A Stroll With Stu: walk around Sneaton and Stainsacre, near Whitby

Much of the walk is on stone trods – paved pathways that snake all over the North York Moors.

They are often attributed to monastic communities as trade routes between the various priories, but later were expanded upon by others when they realised that the monks were on to something.

Starting in central Whitby, make your way up Bagdale, past the railway station, left at the roundabout, and uphill to the traffic lights at the junction of the A171 and A174.

Cross over to the far side, and through a gap in the hedge.

Bear right, then follow the path left as the road noise gleefully retreats.

Ignore steps down to the Cinder Track on your right as school grounds open up on your left.

After passing somebody’s treasured collection of corrugated iron, turn right at a path junction and join the Cinder Track to cross the river on Larpool Viaduct.

The views on either side are perennially magnificent and you can’t help to pause a while.

I wondered if I had now crossed here on foot, more than I did on a train.

It will be a close call, as we regularly holidayed on the Scarborough line in the early 60s and visited Whitby on the train from the likes of Staintondale, so that my brother and I could feed the fruit machines while Mam and Dad adjourned to the Buck Inn.

Drop down steps at the far end onto the back road to Ruswarp.

At the bottom of the hill, take the path into woods to the left of a bench.

Soon, take the right hand option of two footbridges, zig-zag up to cross the road, then straight on adjacent to the farm on a path marked ‘Monks walk to Sneaton’.

The stone slabs have already become prominent and you’ve got to wonder at the sheer strength and energy of the blokes who laid them.

The stones snake around the woods, down by a beck and up to a straight stretch leading to Sneaton village.

Turn left on the road, to soon pass Beacon Farm, where I understand they have a kids play area to visit as part of a flimsy excuse to go enjoy some of their scrumptious ice cream.

Carry on along the road as it degrades into a thin lane.

After a mile or so take the right fork signed ‘Betty Mead’s Wood’ (doesn’t she play for Arsenal?).

Musing that I wished I’d cut my toenails before I set off, I followed the path down to cross a footbridge over the beck, then steeply up the other side to turn left after a gate along a wide, low, grassy ridge. (There is a permissive path going right that I would have preferred, but a padlocked gate soon suggests that permission has been rescinded).

It gets a bit muddy along here as you pass through a gate, but eventually you’ll reach a path crossroads.

Turn right, down through woods to another footbridge then back up to a concrete road leading up to Stainsacre village.

Turn right and you will soon reach a cut up onto the Cinder Track, which is your route all the way back to Whitby.

I do, however, recommend a quick diversion up the road and left under the bridge, to the excellent and popular Windmill Inn.

So, follow the Cinder Track, eventually back over the viaduct, to the very end where you access steps leading down to the road near to Pannett Park.

Shortly after leaving Stainsacre, you will pass Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary.

Recently, a bout of Avian Flu led to a decision by APHA (a Government agency) to cull all the rescued birds (bar one osprey) on the entire site, then impose draconian restrictions for the future.

Space prevents further comment, but I’ve saved some words for the trolls that hurled online abuse at the blameless sanctuary owner and staff.

It was devastating and hugely traumatic for them but that didn’t stop the keyboard warriors launching a tirade of drivelling nonsense after flipping their laptops open.

Know-it-alls who know nothing, slaves to tabloid headlines, experts in their own heads and pig ignorant anywhere else, these people spout their vicious rubbish just to get Facebook ‘likes’.

Years ago, their baseless garbage would have reached no-one, but now, sadly, social media gives them a toxic voice.

Alexandra and her team have done wonderful work at her wildlife sanctuary.

Be proud, and support their efforts in any way you can. It’s precious.