Cleveland Way: My Daily Itinerary

Last week, I completed a 109-mile journey along the Cleveland Way in Yorkshire. From the market town of Helmsley, across the North York Moors and then along the beautiful coastline of East Yorkshire, to the end point at Filey.

In this post, I’m going to share where I stayed and how far I walked each day. It may be useful for others (I was searching for this information beforehand) and in time, I’ll write about each day’s walking and experiences in detail.

Getting to the start:

Having to travel up from Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, I decided to drive in a journey that would take more than four hours at best. Then I found free parking along the A170, heading east away from Market Place and towards the petrol station. Marked bays exist on either side of the road and in front of houses.

Alternatively, one could park in or travel to York and take the bus out to the start in Helmsley. Given more time, I’d have probably parked elsewhere and done the bus journeys at the start of my walk and not the end.

Day 1: Sunday 12th September 2021
Helmsley to High Paradise Farm – (14.5 miles)

Cost of camping: £10

Day 2: Monday 13th September 2021
High Paradise Farm to Beak Hills Farm – (17 miles)

Cost of camping: £4

Day 3: Tuesday 14th September 2021
Beak Hills Farm to Wild Camp (21 miles)

Cost of camping: £0

(Please note: I wild camped in Guisborough Woods WITHOUT permission. It is always advisable to seek permission from the landowner before pitching.)

Day 4: Wednesday 15th September 2021
Wild Camp to Serenity Camping – (18 miles)

Cost of camping: £11

Day 5: Thursday 16th September 2021
Serenity Camping to Hooks House Farm (18 miles)

Cost of camping: £11

Day 6: Friday 17th September 2021
Hooks House Farm to Scarborough Caravan and Camping Club (14 miles)

Cost of camping: £21.65 (this is a non-members price)

Day 7: Saturday 18th September 2021
Scaraborough Caravan and Camping Club to Filey – THE END! (12 miles)

Getting back to Helmsley:

I walked my way to the bus station in Filey – initially following the Yorkshire Wolds Way National Trail. From there, I caught the 555 bus to Scarborough (£2.20 for a single adult ticket). Buses to Scarborough are quite frequent.

From outside the train station in Scarborough (and after having to wait a good while), I caught the X28 bus to Helmsley (£8+ for an adult single). These buses are less frequent – maybe one per hour. Google Maps suggests you need to get off and change at Pickering but that’s not the case; these buses do go all the way to Helmsley.

Again, one could alternatively take transport from Scarborough direct to York.

For reference, I would happily recommend and stay at each of these campsites again (although I’d rather not pay the full non-members price in Scarborough too often). B&Bs and hostels also exist. Please see the National Trails website for further details and check with each website to confirm future prices and availability.

Thanks for reading. I hope you find this useful.