Yorkshire Walks

Lyke Wake Walk stone marker post at the start of our walk

Climbing up Scarth Wood Moor

We crossed the road to the marker post and followed the path up the hillside of Scarth Wood Moor. We had hardly started when there was a heavy shower but is did not last too long and then it stayed fine for the rest of our walk. As we reached the top of the climb the path followed a dry stone wall around a pasture field on top of the moor where there was a large herd of beef cattle grazing with a fine limousin bull and lots of young calves.

I'm still recuperating from my knee replacement operation at the beginning of February. It seems to be such a long slow process and it's likely to take another couple of months before I can expect to be back to normal, whatever that was. It's so long ago I can hardly remember. Anyway today my wife and I drove to a little car park at the inlet to Cod Beck reservoir at map ref. SE467992. Across the road from the car park is a stone marker post for the Lyke Wake Walk.

Car park next to Cod Beck at the start of our walk

Climbing up Scarth Wood Moor

Meeting the Cleveland Way on Scarth Wood Moor

Beef cattle by the path

Instead we turned sharp left to walk along a track at the top edge of the field with the cattle grazing below us. After about 300m the track joined a metalled farm access road.

We came to a pedestrian gate at the edge of a wood where our path met the Cleveland Way at map ref. SE460999. We did not follow the Cleveland Way.

The Cleveland Hills from Scarth Wood Moor

Lady Smock in the pathside verge

Farm access road heading towards Osmotherley

Black Hambleton on the skyline

On the far skyline we could see the high moor called Black Hambleton. At the end of the access road, at map ref. SE456977, we came to the road through Osmotherley

We walked down the access road for about 1.5km towards Osmotherley. There was a good view across the valley of Cod Beck.

Greylag geese flying towards the reservoir

Following the access road towards Osmotherley

Turning towards Osmotherley Youth Hostel

Climbing up through the woods past the youth hostel

Just past the youth hostel we turned left off the access road to follow a path climbing up through the woods for about 600m to a path running along a track at map ref. SE466982. At this track we turned left and walked along the track for about 150m where we turned left again to follow a broad access track down the hillside to the dam across Cod Beck Reservoir at map ref. SE446984.

At the road we turned away from Osmotherley and walked about 200m along the road towards Cod Beck reservoir. Here we turned right off the road down the access road to the Osmotherley Youth Hostel. After about 300m the access road crossed Cod Beck and ahead of us was the Youth Hostel to the right of the access road. There was a "For Sale" sign fixed to the gable of the building.

Passing the Osmotherley Youth Hostel

Climbing up through the woods past the youth hostel

Crossing the dam of Cod Beck Reservoir

Cod Beck Reservoir near the end of our walk

The whole walk had been 6km and it had taken us (well me, as my wife had to keep on waiting for me) about two hours to walk. It had been a very pleasant little route and was the furthest I have walked so far since my knee operation, so things are still improving. I'll just have to be a bit more patient.

We crossed the dam and at the far side of the reservoir we turned right to walk along the water company permissive path on the side of the reservoir. It was very pleasant walking through the trees with the reservoir on our right. After about 800m we came to a pedestrian gate out of the reservoir site about 50m from the car park.

Cod Beck Reservoir

Looking back to the reservoir from the car park