Forty-five years ago, the 176km/110-mile Cleveland Way became the second national trail to be opened. The roughly horseshoe-shaped route starts inland from the attractive market town of Helmsley and follows the western edge of the North York Moors National Park, heading north to reach the coast at Saltburn. From there, the coastal section of the trail continues in a southeast direction along the dramatic North Yorkshire coastline to Filey. This splendidly scenic walk samples a stretch of this coast, taking you over the highest cliff on the eastern seaboard of England. Most of the coastline along this section also lies within the National Park. There’s a wealth of dramatic cliff scenery, plus many visible reminders of the coast’s industrial past, along with two very picturesque villages. The trail is well signed and easy to follow – just keep the sea on your left! A regular bus service along the main road that runs parallel to the coast provides options for shorter lengths, if desired.
1. START Ask to be dropped off at the bus stop near the (signed) valley turn-off for Skinningrove (NZ710189), between Loftus and Carlin How. Follow the road along to Skinningrove, a village notable for its former ironstone mining (which you can learn more about at the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum here).
2. When you reach the coast, leave the road just after a right bend and turn left up the path that climbs to the cliff top. You’re now on the route of the Cleveland Way, which you follow all the way to the end. A couple of miles on, you enter the North York Moors National Park. Below you for the next mile or so are the extensive remains of the Loftus and Boulby Alum quarries. Above Rock Cliff, you are standing on the highest point on the east coast of England, 203m/666ft above sea level. The path soon loses height as it drops down to the hamlet of Boulby. Inland is the Boulby potash mine, Britain’s only source of potash (salts that contain water-soluble potassium).
3. Descending to Staithes, there are good views of the picturesque village of Staithes from the National Trust’s Cowbar Nab headland. The village lies wedged between cliffs, its tiers of close-knit cottages intersected by narrow alleyways and steps, tumbling down towards the sea. Its best-known resident was the young James Cook – the future Captain Cook – who worked as a grocer’s apprentice before moving to Whitby, where he joined the Royal Navy. The shop was destroyed by the sea, but salvaged parts were used to build the current ‘Captain Cook’s Cottage’, which you’ll pass in Church Street as you head up through the village. Look out, too, for Dog Loup, a very narrow opening on your right, said to be the narrowest street in Yorkshire. The village is also noted for its association with the Staithes Group of Artists.
4. The next place of interest is Port Mulgrave (looked down on from high up on the cliff-top path), built to cater for the iron-ore boom. The ore was transported from the mines to the harbour via a mile-long tunnel, which emerged from the cliff.
5. From Runswick Bank Top, you descend to Runswick Bay – a charming place with its red-roofed cottages overlooking a fine sandy beach, the bay enclosed by the quarried Kettle Ness headland to the east. The Cleveland Way continues along the beach (though at high tide in stormy conditions you may have to wait a bit for the sea to recede), and turns right up beside a gully beyond the sailing club buildings onto the cliffs once more. The final section to Sandsend is along the disused railway trackbed.