Scalby, Yorkshire Coast Path and Cloughton

The route passes through lanes and fields to the coast, where there is a magnificent view south towards Scarborough's North Bay (with the castle standing nearly 300 feet above the waves on its headland, its massive Norman keep forming an impressive silhouette).

The route continues north along the Cleveland Way (a long-distance path running beside the coast and around the North York Moors National Park). Walking along the cliffs is exhilarating, with fishing boats inspecting nets and pleasure or working vessels plying the coast. Rocky cliffs and beaches host gulls, kittiwakes, fulmars, common terns, cormorants, redshanks, oystercatchers, and winter visitors like ringed plovers, turnstones, curlews, and occasional red-throated divers.

At low tide there is access down the cliffs to the rocky shore of Crook Ness (abounding in seaweeds, shellfish, crabs, starfish, butterfish, and common blenny), leading further on to Cloughton Wyke, favoured by geologists because rock strata are clearly visible.

After the walk along the Yorkshire Coast, you head inland to the village of Cloughton and join the trackbed of the Scarborough and Whitby Railway. This 21-mile single-track line opened in 1885 to cater for tourists (nicknamed the Golden Line, it was one of Britain's most scenic routes with over 60 bridges, two viaducts, cuttings, embankments, and two tunnels). Popular with holidaymakers, a lack of winter traffic forced its closure in 1965.

Cloughton station building is now a private house, and you can still see the goods yard with its cattle dock and goods shed. The trackbed is now a bridle path providing a haven for wildlife and flowers lining the return walk to Scalby.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.