Osmotherley to Clay Bank Top

History

This stage walks across layered human history. The Cleveland Hills crest is studded with Bronze Age round barrows - most notably Drake Howe just west of the summit of Cringle Moor, a scheduled ancient monument ('howe' is the Old Norse word for burial mound). The Three Lords Stones near Carlton Bank are boundary markers named for the three lords (of Helmsley, Busby Hall and Scugdale) whose estates met there. The escarpment was industrialised earlier: an alum works operated on Carlton Bank into the 18th century, where Jurassic shale was quarried and processed for the dye-fixing (mordant) trade, and the moors carry the scars of later jet and ironstone mining that fed Teesside's furnaces. In the 20th century Carlton Moor became a gliding field - the Newcastle & Teesside Gliding Club flew here from the early 1960s until 2008. The walking heritage matters too: the route runs concurrent with the Cleveland Way (a National Trail since 1969) and the Lyke Wake Walk, and the Coast to Coast itself was described by Alfred Wainwright in 1973 and formally opened as a National Trail in March 2026.

Nature & Wildlife

This is heather-moorland country managed largely for red grouse, which burst almost vertically from the ling with a clattering 'go-back, go-back' call. Listen for the bubbling cry of the curlew over the tops and, in spring, the ring ouzel (the 'mountain blackbird') around the rockier ground near the Wainstones and Cold Moor - the North York Moors are this bird's most easterly breeding ground in Britain. The flagstone path threads heather, bilberry and cotton-grass, with skylark and meadow pipit overhead; the steep wooded scarp slopes below the escarpment hold birch and rowan. Late summer (August) brings the moors into full purple bloom.

Geology

The Cleveland Hills are built of Middle Jurassic sandstones and shales tilted gently south, leaving a hard sandstone caprock that forms the abrupt north-facing escarpment and the gritty tors of the Wainstones. Beneath lie the alum shales worked on Carlton Bank and the thin ironstone and jet seams mined along the scarp. The repeatedly resistant cap and softer underlying beds are exactly what create the day's signature saw-tooth profile of steep ups and downs between Carlton, Cringle, Cold Moor and Hasty Bank.

Scenic Highlights

The whole day is a balcony walk along the edge of the moors. The biggest views open north and west from Cringle Moor and Carlton Bank over the patchwork Tees lowlands to the distinctive cone of Roseberry Topping; on clear days the North Sea coast is visible. The Wainstones themselves are the scenic set-piece - dark sandstone pinnacles framing the final climb onto Hasty Bank.

Photography

Shoot the Wainstones in low side-light (early morning or evening) when the crags throw long shadows; the scramble framed against the sky is the iconic shot. Cringle Moor's edge and the Alec Falconer seat give a clean foreground for the sweep to Roseberry Topping. Late August delivers purple heather across the foreground flagstones, and the escarpment's north face often catches mist/inversions at dawn.

When to Visit

Best walked late spring to early autumn (April-October). The flagstones make the going feasible year-round, but between them the moor is boggy after rain, and the exposed crest takes the full force of wind and low cloud. Heather peaks in August. Note that Moorsbus services and some seasonal facilities (and the free Clay Bank pickup arrangements) run mainly Easter to late September, and short winter daylight makes this undulating 11-mile day with ~830 m of climb tight - start early.

Getting There

Public transport is sparse. Osmotherley is reached by bus (Hodgsons services 80/89 link Northallerton-Brompton-Osmotherley-Swainby-Carlton in Cleveland-Great Broughton-Stokesley, Mon-Sat); the nearest railhead is Northallerton. Clay Bank Top sits on the B1257 (Stokesley-Helmsley) with a roadside car park; seasonal Moorsbus services and accommodation lifts are the main way on/off. Bail-out: if weather turns, you can leave the ridge at the Lord Stones / Carlton Bank road or descend north to Great Broughton, both reachable before the final exposed Wainstones section.

Stay & Eat Nearby

Clay Bank Top is just a road col on the B1257 with no buildings, so the day's lodging is in the surrounding villages. Great Broughton, about 2.5 miles north down the road, has B&Bs and the Wainstones Hotel; Chop Gate, about 2 miles south, has the Buck Inn and nearby B&Bs. Many hosts run free lifts to and from Clay Bank, and there is commonly a free walkers' pickup from the Clay Bank car park around 16:00 and morning drop-offs - confirm when booking. Lord Stones Country Park mid-stage offers camping and glamping pods. Book ahead in peak season (June-August), and use one of the C2C baggage-transfer services (e.g. Sherpa Van) to move your pack between villages.

Water & Facilities

Treat the ridge as a dry, exposed high-level stretch: carry enough for the day. The single reliable on-route source is Lord Stones Country Park cafe at Carlton Bank, roughly the halfway point, where you can refill, eat and use toilets. Osmotherley at the start has a shop, cafe and pubs; Clay Bank Top at the end has nothing, so top up before leaving Lord Stones if the cafe is open.

Safety

This is an exposed, undulating moorland ridge with no shelter and frequent low cloud - navigation off the tops can be tricky in mist despite the flagstones. The Wainstones require a short, easy hands-on scramble that is awkward when wet or icy; take care on the steep stone steps. Between flagged sections the moor is genuinely boggy. Carry full hill kit (waterproofs, warm layers, map/compass or GPS, food and water). Mobile signal is patchy to absent along the crest. In an emergency dial 999 or 112, ask for Police then Mountain Rescue (Cleveland Mountain Rescue covers this area); for non-urgent medical advice call NHS 111.

Accessibility

A strenuous mountain-grade day unsuitable for wheelchair or pushchair users: sustained steep climbs and descents, stone steps, the Wainstones scramble, exposed terrain and boggy moor. The flagstone causeways help footing but do not make it accessible. Lord Stones Country Park (cafe, toilets, parking) and the Clay Bank Top car park are the accessible touchpoints by road for non-walkers meeting a group.

Visitor Tips

Time your day around Lord Stones Country Park cafe (Carlton Bank) - it is the only reliable food/water/toilets between Osmotherley and Clay Bank, so check its hours because Clay Bank has nothing. Don't be fooled by the 11-mile distance: ~830 m of ascent in repeated steep pulls makes it a tiring day, so allow 5.5-6 hours plus stops. At the Wainstones expect a short scramble through the boulders rather than a path around them; in the wet or in poor visibility take it slowly. Pre-arrange your lift, as you must leave the trail at Clay Bank to reach a bed in Great Broughton or Chop Gate - many B&Bs include free transfers. The section shares the well-waymarked Cleveland Way (National Trail acorn), but still carry a map because the moor-top in mist is disorienting.