ENGLAND'S MOORS

                                     My First Moor Hike

            The first day in Yorkshire, England we woke to cloudy skies and considerably cooler temperatures. I decided it would be a good idea to put on my silk long johns since the trousers I was wearing were lightweight.

I was looking forward to our first moor hike because of the literary romance of the area. We were to hike over the Spaunton Moor to Lastingham, finishing at Hutton le Hole. 

Old iron kilns at top of moor

What a start! The first and really only undulation that day was straight up 1000-feet to the top of the moor.  The cloudy and cool day didn’t tame the steady climb upward over a narrow switchback footpath. Many of us did a fair amount of huffing and puffing, and I, for one, thought we might never make it to the top. But about two hours and two miles later we all made it, only to find it so windy I thought it might blow a couple of the little  people over! We stood in the cold wind near some old railroad tracks for an explanation of the old iron kilns where the iron ore was decalcified to make it lighter for transport.

Fortunately the afternoon was all downhill—gently--over a reasonably good wide path. A couple of days later I learned that most groups are taken up to the moor over this gentle upward route, but our group was deemed fit enough to make the climb up the moor through the pastures!

It got warmer and warmer as the afternoon wore on. Coming down off the moor a stop in Lastingham provided a visit to the old crypt church. Built in 1078 this church is unique to England. Built on the site of a Celtic monastery, it is a shrine to St. Cedd who brought Christianity to this part of England. He is buried within.

     By the time we reached Lastingham I was more than ready to shed those long johns that were under my cargo pants. At first I thought the crypt might be where I’d shed the silkies, but after actually getting there I decided that the church might not be quite the appropriate place to disrobe. However, the deserted church cemetery served nicely. I found a large stone to sit on and in the blink of an eye, one boot and leg at a time I retrieved half of my under garment. My hiking boots were back on so quickly no one knew what I’d been up to and I certainly was more comfortable. With no one the wiser, those silkies made it back to the hotel in my pants pocket!

 From Lastingham it was only a little over a mile to Hutton le Hole where our guide knew the best ice cream stop in the village. This ice creamaholic vouches that it was really good ice cream and was a nice treat at the end of the day.