Stage 14 of 16 (Clay Bank Top to Blakey Ridge, about 10.2 miles / 16.4 km) is the gentlest day in the North York Moors and a welcome contrast to the switchback Cleveland Hills behind you. From the B1257 road col at Clay Bank Top a single sustained climb on stone flags up Carr Ridge gains the broad whaleback of Urra Moor. Just off the path, Round Hill (454 m / 1,490 ft) is the highest point of the North York Moors National Park, crowned by a trig pillar set on a Bronze Age barrow and flanked by the medieval Hand Stone and Face Stone waymarkers. From here the route is almost flat: it joins the trackbed of the dismantled Rosedale Ironstone Railway at Bloworth Crossing (where the Cleveland Way peels off north) and curves for miles around the head of Farndale on firm, level ballast to the isolated Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge, England's fourth-highest pub. Underfoot is easy, but the moor is utterly exposed with no shelter, no water and patchy phone signal, so it is bleak and disorientating in cloud, rain or snow. Total ascent is modest, in the region of 650 ft / 200 m.
Highlights
- Round Hill, Urra Moor (454 m / 1,490 ft) — the highest point of the North York Moors, with a trig point set on the Bronze Age Botton Howe round barrow
- The Hand Stone and Face Stone — old boundary/guide stones beside the path on Urra Moor; the Hand Stone is carved 'This is the way to Kirby' (Kirkbymoorside)
- Bloworth Crossing — where the Cleveland Way and Coast to Coast part company at the old railway
- Walking the trackbed of the Rosedale Ironstone Railway (1861–1929) around the head of Farndale
- Views over Farndale (famous for its wild daffodils in spring) and Rosedale
- The Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge — a remote 16th-century moorland pub and classic C2C halfway refuge
- Vast purple heather moorland in late August, alive with red grouse, curlew and golden plover
Know before you go
- Open moor — no shelter or water
- Bleak in poor weather
History
This crossing of the moors follows routes far older than the Coast to Coast. Urra Moor and Blakey Ridge are dotted with Bronze Age burial mounds (howes) such as Botton Howe beneath the Round Hill trig point, and the ridge carried prehistoric and packhorse trade routes for millennia. The carved Face Stone is documented as a boundary marker by 1642 (named in the preamble to the Duncombe estate), and the Hand Stone points the way 'to Kirby' (Kirkbymoorside). The long level final section is the trackbed of the Rosedale Ironstone Railway, which reached Rosedale in 1861 to carry ironstone off the moors to the Teesside furnaces via the rope-worked, self-acting Ingleby Incline; the line closed in 1929 and its embankments and cuttings still cross the bog. The Lion Inn itself is believed to have been built around 1553–1558 — reputedly by monks who used it as a rest stop on the coffin route over the moors — and was later a trading point for corn and fish in the 18th century, prospering again during the 1850s ironstone-mining boom.
Nature & Wildlife
The route crosses the largest continuous expanse of heather moorland in England, a habitat of international importance managed by rotational burning for red grouse, which you will hear and see all day. The moors support breeding curlew, golden plover, lapwing, snipe and merlin, with ring ouzel in the cloughs. In late summer (August) the Calluna heather turns the whole plateau purple. Below to the south lies Farndale, renowned for its wild daffodils that carpet the dale in spring (typically late March to mid-April). Cotton-grass marks the wetter, boggy ground beside the old railway.
Geology
The moors are built of Jurassic sandstones and shales of the Cleveland Hills, capped with peat and acidic heather moorland. The ironstone seams that made this an industrial landscape were mined here in the 19th century — the Rosedale ironstone was prized for its high iron content. The flat, level ledge you walk for the final miles is entirely artificial: the graded trackbed engineered around the contour of Farndale Head to keep the railway's gradient gentle.
Scenic Highlights
This is big-sky, wide-horizon moorland walking. The standout is the airy whaleback of Urra Moor with views back to the Cleveland Hills and the Wainstones, then the long arc around the rim of Farndale with the dale falling away to the right. On a clear day the plateau feels limitless; the lonely Lion Inn appearing on the skyline is one of the iconic sights of the whole Coast to Coast.
Photography
Best light is early morning or evening when the low sun rakes across the heather. Key shots: the Round Hill trig point and Hand Stone on Urra Moor; the dead-straight line of the old railway vanishing across the moor near Bloworth Crossing; the Farndale Head panorama; and the Lion Inn silhouetted on Blakey Ridge against a moorland sunset. Late August gives purple heather; spring gives Farndale's daffodils below.
When to Visit
Best walked late spring to early autumn (April–October). Spring brings the Farndale daffodils (usually mid-March to mid-April); late August brings full heather bloom but also the grouse-shooting season (the moors are working shoots from 12 August). The exposed plateau is genuinely bleak and hard to navigate in winter snow, low cloud or driving rain — there is no shelter for the entire 14 km. Given the day's length, even high-summer means starting early enough to reach the Lion Inn comfortably; in shoulder seasons mind the short daylight (DST-aware) and carry a head torch.
Getting There
Clay Bank Top is a road col on the B1257 (Stokesley–Helmsley) with a small layby/parking, but no railway. Seasonal Moorsbus services (running on Sundays and bank holidays, roughly early May to late September) link the area: the M3 runs via Kirkbymoorside and Hutton-le-Hole and right past the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge to Danby. There is no year-round public transport on the ridge, so check current Moorsbus timetables. Bail-out options are limited: from the moor your realistic escape is to continue to the Lion Inn, or before the moor to drop south from Clay Bank to Chop Gate / north to Great Broughton. The nearest railway stations for the wider region are at Battersby and Kildale (Esk Valley line) and Northallerton.
Stay & Eat Nearby
The Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge is effectively the only accommodation at the stage end — a family-run 16th-century freehouse offering B&B rooms, a bar and restaurant, packed lunches, secure bike storage and parking; you can also camp at the pub (in the beer garden) by prior arrangement. It is small and hugely popular with C2C and Lyke Wake walkers, so book well ahead in peak season (roughly May–September). There is nothing else on the ridge. Nearby alternatives a few miles off-route include B&Bs and inns around Rosedale Abbey (such as the White Horse Farm Inn). There is no accommodation at the Clay Bank Top start (the nearest are Great Broughton and Chop Gate, a couple of miles downhill). Baggage-transfer companies (Sherpa Van, Coast to Coast Packhorse, etc.) all serve the Lion Inn.
Water & Facilities
There is NO reliable water on this stage between Clay Bank Top and the Lion Inn — fill up before you start. The moorland streams are peaty and not recommended untreated. The only refreshment along the route is the Lion Inn at the very end; carry all the water and food you need for the day (at least 1.5–2 litres in warm weather). The previous village with shops/water is well behind you, so treat the whole stage as a dry, self-sufficient crossing.
Safety
Easy underfoot but seriously exposed: once on the moor there is no shelter, no water and no escape for roughly 14 km, and mobile signal is patchy to absent. The flagged ascent of Carr Ridge can be slippery when wet; the railway trackbed has boggy, waterlogged ground either side. Navigation is straightforward in clear weather but the featureless plateau is disorientating in cloud or snow — carry map (OS Explorer OL26), compass and/or GPS. The local team is Cleveland Mountain Rescue (with Scarborough & Ryedale Mountain Rescue covering ground to the south-east). In an emergency dial 999 or 112 and ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue; for non-emergencies use NHS 111. Note the area is a working grouse moor (shooting season 12 August to 10 December) and prone to summer wildfire — heed any signs and keep to the path.
Accessibility
This is a remote upland moorland walk and is not wheelchair accessible. The flagged climb up Carr Ridge is steep in places; thereafter the disused-railway trackbed is broad, firm and almost level, which makes the bulk of the day relatively gentle for a fit walker, but the surrounding ground is boggy and the whole route is exposed with no facilities. The Lion Inn has parking and step access to the bar/restaurant. There are no public toilets, shops or ATMs anywhere on the stage except at the Lion Inn (which is card-friendly).
Visitor Tips
Top up water and use the toilet before leaving Clay Bank Top — there is nothing until the Lion Inn. Most walkers combine this with the previous Cleveland Hills stretch, arriving at Blakey Ridge after a long day, so pace it and book a Lion Inn room or camping spot well in advance. Detour the few metres off the path to touch the Round Hill trig point — many walkers cross the highest point of the North York Moors without realising it. The long railway-trackbed section is fast, easy going, but it is also where the day's exposure bites hardest, so keep your waterproofs and a warm layer to hand even in summer.