14/04/18 - The Inn Way to the North Yorkshire Moors Summary

Distance of the Inn Way to the North Yorkshire Moors - 89 (85 Completed) Miles
Days completed in - 6
Pubs Visited - 14 out of the 31 detailed in the guide
Geocaches - 21
Timeframe - 09/04/18 to 14/04/18

This is the third Inn Way that I have completed and the one that presented the most challenges.  Don't get me wrong, I loved this in its own way and will be back next year to complete another in the series.

If you're thinking of doing one, start with the Yorkshire Dales or the Lake District and then move onto this one.

It's a touch more complicated for ticking the pubs and completing the walking.

The walking is hard.  89 miles are covered in 6 days.  This is the same distance as the Inn Way to Lake District where you get 7 days.   The moors are completely bleak and if you get bad weather, its quite relentless.  I was on the moors over four days with visibility of less than 20 feet.  The views eluded me, unless you like views of peat bogs.

And the pubs have changed after 20 years.   Many are now closed.  Many don't open Monday Lunch.  Some don't open until the evening, which makes them pointless for our needs.  And finally, two classic looking ones - Blacksmith Arms in Lastingham and Feversham Arms in Church Houses are passed a long time before lunch.

Worryingly, Day 5 currently has no pubs open at all, including the one at the end of the walk.  Which was also my bed for the night!

As with all undertakings - there needs to be a roll of honour.

Best Walk - Day 3 - The first time we hit the moors and have varied walking through Cropton Forest
Best Pub - Day 3 - The Horseshoe Hotel, Egton Bridge.  A proper drinkers pubs, whereas many that were open were more dining pubs.
Best Pint - Day 6 - The Black Sheep outside the Feathers, as the sun went down.  Not much diversity on this Inn Way.  Mainly Black Sheep everywhere, with just the Cropton Micro brewery represented elsewhere.
Best Meal - Day 3 - And it wasn't a pie.  The Postgate Inn, Egton Bridge, does very good food.  Only one pub had a curry on the menu.  North Yorkshire doesn't do spice.
Advice - Parking is available for a week in Helmsley.  Plenty of spaces but you can't buy your ticket until 10am, when the castle shop opens.  Don't start on a Monday.  Most pubs closed at Monday Lunch.  Pay particular care on Day 5.  The Inn at Hawnby - the only pub in the village - is closed.  There is a B&B at a farm nearby but you will need to arrange an evening meal.  Don't forget that Helmsley has a new brewery!

Each leg of the walk has been detailed on a separate blog, available at the link;

Day 1 - Helmsley to Hutton-le-Hole
Day 2 - Hutton-le-Hole to Levisham
Day 3 - Levisham to Egton Bridge
Day 4 - Egton Bridge to Rosedale Abbey
Day 5 - Rosedale Abbey to Hawnby
Day 6 - A circular walk from Helmsely

The Photo Album on Flickr

The Photos!