George Wilkinson goes for a white walk in the Cleveland Hills in what he hopes will be the last snow of the year.

THERE is a meteorological adage popular hereabouts that suggests if the snow lingers it needs another fall to take it away. Time will tell, but to eke out the possible remnants of real winter, we hung around in the east where the moors were still bright.

The Forestry Commission car park on Clay Bank Top normally provides ace views of the Cleveland Plain, but there was nothing but an impenetrable gloom. However, a car boasted skis and an early-bird walker reported a foot of snow and sunshine on the tops, so we set off with high hopes.

Off up the Cleveland Way, a first time for me up as opposed to down the innumerable comfortably asymmetric sandstone steps - a climb of 500 feet, the equivalent of ignoring the elevator for forty floors of the Empire States Building. There's a memorial bench to "Robbie who died near here". Grouse posed and chortled.

We reached the top, the heather and the stone flagged path. The massive views from the edge of the moors were denied by a chilly swirling mist of low cloud, it was all a bit muffled and eerie especially at the Wainstones. Huddling over our sandwiches under the lumps and towers of sandstone, it seemed the only trace of life and humanity were the generations of carved initials.

Then from around the corner behind a rock came the sound of excited voices. A party of school children and their minders were out from Cleveland for a taste of rock climbing. While we wondered at their street-corner, street-clothed hardiness a couple of other toughies turned up. They were doing the whole Cleveland Way and cast covetous glances at our trekking poles and showed considerable interest in our Ordnance Survey map and then continued, hoping to get to Kildale.

Losing a bit of altitude brought us to an area of shale heaps, a remnant of the jet mining. Then there was some sunshine and this little corner of Bilsdale turned out really pretty, especially with the snow splashed here and there and persisting along the dry-stone walls. A channelled stream led to a farmyard with a pond and geese and then bird-dense scrub and patches wet with seepages and streams.

The sting at the start of the walk is balanced by an easy finish. But that's enough snow for me this winter. This late in the year I need the birds and bees and long rambles through the daffodils.

Fact file

Distance: Three miles.

Time: Two hours.

General location: Cleveland Hills.

Start: Clay Bank Top.

Right of way: The complete route is along public rights of way.

Date walked: Friday March 5, 2004.

Road route: Four miles from Stokesley on the B1257 to Helmsley.

Car parking: Forestry Commission car park, free.

Lavatories: None.

Refreshments: None.

Tourist & public transport information: Helmsley TIC 01439 770173.

Map: Based on OS Explorer OL26 North York Moors western area.

Terrain: Valley and escarpment.

Points of interest: Shale was often burnt to produce road material and in the 19th century the inhabitants of Stokesley complained about the smell from the moors.

Difficulty: Easy bar the climb.

Dogs: Suitable.

Weather forecast: Evening Press and recorded forecast 0891 500 418

Directions

1. Left from car park along main road (verge), 100 yards, path on right (signed Cleveland Way) and steps. Stile on left near bench and continue on engineered path to Wainstones then downhill.

2. At gap in first wall, leave Cleveland Way, left for 20 yards, stile/fieldgate and keep up by fence to left. Stile/fieldgate to grassy path 1 o'clock across field, contouring then down, to fieldgate in far corner (waymark), grassy track (ignore first right).

3. Stile/fieldgate on right into yard (waymark), fieldgate on left between house and barn (waymark), 25 yards, fieldgate to path to left that gently climbs to skirt scrub, up to but not into, conifers.

4. Stile at conifer wood corner and left uphill (wall to left, fingerpost), stile at next corner and right on path, joins concrete drive back to main road.

When in doubt look at the map. Check your position at each point. Keep straight on unless otherwise directed.

Please observe the Country Code and park sensibly. While every effort is made to provide accurate information, walkers set out at their own risk.

Click here to view a map of the walk

Updated: 10:57 Saturday, March 13, 2004