Tuesday 10 April 2018

Planning and Route Studies

The Ebor way is 70 miles long. Most set route guides break this into five stages, to be completed as five separate days walking.

Because we are doing it in just three days, this means we have to have 25 mile long stages. But its not as simple as just working out where the 25 mile points are, as we have to account for the logistics of transport, and in order to not have to add extra mileage to the route, it is preferable to be a little above or below 25 miles in order that the stage end points are on an accessible road.

I am in the process of working these details out today. I have measured and plotted stage 1 (day 1) on Google Earth.  This takes us from the start point at the Market Cross in Helmsley, to All Saints Church in Huntington, York. Out end point, at a measured 25.05 miles, is the cemetery car park, right beside the path!

My next job is to plot the route through the center of York, a task that requires a combination of guide books and OS maps. Theres a few crossings over the river Foss within the city, and a stretch along the city walls. This next plot though will give us the next crucial piece of information we need - the stage 2 end point!

The most complex part of stage 2 is the streets of York, once out of York we pass over the bridge under which our regular Selby to York walk goes!

I now have all three stages plotted and measured. Stage 2 ends on the road to the village of Linton, just outside Wetherby.

Stage 3 has the most dramatic scenery, and also some of the hardest walking, as it goes up onto Ilkley Moor at the Cow and Calf rocks. But, as luck would have it, theres a cafe beside these rocks, so we'll have a nice brew before tackling the last couple of miles! The end of stage 3, and the finish of the walk, is at the old pack horse bridge in Ilkley. Road access here is of course not an issue.

Stage 1 - Helmsley market cross to All Saints Church Huntington. 25 miles. YO32 9RE.
Stage 2 - Huntington to Linton Lane, Linton, Wetherby. 25.4 miles. LS22 4HH.
Stage 3 - Linton to Pack Horse Bridge, Ilkley. 24.25 miles. LS29 9HQ.

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