Wednesday 27th December 2000
( weather: crisp, bright & sunny )
Today's Walk - Skelton and Saltburn in the snow
( 4 miles )
At first today, I'd
only planned walking around my home village of Skelton to take a
few snaps in the snow that fell yesterday
but it was such a beautiful crisp, clear day, I couldn't resist a
walk through the woods to nearby Saltburn
I sometimes think these lovely little stone cottages above, on Church Lane, Skelton were meant for days like this . . .
. . . 
. . . and similarly
the old All Saint's Church, no longer used as a place for regular
worship,
but still remaining a consecrated building, maintained by the
Redundant Churches Fund
I joined the kids as they dragged their sledges up the lanes to the Skelton Hills . . .
. . . enjoying fine views east across towards the village of Brotton and Boulby Cliffs . . .
. . . and then
north over Skelton itself, with Skelton Castle in the centre of
the photo
and the towns of Marske and Redcar in the far distance
( The old church we visited earlier can just be seen amongst the
trees, left-centre )
A bank of fog hovered menacingly above the distant North Sea but, thankfully, remained there for the rest of the day
. . . 
Descending from the hills we follow a winding country lane that leads us to . . .
. . . Skelton Pond, today completely frozen over with not a duck, goose or swan in sight
. . . 
The shapes and wonders of nature help make photography easy in these conditions
. . . 
From the pond, we
join the nearby Cleveland Way long-distance path
and follow it for the next 2 miles to Saltburn, through Skelton
Woods . . .
. . . and across the footbridge over Skelton Beck and the nearby weir . . .
. . . passing beneath the arches of the massive Victorian-built railway viaduct, seen here looking back
Another ½ mile or
so further on and we arrive at the Italian Valley Gardens,
Saltburn
- with today's covering of snow they resembled the layout of a
child's toy train set
. . . 
A little further up
the valley are all that remains of the Ha'penny Bridge
- a once massive steel structure built in the Victorian era that
spanned the entire width of the valley
From there we soon arrive at brightly painted fishing boats of Saltburn by-the-Sea
. . . 
No visit to Saltburn is complete without a photograph of Hunt Cliff and The Ship Inn
( As you can see, the snow has even left a sprinkling on the beach rocks and pebbles )
A final look back towards Cat Nab in the mid distance with Hunt Cliff above and beyond and to its right, Warsett Hill
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