Russell said that this would be a muddy walk and as usual he wasn't wrong!
After being dropped off by the coach in Osmotherley we started walking due east on the footpath (opposite the T junction) squeezing alongside several quaint stone cottages to the Methodist chapel which is thought to be one of the oldest in the country.
The path rose until reaching a track (Green Lane) where we turned right, crossing a minor road then continuing walking on the path close to the two Oak Dale Reservoirs, built in 1891 and 1910, up to Square Corner.
From here we followed the Cleveland Way southward. Before the climb near Hambleton End we stopped for a short tea break.
We then continued on the Cleveland Way on a rocky incline on Hambleton Street, an old drover's road, passing Black Hambleton to White Gill Head.
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Having lunch on Hambleton Street.
Hambleton Street is an old drovers road most recently used by Scottish drovers taking their cattle from Scotland to the markets in Malton, York and as far south as London . However the route has been in use for thousands of years - artefacts from the Bronze Age and possibly earlier have been found along its course.
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We continued walking on this track until we turned right on the path to Gallow Hill at G.R. 485899. Here we turned right and continued into Kepwick.
Where the path crossed the minor road at Kepwick we carried straight on, the path crossing several fields into Nether Silton. Here we crossed over Bridge Beck Lane and continued on the path, across fields, to Kirk Ings Lane.
We crossed straight over, the road soon reaching St Mary's Church, an ancient church dating back to Saxon times. We stopped here for a tea break and took the opportunity to explore the Church.
After leaving the church we turned left on the footpath into Over Silton.
When the lane reached the village we turned right on the path leading to Hanging Stone then continued on Sandpit Lane (a track) into Thimbleby.
The paths were extremely muddy but Ray offered some help in avoiding the mud only to fall over, muddying his new Rohan jacket in the process!
Turning right where the track reached a minor road we continued through the village. We then turned left onto a footpath opposite Hill Top Farm the route passing through several fields into Osmotherley.
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