24th Smugglers Trod challenge walk, organised by Yorkshire Coast LDWA, around the village of Fylingthorpe on the North Yorkshire Moors. Walked with Carla and our friend Dominic. We arrived at 7am, in plenty of time for the 8 am start.


The early stages were on good paths and quiet lanes, and the climb up from Fylingthorpe afforded great views across Robin Hoods Bay and the surrounding countryside


However, we soon reached open moorland, where it became evident that the persistent rain of the last few days meant we were not in for an easy ride.


Several later stages were worse than this. After struggling through mud, streams, puddles and thick heather, we reached the point where those taking the shorter route left us, and where we had great views over the May Beck valley.


We then headed down into the woods to walk alongside May Beck. For a while, on well made paths, the walking was easier and we were able to enjoy the beautiful woodland surroundings.



The path soon headed uphill again, though, and we were again tackling boggy ground and swollen streams, as we headed for the halfway point.


Gradually the weather worsened, and I had to put the camera away. Heading back to the east, we still had several climbs to negotiate, the worst being the steep climb up the road out of Robin Hoods Bay itself at the very end of the walk. There were more patches of bog, and indistinct paths to contend with, including one section where I ended up in a swollen stream to over my knees having misjudged the best crossing point. Along the way, though, the friendly pirates and wenches at the checkpoints kept our spirits up with cheese sandwiches, cake and squash.


We completed the walk in 8 hours 56 minutes, much slower than we had been aiming for, and 138th out of 151 who started, which was disappointing, but which was also an opportunity to learn some important lessons about preparation, training and blister prevention. We'll be much quicker next time!