Hike empty hills, majestic moors and golden coast — Cleveland Way

From wild heather moorland to golden coastline, the ever-contrasting Cleveland Way is a heart-stealing hike of two halves.

The 109-mile (175 km) route, which starts in Helmsley and ends in Filey, explores two very different sides of the North York Moors National Park. The inland section takes you through the wild landscape of the Cleveland Hills and onto the remote North York Moors. This section provides spectacular views and a real sense of tranquility and isolation.

The coastal section follows the shoreline from Saltburn to Staithes, Whitby to Scarborough, and onto Filey. The landscape along this section is one of hidden coves, sleepy fishing villages, golden beaches and Victorian seaside resorts. Often, it feels like time has been standing still for hundreds of years.

On the moorland section, keep a look-out for red grouse, curlews, emperor moth caterpillars and butterflies. Mice, voles, lizards, and other small mammals that live here are prey for the adder, Britain's only poisonous snake. If you walk quietly on a sunny day, you might spot one snoozing on a rock in the sunshine.

As you hike along the coast, watch out for seabirds such as great cormorants, shags, puffins, guillemots and gulls. From June until November, you can observe white-beaked dolphins and minke whales as they follow the shoals of North Sea mackerel and herring swimming south from the Arctic.

In this Collection, I've broken the Cleveland Way into seven stages. This is ambitious, but possible if you are an experienced hiker with a good level of fitness. As three of the stages are very challenging—20 miles (32 km)—I've listed suggestions on how to split them, which makes for a leisurely 10 day itinerary. Of course, you can split up each stage into as many days as you're comfortable with. You can also walk any single stage, or a couple of stages, in isolation.

Every stage finishes close to accommodation, even if there are only a few options. However, places to stay are not abundant so it's worth planning in advance and scheduling any rest days accordingly. There are quite a few campsites near the route too, should you want to bring your tent.

If you're planning to arrive by public transport, you can catch a train to York, which has direct trains from London and Manchester, and connecting services around the country. You can then catch the 30, 30X, 31, or 31X bus service to Helmsley. To get home, you would need to catch a train from Filey Station back to York.

If you're planning to arrive by car, your best bet is to negotiate with a hotel or B&B a rate to stay for a night either side of your hike in Helmsley. Alternatively, you could book long-stay parking in York and catch the bus.