Day 8 - Staxton Hill to Filey, 10.6m

We set off from the car park at the top of Saxton Hill with a short walk along the verge to the track which approaches the very unattractive Saxon Wold RAF station via a very smelly and noisy pig farm.  The track then goes down a wooded lane before turning up a very steep climb (once again it was a loose surface which made it harder to negotiate).  Coming out at the top felt rather like popping up from a rabbit hole.

The next section was straight to the road.  Straight meant climbing up and down a few small hills.  For the most part it was sheep country and attractive chalk valleys but there was also a very wet barley field where the farmer hadn't mowed the path so we were glad to have decided to wear boots but still wet over our knees. At the road we got a real treat, we'd spoken to a lady from Nottingham in a camper van the previous day who was meeting her Wolds Way walking husband at regular intervals.  He had just arrived and it was coffee time so we sat on their camping chairs and had a cup of coffee.  

From the road the path dropped down into our last chalk valley and the end of the sheep country, before turning along our last chalk valley which was unusual in that the path was through low shrubs and lots of flowers.

We left the chalk through a field with young heifers, the first we had seen as the cattle on the chalk are bulls.  We walked along the main road through the village of Muston and turned back into the fields past a row of cottages at the end of the village.  It had been trying to rain since not long after we left our coffee stop, but it was very light and sporadic, so we had managed with umbrellas. Just as we arrived at the main A165 crossing only 2 miles from our destination, there was a more serious shower, so we decided to shelter at the gate onto the main road and put on our waterproofs for the walk across to Filey.

When we reached the sea front it had stopped raining and we had a good view of Filey Brigg at the north side of the harbour, but the chalk cliffs to the south which we had seen from a distance earlier in the day had completely disappeared.  The sea-themed crazy golf was impressive - especially the lobster!

When we reached the Country Park, we spent quite a while working out where the monument which ends the trail was located.  We arrived at the same time and were completely upstaged by 3 ladies who had just completed the 110-mile Cleveland Way, which finishes at the same spot.  We went off to sign the route finishers' book at the café before meeting the couple from the motor caravan heading for their finish photo.

And then we decided because we couldn’t see the cliffs, we’d go and take a closer look!  (see next post)