Cleveland Way Filey

The Cleveland Way is a wonderful long-distance footpath, which passes through the ever-changing landscape of the beautiful North York Moors National Park. Although it may not be the longest of our National Trails, the Cleveland Way probably affords the most variety. Its spectacular scenery ranges from sylvan valleys and wild heather-clad moorland to dramatic coastal cliffs with sheltered bays and old fishing villages.
One of the principal architects of the Cleveland Way was Alec Falconer, a founder member of the Middlesbrough Rambling Club and an ardent campaigner for walkers’ rights under his alias of ‘The Rambler’. In 1930, after the foundation of the Youth Hostels Association, Alec conceived the idea of a long distance holiday walk around the outskirts of the moors and the Yorkshire coast­line, encouraging the building of hostels all along the way. On 24th May 1969, nearly forty years after its conception, the Cleveland Way officially opened to become the second National Trail in England and Wales. Sadly, Alec Falconer passed away the year before, but his son Alan, who also suggested using Cleveland Way as the footpath’s title, was present at the opening ceremony which took place at
The coastal section of the trail forms part of the England Coast Path, which will eventually follow the entire coast of England. When completed, it will be the world’s longest coastal path with a total distance of around 2795 miles (4498km). Furthermore, the Cleveland Way also constitutes part of the European funded North Sea Trail, which aims to provide a trail around the coastlines of all the countries that border the North Sea. The route will pass through Scotland, England, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, making a total distance of just under 3107 miles