Cleveland Way: Helmsley to Cold Kirby

Directions

The Cleveland Way starts at a simple stone seat in the village of Helmsley at SE609838. This is next to the village's long-stay car park and toilet block, and is only a short walk from the market place in the centre of the village.

Pass the car park and continue westwards uphill along a track. As the track forks, take the right hand branch to continue uphill. The track ends at a clapper gate beside a field gate; go through this into a field and follow a hedge on the left. Go through a second clappergate / field gate combination and continue following the hedge on the left. At the corner of this field go through a clapper gate and turn left to follow an obvious path with a hedge on the left. This heads straight downhill towards some woodland ahead.

The path does not enter the trees, and instead turns right to head westwards with a broken-down wall and a steep tree-lined slope to the left. It passes a couple of fields on the right; at the end of the second the path enters the trees and descends steeply down steps before climbing up steps on the other side. At the top the path emerges from the trees into another field. It follows the edge of the trees on the left; when the trees end the path skirts a stone wall on the right and curves slightly to the left to cross an unsurfaced track near Griff Lodge at SE590834.

Cross the track and on the other side follow a good path that heads westwards. This passes an area of woodland on the left before entering the trees and curving to the right to take a more northwesterly course, descending to reach a road. Turn left to follow this road as it curves sharply to the right; there is an off-road footpath on the left that allows you to safely negotiate the bend. When this path ends, join the road and follow it westwards until it reaches Rievaulx Bridge over the River Rye at SE574842.

Continue along the road; when another road comes in from the right after a quarter of a mile head straight on. After nearly another half a mile the road curves to the left; shortly after the bend turn right down a track that soon reaches a bridleway gate beside a field gate. Go through this and continue along the track as it swings to the left to take a westerly course, passing a series of ponds on the right. Just before a gate is reached, turn right across grass for a few yards to reach some stepping stones over a stream. On the other side go through a bridleway gate and turn left to join a track that immediately ends at a bend in a larger track.

Follow this good track westwards. After a quarter of a mile the track curves to the right; here turn left along another track that heads southwestwards along the grassy bottom of a valley. After a third of a mile turn right off the track and take a footpath that heads steeply uphill. Initially this is along a gap in the trees, but soon the trees enclose the path. It becomes a rocky sunken lane; cross a stile to the right of a field gate and continue uphill as the path emerges into a field. Continue straight on, following a fence on the left. In the corner of the field cross a stile beside a field gate and continue along a track. This slowly climbs, following a fence and then a hedge on the left.

The track becomes the unsurfaced Low Field Lane. Three-quarters of a mile after leaving the trees the track passes two barns on the right and then curves to the left. On this bend, turn right down a footpath that curves to the right as it falls steeply. At the bottom turn left along a vague track that climbs uphill with Cold Kirby church away to the left; the gradient slackens and it joins a road in the hamlet of Cold Kirby. Turn right and follow this road westwards for a few yards until it reaches a junction with another road at SE532845.

Places of interest

Transport

Helmsley has good, if sometimes infrequent, bus services from the market square to various villages in the area, including York, Pickering and Malton. The nearest railway station is at Malton, although York may be more convenient for many travellers.

Cold Kirby has little, if no, public transport at the current time (2012).

For more public transport information, see the Travelline website.

Map information

Landranger (1:50,000)		Outdoor Leisure (1:25,000)
Landranger 100 (Malton & Pickering, Helmsley & Easingwold)	or	Outdoor Leisure 26 (North York Moors - Western Area)