On Sunday morning, having just about made it through Osmotherley unscathed after two pick-ups tried to actually drive over the top of my car, I was one of the lucky few to find a parking space at Sheepwash – many others were risking fines by abandoning their vehicles along the roadside. The views from a run over the old drovers' road towards Square Corner made it all worthwhile though. Whisper it quietly, but I think the panorama of North Yorkshire from here is actually better than the more famous viewpoint at Sutton Bank.
Running back through the woods to the reservoir, I found the crowds again – a mixed bunch including young families, older couples and two young men swigging from cans of lager as they walked. This put me in mind of the options locally for refreshments. Once out of Osmotherley itself, there is the ice cream van at Cod Beck, or the Rusty Bike cafe at Swainby.
A new addition this summer though has been a pop-up cafe at Cote Ghyll Mill youth hostel, a converted linen and flax mill which was once powered by Cod Beck Reservoir. It sits in the beautiful valley between the reservoir and Osmotherley, and also has a caravan park and holiday apartments. From 12pm to 3pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays the privately-owned hostel has been making canny use of its existing kitchen to run the pop-up cafe, and with strategically placed signs around the various footpaths in the area, it has surely proved popular.
Very hungry after my run, I met my sister there for lunc.