This walk to the Wainstones is made much easier due to a starting point at the car park at Clay Bank. Climb the slopes on to Hasty Bank where a short moorland stroll brings you to the rock formation known as the Wainstones.
I was intrigued by the Wainstones. Therefore I decided to head up Hasty Bank to find out what they are all about. I had no idea what to expect (even though I had passed them on the Coast to Coast walk. However at that stage I was so tired that I never even noticed them. It was a pleasant surprise to find an attractive scattering of sandstone rocks seemingly thrown randomly on to Hasty Bank for no rhyme or reason. ‘Wain’ may have come from ‘wagon’. The story is probably ingrained in local folklore but that is something I have never discovered.
What I did find is an excellent picnic spot and and a great area to explore (for children and the child within us all). Even more impressive than the Wainstones is the wonderful views, in particular the view down Bilsdale. There is a lovely return walk on the south side of Hasty Bank.
Unless the rain is falling take the open path to the south back to Carlton Bank. The views are good and it is a pleasant path. Avoid the dark, predictable forest track to the north recommended by most.
Planning a walk yourself, rather than reading a guide book, makes it much more enjoyable. However good the guide book is it is only by consulting a map that you can visualize the walk properly. In this case I was keen not to repeat the walk from the Wainstones on my return. Looking at the map a return via its southern slopes looked interesting. So it proved.
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