Gruffalo Hunting at Rievaulx
During the last few weeks we haven’t been out adventuring much as Coben has had a chest infection so we were a bit worried about exposing him to the cold damp days we have had recently.
However we were itching to get out and get some earth under our feet and one Sunday we were heading over to Katie’s Mums for dinner and wanted to get a quick walk in on the way across. I remembered a short walk I had seen on an instagram post which was in an area we would be passing by. This was not just any walk but it was a walk to ……….the Gruffalos hut !!
The walk is around 2 miles maybe there and back perfect for toddlers. The area is full off footpaths running into the woods and many options for walks, the Cleveland Way runs through here too.
We have walked around here previously and we actually said to each other we need to come across this way more often and explore the options available, maybe even a weekend in the van.
We pulled up in a kind of layby/parking area at the beginning of a track and started our walk. Its a nice track which runs along the side of some fishing ponds before coming across a stream to cross on some stepping stones. Now these are heavy duty stepping stones and you wont have trouble crossing them if you have toddlers with you they will love jumping across them and you can always walk round on the path but where’s the excitement in that !
Once we crossed the stepping stones we exited through a gate and there were multiple paths to chose, we followed the main track where eventually we came across another junction of paths and spotted a lovely log cabin in a clearing what a cool place to have ! Seeing the cabin we assumed the “Gruffalos hut” would be further on so we carried on for 10 minutes or more before thinking we had gone wrong somewhere. So we turned back on ourselves and this is when i thought about the hut. If its out here in the middle of nowhere surely and sadly it would have been vandalised or mistreated as this is the sad times we live in, so thinking back to the log cabin I was betting the “gruffalos hut” would be near it such as to provide a bit of security.
We retraced our steps back to the cabin and took the path heading South passing the cabin and admiring it when we saw the Gruffalo hut located no more than 100m behind the cabin. We assumed the hut must be owned by the owners of the cabin, there were no signs saying private or stay aware etc so we slowly walked over to the hut, Coben leading the way in his adventure suit and his Gruffalo backpack looking so cute !
Once we got upto the cabin we felt a bit uneasy feeling it wasnt really for us to explore, so we had a look through the windows sadly there was no Gruffalo in there !. The door was unlocked too but we didn’t venture inside just had a quick nosey. I must say its pretty cool i wouldn’t mind one on my allotment it would be perfect for camp outs.
At this point it started to rain so we decided to head back to the car. Waving goodbye to the “Gruffalos Hut” Coben slowly led the way back until his legs tired, where we then put him in the sling to make a quicker exit back to the car.
It was good to get some fresh air again it has felt too long for us anyway, as been out in the woods, listening to the birds, exploring and adventuring as a family makes us feel alive and free. Following this walk with a great Sunday dinner made by Katies Mum was the icing on the cake and made a great Sunday outing even if we didn’t see the Gruffalo.