


Thanks to everyone who came out for a little wander last night from Loftus. Lovely run out on a warm July evening with enough blue sky overhead to provide trousers for an armadas worth of sailors.
We started off from the car park on Chapel Row in Loftus and headed off up Micklow Lane which is a nice steady climb going on for about a mile until it reaches Upton Hill lane. I think we amused the local kids as we puffed past the playground with one lad convinced he was the first person to say "Get them knees up" and You've got this"...
Once we had caught our collective breaths at the top of the bank we left the tarmac and headed across towards the Cleveland way via a FP running beside a field of maturing corn.
We then descended down towards Hummersea bank which sits above two inlets known as New Gut and Old Gut, these were once used as docks for vessels transporting Allum mined from the quarries above. This took place from the mid 1600s right up until circa 1820.
We continued along the Cleveland way which is also part of the England Coastal path for another mile or so before dropping down into Skinningrove. Skinningrove has been inhabited from at least as early as the 9th century when vikings settled in large parts of the country holding sway in what was known as the Danelaw. The village was first recorded as being called Skinnara-Gryfja which is old norse for Tanners ravine. Of course latterly the area was mostly taken over to the production of Iron ore and Allum.
Leaving the coast behind we headed inland and picked up the Cleveland Street Trail which runs for 13 miles between Guisborough and Loftus, taking in Slapewath, North Skelton and Skinningrove.
A nice long up hill took us back up onto Hummersea Lane, lots of good running by everyone on that hill last night with the odd trophy a Strava PB popping up....
As is usually the way a nice bit of descending follows a good ascent, this time on tarmac back down into Loftus and back to the car park to finish off. After lunges, stretching and other warming down exercises, probably better known as having a chin wag we got our dancing shoes on and headed to the Ship Inn at Saltburn for some liquid and potato based refreshments.
Thanks for wandering with us hope you all enjoyed it see you next week.
Trot On...💪




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