself a cup of tea
in the middle of packing and loading.
Light drizzle was falling and I was unsure what sort of walk I would
have. If it persisted in raining I was thinking of only going to Filey. Fortunately by the time I parked my car in
the caravan park car park at Reighton Sands it had stopped. A bus pulled up and I got a timetable off the
driver before heading down the steep track onto the sands. They were pretty deserted at 9.00 in the
morning on such a dull morning.
I
headed North on relatively firm sand.
Filey was clearly visible even in the overcast conditions but I knew it
would take an hour and a half to get there.
I enjoyed the noise of the waves and the views of the crumbling
cliffs. About 300 yards from where the
promenade starts in Filey, it started to rain.
I made a dash and sheltered for 10 minutes in a shelter looking South
over the beach I had just walked. An
elderly lady walking her dog and a young female jogger were less fortunate and
got caught worse than I did.
When it
eased off I strolled along the prom in search of morning coffee, not having
had any breakfast. It was too early for
the posh hotels advertising morning coffee to be open so I found a beach type
café and holed up there with a paper, coffee and cake. After buying chocolates in a kiosk I asked
the way up onto the cliffs and was told there was access up at the nearby yacht
club.
It was
again good to be up on the cliffs, looking down on the beach below. I walked the narrow spit of land called Filey
Brigg to the end before turning and heading North again. This appeared to be the start of two long
distance paths – the Cleveland Way and the Wolds Way.
For the next 90 minutes there were once again
spectacular views over the cliff tops and more sea bird colonies. The land was green and lush. I passed a couple of caravan sights and took
a tumble at one stage on the slippery grass.
I started to pass hikers going in the opposite direction – mainly out
for day treks by the look of it. Just
before Cayton Bay there was quite a steep climb up to a high point on the cliff
before the path dropped down to the bay.
I rested on a pipe for a snack and decided I had enough energy and it
was dry enough to carry on to Scarborough.
The
path continued to rise and drop in quick succession though this section was
made interesting by the fact that it was through old woodland. Not only was the path well marked but the
undergrowth had been cut back making it easy to find. Eventually, with Scarborough well in sight
the path dropped down a gravel track to sea level and the start of the
promenade. The first section here was
past an old disused outside swimming pool – was this part of the old spa?
The seafront was a mix of grand old hotels,
new buildings and the more traditional sea front images. Halfway along South Sands I cut up into the
town and tried to find the bus stop for the bus back to Reighton Sands. It was tucked away behind the shopping
complex away from the other bus stops but by asking first in a newsagents and
then in the Tourist Information it was not too hard to find.
I had
a sausage roll and cake while waiting for the bus that took me all the way back
to the car in 50 minutes for £2.60. I
was back at the car at 3.00 and home in Coventry at normal working time of 6.15.
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