Monday, 19 March 2018

Cleveland Way

Garfit Gap (Wainstones) → Osmotherley

cold-moor.jpg Distance: 9.68 miles
Ascent: 672 metres
Duration: 4 hours 2 minutes

Thaw
« Not walked | Not walked »

"I hope you have a better day today than yesterday," offered a total stranger as we left the village this morning. Maybe word of our presence had leaked from the pub. Perhaps like the first cuckoo of spring, the first walkers to arrive indicate that winter is over.

And so it was. Throughout the day we watched the fields below the escarpment turn from dazzling winter white to luscious springtime green.

broughton-bank.jpgThe first descent after the aptly named Cold Moor was painfully slow, each foot having to be lowered gingerly into the drifts of snow. By the time we were making our third descent there was hardly any snow to be seen, and the final miles into Osmotherley were characterised more by mud than ice.

carlton-moor.jpgThe dry weather and blue skies opened up the views north and west. In the distance we could make out the backbone of the Pennines, laid out in a long row. We'll be back soon to finish them off.

lww-clain-wood.jpgWe've walked through the thaw and seen the seasons change before our eyes. The cold wind is still about, but it's lost its ferocity.

Posted by pab at 19:41 | Comments will be back one day. Please email me instead!