THE LYKE WAKE WALK GUIDE
For people considering completing the Lyke Wake Walk, essential reading is The Lyke Wake Walk Guide by Brian Smailes, now in its third edition and available direct from Challenge Publications or via this website. This contains helpful hints on the equipment needed and the best preparation for attempting the Walk. The route is described in detail and also the rendezvous points are indicated, where a support team can meet walkers.
The North York Moor is a fragile environment and in hot weather there is the additional risk of devastating fire. Do NOT light fires or barbecues in or near the moorland and you MUST ensure that all smoking materials are extinguished carefully and that all litter, especially glass containers, is taken home. It is possible that the moors could be closed due to extreme fire risk (this happened twice in Summer 2006). The New Lyke Wake Club suggests that walk organisers check the current position via this website or that of the North York Moors National Park Authority.
The Met Office Fire Severity Index is an assessment of the current day's fire severity and a forecast of the fire severity over the coming five days. The index values are from 1 to 5, which represents an increasing degree of fire severity. You can see a map showing the fire severity index of the North York Moors for any one of the next five days, by following this link to the Countryside Access website (in the left column, pick Country Area: North York Moors).
WEATHER
The weather can be extremely varied on the moors and can change quickly. A pleasant day in Osmotherley can turn nasty up on the moors. The Met Office website has weather forecasts for Leeming (nearest to the western end of the walk), and for Scarborough (nearest to the eastern end) though the Whitby forecast may also be helpful. All these places are on relatively low ground: there are no forecasts for the moors themselves, but there is a weather station right on the walk at Fylingdales where you can see the latest weather observations, updated every three hours.
ORGANISED CROSSINGS
Please be aware that the New Club is not in a position to put people in touch with other walkers (yet!) who are aiming to form a group. We tend to hear about walks once they have happened. Please ensure that groups are kept small, ideally of no more than 10 people – this is to prevent the route ‘widening’ and it returning to the eroded state of yesteryear.
The Ramblers' Associaton has a useful guide to Leading group walks in remote areas or demanding conditions (PDF).
UNSUPPORTED CROSSINGS
If you are making an unsupported crossing, either solo or as a small party, make sure somebody is aware of your plans so that they can raise the alarm if you fail to turn up at the other end. The recently introduced website mytrips.org.uk is another useful resource. Here you can register and record details of your trip. They say: “Information such as where you have parked your car and what you plan to do could save your life if you have an accident during your trip. The information you provide will be available to the Police and Mountain Rescue Teams if you are reported lost. No action will be taken unless you are reported lost.”.
Coverage of the Lyke Wake Walk is provided by Cleveland Search and Rescue from Osmotherley to The Lion Inn and by Scarborough & Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team onwards to Ravenscar. Currently only Cleveland is part of the mytrips.org.uk coverage but this may change in the future.
MAPS
We cannot recommend too highly that you should use the 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey Explorer maps of the North Yorks Moors to help you navigate. The Moors are covered by two sheets, OL26 (west) and OL27 (east), and each map is printed on both sides. These maps are widely available from bookshops and online rertailers.
TRANSPORT
Get directions by public transport and car, to the start or from the finish, with Transport Direct. (This will open in a new window.)
FACILITIES
Please consult the facilities page for a list of places to stay or camp, refreshment stops, etc.
THE COUNTRYSIDE CODE
- Be safe - plan ahead and follow any signs
- Leave gates and property as you find them
- Protect plants and animals, and take your litter home
- Keep dogs under close control
- Consider other people
The New Lyke Wake Club encourages people attempting the Lyke Wake Walk to follow the Countryside Code (PDF file). This was issued in an updated form on 12 July 2004, and is explained in more detail on the Countryside Access Website.
The main difference from the old code is the injunction to leave gates as you find them — the old code asked you to close gates but the new one recognises that farmers may leave gates open so that animals can move between fields.
The Moorland Code (PDF file) was developed by the Moorland Access Advisory Group. It is based on the Countryside Code but with additional information for accessing moorland.
