Here you can see the report from our latest walk and also some of the pictures that were taken.

Unless otherwise stated, report by Paul Coates and pictures by Keith Bilton.

Thursday 4th June 2009

Commondale, Foul Green, Sand Hill, Lane, White Cross, Siss Cross Hill, Sandy Slack Head, Lane, Clitherbeck Farm, Wooded Valley, Danby (Duke Of Wellington), Lane, Danby Park, Box Hall, Moorside, Foul Green, Commondale (9.5 miles).

Cool & cloudy all day.

Chris, Paul, Col, Paul Craggs, Keith, Paul 'Sherlock' Holmes, Dudley, Ray, Jack, Bob.

Keith, Bob,Dudley

It was a 7 o'clock start today as we ventured to the northern edge of the North Yorkshire Moors for our first ever visit to Commondale. Surprisingly this small settlement boasts a pub, The Cleveland Inn, so we might well be visiting here again at some future date.

We had parked on the open moorland just to the south of the village which gave us a downward start to the walk. Paul kept checking the map just in case it was upside down as upward tends to be the more usual start to our walks.

Checking the compass (or another filthy joke on the mobile).

As we got opposite The Cleveland Inn we followed the footpath sign pointing east.

We certainly were being led up the garden path as we headed towards someone's garden! We quickly realised our mistake and backtracked. We did note someone at the kitchen window laughing so we have to assume we are not the first to wend our way up this particular garden path.

Just outside Commondale we passed through a field of Highland Cattle. We did ask Jack to pose alongside one of them for a picture but he declined, and the cattle didn't seem too keen either.

We were soon out on the bleak open moor where the cool breeze made it seem more like January than June.

As we trod towards the lane at Sandy Slack Head Paul's powers of observation failed him miserably. First of all he confused Sleights with Staithes, and then claimed he could see Captain Cooks Monument in the distance when in fact it was a telecoms mast, and then pointed out an incoming helicopter which turned out to be a light aircraft. His theory being that if you are going to be wrong then you might as well be totally wrong.

Bob also got in on the act by identifying a ship across in the distant North Sea as the Queen Mary, but we just ignored him. We did find a good grub stop though alongside Siss Cross Hill with a grassy bank giving us shelter from the cold wind.

Highland cow looking for Jack

By the time we'd got to the road at Sandy Slack Head we realised that we might end up sat outside the pub in Danby waiting for it to open. So an alternative (i.e. longer) route was agreed upon (by Paul & Bob) to avoid the sorry sight of thirsty walkers cluttering up the village.

Although the chosen path was clearly shown on the map it was practically invisible on the ground, but with the aid of Keith's SatNav we picked our way over the trackless moor.

It was certainly well worth the effort as beyond Clitherbeck Farm we descended down into a nameless wooded valley which was a pleasure to walk through. The only thing missing was a touch of sunshine.

The Duke of Wellington in Danby, and its landlord, was most welcoming. We had a little side room to ourselves and it was the sort of pub that you could sit in all day.

Sherlock 'carefully' celebrated a recent monetary windfall by buying himself an extra half of Guinness (that's 'carefully' as in he only bought a half and nowt for his mates!). This unusual display of wealth was due to Keith insisting on paying double for a recent MOT and service for his car. However this financial lapse has since been rectified, but we think Sherlock was maybe still in shock.

Sherlock and his 'JackNav' in the wooded valley

Jack regaled us with further tales from his never ending battle to get to grips with the fundamentals of mobile phone technology. He was at a loss to understand why his phone credit was always running down when it was discovered that every time he tried to call someone he somehow managed to press a button that sent a blank text to everyone in his phonebook. We didn't realise he had so many friends.

Reluctantly we had to leave the warmth of the Duke of Wellington to brave the cold drizzle outdoors. Roll on summer we say.

We had a few goes at locating our path which we finally discovered running alongside a cottage. The marker was cunningly disguised as a yellow arrow which no one seemed to notice at the time. Thereafter the track was fairly obvious running up to the woods at Danby Park and beyond towards Commondale.

By this time Sherlock was well in front, along with his trusty JackNav.

A quiet spot in the wooded valley

Sherlock was in his element today with his various impressions of sheep and car horns. He even added to his repertoire mimicking trains and pigs. We fear that perhaps he doesn't have much to do all day at his garage.

A good walk well worth the extra miles to get too.