1. Raby Castle
Meeting Point: Raby Castle
We begin the Big Smile in the magnificent grounds of Raby Castle. We follow a broad path through the grassy landscape where Red and Fallow Deer herds live wild. We pass the impressively maintained medieval castle, built between 1367 and 1390 by John Neville, the 3rd Baron Neville de Raby.
We wander through Ladywood and then up towards Raby Home Farm and then Shotton enjoying the beautiful countryside home to some superb flora and fauna.
Eventually, we leave the Raby estate and find ourselves heading over Cockfield fell, common land pock marked with evidence of human habitation including flint arrowheads dating back to 8000BC.
We skirt around Cockfield itself and back through the estate to finish back at Raby Castle in a wonderful start to the Big Smile Walks.
Distance: 20 km ( 12.47 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★★☆☆
Sponsored By: The Ramside Hall Hotel
1. Raby Castle
Meeting Point: Raby Castle
We begin the Big Smile in the magnificent grounds of Raby Castle. We follow a broad path through the grassy landscape where Red and Fallow Deer herds live wild. We pass the impressively maintained medieval castle, built between 1367 and 1390 by John Neville, the 3rd Baron Neville de Raby.
We wander through Ladywood and then up towards Raby Home Farm and then Shotton enjoying the beautiful countryside home to some superb flora and fauna.
Eventually, we leave the Raby estate and find ourselves heading over Cockfield fell, common land pock marked with evidence of human habitation including flint arrowheads dating back to 8000BC.
We skirt around Cockfield itself and back through the estate to finish back at Raby Castle in a wonderful start to the Big Smile Walks.
Distance: 20 km ( 12.47 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★★☆☆
Sponsored By: The Ramside Hall Hotel
25. The Whitby Wander
Date: 23/07/2021
Meeting Point: Abbey Headland Car Park, Whitby, YO22 4JR
This walk begins in the seaside town of Whitby, famously the setting of Bram Stoker’s darkly gothic novel, Dracula.
Starting from the south side of the River Esk near Whitby Abbey, we head around the coastline towards Saltwick Nab, then rise up onto a coastal path heading south towards Robin Hood’s Bay.
The pristine coastline is home to many coastal birds and plants, and the relative flatness of the terrain offers a low-impact and less challenging walk.
We turn back towards Whitby just before Craze Naze, picking up a track that leads us all the way back to the seaside town. We cross the River Esk at the Larpool Viaduct, and join the Cinder Tracks, before cutting back through the town and over a swing bridge to return to our start point.
Distance: 21.8 km (13.55 miles)
Difficulty Rating: ★★☆☆☆