Ingleby Cross | Taking Our Time

July 4 – Happy Independence Day to you! Today we ventured forth into the last of our three geographic areas for this walk, the North York Moors National Park. Our days of flat terrain are over; we climbed the Cleveland Hills, and followed the signs for the Cleveland Way.

The morning was overcast and cool.

Walking through the woods in the early morning, we came upon what our guidebook described as an old wagon.

We had five hills to climb today, a series of up, down, and back up again. Even in cool weather, it was hard work.

Heather in bloom:

The Wainstones, from afar and up close, named perhaps for the wailing of the people after the death of some prehistoric chieftain who was killed there. Yes, we did scrabble up to the top:

By 2pm, we got our first glimpse of the North Sea. Can you see it on the horizon?

We had to call our hosts (to be picked up from the trail) from atop the Wainstones, which we were told was the only place with cell reception! For the next few nights, our lodgings are not close enough to the trail for the hikers to walk in. Our B&B tonight is a horse farm. These two are mother and son. Don’t they look happy to see us?

July 5 – We resumed our walk this morning with one strenuous climb, after which we were promised flat path for the rest of the day.

Have you ever seen cows like these? They’re called Belted Galloways , but are more familiarly known as Oreo cows.

It was clear and sunny and feature free. A good day for sunbrellas.

We walked along an old railroad bed – perfectly flat and straight.

Colors:

Looking down. Where is the town?

We eventually got to Blakey Ridge, where we waited at the pub until our B&B host came to pick us up. I could get used to being driven around!

July 3 – Only nine miles to go today, on nice flat ground. We walked through farmer’s fields, with both green and amber waves of wheat:

Some woods:

An imaginatively decorated stile at a tuck shop with snacks for hikers:

A herd of cows was unusually interested in our presence, lining up along the fence as we walked by. I sang for them, “the hills are alive, with the sound of mooo-sic.” They were very appreciative. I could tell. They gave me a standing bo-vation.

We even got to see a flock of sheep getting their summer shearing. Sorry for the unflattering image of the farmer.

Before we knew it, we reached Ingleby Cross, and it was only 1:30pm. Way too early to try to check in at the B&B. What to do? We saw on the map that there was an old priory just two miles up the road, so we had lunch and decided to walk over. Unfortunately, it was two miles of walking along a busy highway where the cars were all coming from the wrong direction, but we got there alive!

The Mount Grace Priory was built in the 1300s for an order of Carthusian monks. Carthusians are solitary contemplatives, who do not eat meat. They lived here for a few hundred years, until King Henry VIII closed down all the Roman Catholic churches in 1540.

Unlike other orders that lived communally, each monk had his own two story apartment, with a bedroom, a study, a prayer room, a workroom upstairs, and a walled garden. Servants brought in food twice a day. Pretty sweet deal.