Final, final day. A Day at the Seaside and Reflection.

To allow us time to enjoy reaching our "Final Destination," the Northampton folk had arranged to spend a day extra at RHB. We were due to be collected at about 4:00 by Sherpa and Packhorse, from two separate places but with all of our luggage at one place!

We had the latest possible breakfast and sauntered, wearing flip flops and sandals, not boots, down to Wainwright's bar. We drowned a couple of cokes, watching the tide recede and the crowds of day trippers arrive, thinking how they had merely walked down the hill from the car park, rather than across England. We claimed the bench under the Coast to Coast sign, knowing that most of the people would neither seenthe sign nor understand its significance, being too busy looking for a sandy spot to claim.

After a short while we saw "The Men from Melbourne" marching down the hill and greeted and congratulated them, just as The Collies had met us. A couple more cokes were drowned whilst reminiscing and not really wanting it all to end, until four Americans, met a few times by "The Men from Melbourne," arrived and in turn were congratulated. We moved on, to saunter back up our final hill, whilst trying to blend in as tourists. Brown's sweets were bought as presents  and a print of the bay to remind me of the adventure we had; to other people it will just look like a pretty picture of a seaside village.

Our final pub meal, then time to await our minibuses, so we could all end up at the same service station for Andy to drive us home.

In the minibus, for the first time since they had sat in the same seats on the journey to St. Bees, we
were joined by Hansel and Gretel, who turned out to be from the Netherlands. Passengers also, were
a family of four who had listened to us in the pub at Ingelby Cross, where they were starting part
three of their split C2C trek. They arrived just twenty minutes before the minibus was due to leave but still managed to dash down to the sea for their pebble and to sign the book behind the bar in the pub. They told us that they had passed the 3As who were almost at the end.

Reflection.
So, did I enjoy it? Yes, without doubt. It was, at times, challenging. We had to be very focussed on walking, eating and drinking, including filling our rucksacks with food and water for the day as there were rarely opportunities to do so en- route and getting the kit dry and organised for the next day. We passed through areas that we didn't have either the time or energy to explore. I was 1 mile from Mount Grace Priory with a free afternoon, but it would have meant walking along athe A19 and back, and adding a couple of unnecessary miles; we visited Grasmere and Richmond but didn't see anything other than our accommodation and a local pub: but these places can be revisited with a car anytime.
 The best bits? The company; getting to know friends better; meeting new people from around the
world; being part of a changing community of walkers, sharing tales at the the end of each day;
looking, however briefly, at new areas; being out in the open very day, whatever the weather and being independent in getting ourselves from bed to bed each day.
The worst bits? Having to keep going when tired, or injured; shortage of healthier pub meals with similar options in most places and not being able to enjoy the places we were in.
Recommendations for anyone wishing to do the C2C? It is challenging. You need to be used to walking all day at a good pace, day after day. Basic accommodation is fine but drying rooms, breakfasts, dinners and packed lunches are essential. Youth Hostels work well as they are used to the needs of walkers. Have some shorter days, so that you can have a more restful afternoon occasionally but keep walking each day to keep the muscles going. When you plan the length of each section think about the hills you will encounter! Make sure you take an Ordnance Survey map or a good guide
book, although some people were managing with the compact strip maps only. We used the OS maps to look at alternative routes and to work out what we could see in the distance. Go for it; you feel a fantastic sense of achievement at the end that no-one can ever take away from you.

Day 14. The Final One, Grosmont to Robin Hood's Bay.

I have to confess to a little cheat at this point. Alfred Wainwright started the tradition, when he first wrote, "A Coast to Coast Walk," of wetting his boots in the sea at St. Bees and picking up a small pebble. The pebble is then carried right across England until the walker can paddle at Robin Hood's Bay, at which point the pebble from the Irish Sea is tossed into the North Sea. After the first day, I rationalised everything I was carrying and my pebble has travelled across England in the Packhorse minibus. I picked up two, as has everyone I asked, one to keep and one to throw. I wonder what geologists of the future will think when they find all these pebbles of a different rock on the wrong side of England?

Well I am tired, actually managing 8 hours sleep last night, my muscles ache from the knees down, and our adventure is nearing an end. 16 miles, hilly miles, finishing with a cliff top walk heading south, just as we started with a cliff top walk heading north, are all we have to do. The steep climb down the streets of Robin Hood's Bay will led us to our goal of a pint in the pub used by most Coast to Coasters. At one time a free drink was offered to anyone completing this; now I believe there is a record book to sign.

Today we started with a gentle warm up, straight up a hill at 33%. From there it was on a busy road, then over the moors with a few BPs  (boggy parts) and through the delightful village of Little Beck where Jackie had stayed some years ago. This led on to a nature reserve leading through a wooded glade and onto Falling Foss waterfall which both Jackie and I had previously visited. 

Next to it,  there was a house called Midge Hall. This had previously been a gamekeeper's cottage with no toilet, no electricity an no neighbours. The current owner had seen it on school visits as a child and had fallen in love with it. Years later she was married, found out that a builder had bought it and renovated it and moved in with her husband, two children and number three on the way. It still had no mains sewerage, electricity or telephone but was a lovely home offering teas to visitors in the garden. They are hoping to eventually have a hydro electricity system using the force from the waterfall.

After the woodland, we walked through more moors with occasional glimpses of Whitby Abbey. Sue was surprised by a snake but it was fortunately not an adder. We had our last picnic lunch, foot examination and consumption of painkillers to get us though the last section! Competed s and ibuprofen were passed around as needed and we were soon off again heading to the sea, finally in a straight line. 

First, we had to walk through a smart mobile home site then it was the long cliff top walk all the way to Robin Hood's Bay, re- routed in places due to coastal erosion. We were almost there when we spotted Frank and Nancy. They had found it too busy at the seaside and had retreated to the cliff top whilst waiting for their lift home. Eventually we reached the pub at the top of the slipway to find The Corgis sitting under the Coast to Coast sign at the Wainwright bar. Tales were exchanged, again,then pebbles were tossed, paddles were had, photos were taken, new pebbles were found and beer was had. More beer was had, then wine! 

Finally we decided to eat and eventually meandered up to our digs, wondering why day trippers were finding it hard to walk up the street- they should try Kidsty Pike or Honistor Hause. 

We said, "Farewell" to Jackie then spent the evening watching TV. Back to normality too soon after a tremendous adventure. 

Day 13, Blakey to Grosmont 14 miles

The penultimate day!

A very different mood today, almost euphoria. We only have about 14 miles today and a final 16 tomorrow to have walked right across England. The sun was shining, and on August Bank Holiday too. We said, "Goodbye," to the men from Melbourne, who were only doing about 8 miles, and set off.

The route was round the head of Rosedale and then above Fryupdale, along the ridge at Glaisdale and through woods to Grosmont. I was in memory land thinking of several weekends spent in my brother-in-law's cottage that he had in Rosedale, although School Row remained out of sight. On the way we took the time to photograph some of the stone crosses and boundary stones, including Young Ralph. As we turned off onto the stone track from Rosedale Head we were passed by a few cyclists, eventually realising that we were in the middle of a cycle race. To be honest the numbers on their backs helped! One chap fell off right by us, and after checking that he was OK, we found out that it was the Coast to Coast Adventure Race with elements of cycling, walking, swimming in Derwent Water and a final run from Whitby to Robin Hood's Bay. They had started on Friday and were on their final leg. (Or final legs in some cases!) When most had passed us, we stopped for a lunch break, having already had a break for elevenses.

A few discussions were held as to which village we could see in the distance to while away the monotony of the stone track. Then, for the first time, we decided to have a liquid refreshment stop, and deviated very slightly to the Arnscliffe Arms in Carr End, where we surprisingly met Ray from Melbourne! They had taken a few short cuts and had got further along the route than us and were staying indoors in the pub as they didn't have any camping facilities. The last three pubs that I have
walked into I have been greeted by the same person! Ray told us that he had been talking to a fellow
Australian outside the pub and found out that they belonged to the same golf club.

From here, we only had 3.6 miles to go. You would have thought that between us, we could now read an OS map....eventually we got out of the field that we shouldn't have been in anyway by climbing over the barbed wire, using the tree to help us. And that was after we had had to leap into a hedge row of a very narrow lane to escape a stream of Land Rovers on some sort of  driving experience day.
Once we emerged from the field and found the road, we stuck to the legitimate route, passing an old toll house that still showed the prices charged for passing through the gate that applied in 1948; motor cycle side car 1/-, hearse 6d etc.

Grosmont eventually appeared and we were halted at the crossing gates as the steam train passed. Our digs were further up the steep hill in a delightful semi-detached Edwardian villa. Between us we had the whole of the first floor. As soon as we were let in, the owners escaped to the pub, which was the
only choice for a meal in the village. After showers and a sojourn in the sun in the garden we
followed them back down to the level crossing where we saw Mr and Mrs Collie and another C2C who recognised us but we had not noticed before. How am I ever going to recover from all this eating and drinking? Steam train and diesel trains carried on chuntering around the station as we sat outside the pub watching the world go by. A busy little place, although the most entertainment was from a local girl trying to convince her pony that he really wanted to trot up the hill, just so they could come back down again. Their journey was not in a straight line but fortunately traffic was slow in anticipation of the level crossing being closed.

My earliest night yet, in bed before 9:00.

Day 12: Ingelby Cross to Blakey Ridge, 21 miles (162 ish)

Not a day we were looking forward too, and some friends had tried to persuade us to break this journey down. Two Australian men from Melbourne were camping at the back of our pub and were intending to do about 8 miles, then pitch camp. Determined, we set off up the hill, through the forest at a cracking pace. I spent mst of the day walking alone as I struggle uphill, although canter down pretty quickly. The day was a day of two colours; white in the morning with a very heavy mist and purple in the afternoon with a sea of heather.

We went up and down and up and down on the Cleveland Way for 11 miles until we finally reached Clay Bank Top. When the mist lifted we could see that the views were fantastic. There we saw the 3As, Graham from Sydney and Jane and Jim from America, who had finished their walk for the day and were waiting for a lift to their accommodation. Alas, we had another 9 miles to go. These miles were mostly on moorland and five of them on a disused railway. The main entertainment was startling pheasants as we approached.

Not much sighting of other C2Cers other than the couple from Alberta,  until we finally fell into The Lion at Blakey and discovered the Melourne Men, who had found their planned campsite was no more and had found a short cut to Blakey! They had already sunk a pint. Incidentally, if you ever go to tis pub don't order a starter! The portions are huge and a main course alone would fill two hungry walkers. Not often that I am totally defeated.

Lots of reflection over the meal, over the highs and lows of this venture. With only thirty miles to go the end is very much in sight and there is no doubt that we will make it; walking right across Ebgland. The focus has been on walking and looking after our bodies so that we can walk. Nothing else matters.

I am still blister free, and thank the daily Vaseline for that, one big toe has been sore since day 1 but otherwise fine. The whole feet though are feeling the stress of the daily pounding, with 40,000 steps or more each day. My left foot has started to hurt, under the toes and in the heel, ankles are swelling and I have sock rash on both legs. We have got fitter and or walking pace has increased but we are missing out on interesting things on the way unless they are directly on our path. To spend three weeks with shorter wals and time to explore, as several International walkers are doing, would probably be a tester option.

On the way to bed, at 9:30 although having a room over the bar means that it is pointless settling down yet, I saw Mr & Rs Collie. They had chosen to have starters as mains...but for lunch they only have 3 jelly babies each.  Our route last coincided in Richmond where we had left them waiting for a table to be cleared  so they could have breakfast.

Please comment if you read any of this!

Day 11 Danby Wiske to Ingelby Cross 9 miles

Day 12, Saturday, Danby Wiske to Ingelby Cross 9 miles (146)

Another time I would endeavour to make this day a bit longer... Did I just say, "Another time?" It felt like a half day Southern Softie, tea shop walk, but in the North and without a tea shop. Gentle climb from the low point of the walk, over than the very start and finish, at 36m, climbing up to Brecken Hill at 77m and finally, with a big push, to Ingleby Cross at 88m. Generally muggy all morning, which is much better than we expected after the storms during the night. Just started raining as I am thinking about having a siesta.

On the way, we chatted to a couple from Alberta who were also doing the C2C. We left at 8:45 and arrived at the pub where we are staying at 12:30, only to find a note on the door. Bags arrived, rooms ready and available but pub shut until 5:30. Also here are two chaps from Melbourne who are carrying camping equipment. They intended to walk the Pyrenees (route 11?), but were finding the heat too much, so flew over to do the Coast to Coast instead.

Lots of chats on the phone today, arranging to meet up with a Spice friend, helping Jennie with a dead computer and trying to sort the plumbing situation at home ... but that is another story. 

Time for laundry and a snooze and to contemplate tomorrow's epic walk. 

Day 10 Richmond to Danby Wiske

Finally, found a connection, as long as I sit on the floor in the hall!

Day 10 Richmond to Reeth 14 miles (137)

Glad to escape Richmond; a lovely place but cars, lorries, shops and people seem alien to this trek. We collectively managed to go wrong twice while we still within Richmond; due to not paying enough attention and being over confident. The walk was very gentle, about 14 miles over farmland, following the River Swale and along some lanes. Feet are collectively sore and we are getting weary now. It felt very much like walking at home! Farmers are now harvesting, as we have seen since Keld and it is easier to walk over the fields. 

We crossed under the A1, a hum that we heard long before we saw it, we passed Catterick racecourse, we negotiated a busy road A6??, we walked along by the Swale, we clambered over broken and wobbly stiles; all apart from the racecourse so familiar. Thankfully, we reached Danby Wiske and discovered that not only was there a pub but it was open and sold a good ale, being local CAMRA winners for 2012, so it would have been rude not to rest a while. 

Whilst there, the 3As joined us, so we had to have another pint to be sociable. We were unsure about what/where we would be eating as we were staying at a B&B and the pub wasn't serving food. Graham discovered that he was sleeping at the pub and someone was coming in to cook for him, whereas the 71 year old Denver couple were staying with us down the road.

We ventured along to our place, a whole two houses away, to be given meal choices. Clearly a village decision had been made about who was eating where tonight! 

The only negotiation left was who had to share with the insomniac member of the group! 

Day 9 Reeth to Richmond, 11 miles

Day 9 Reeth to Richmond, 11 miles (123)

Another short day. Left 9:30, arrived at our digs at 2:30, to sit in the back garden drinking tea and chatting to the Australian, Graham. He is 60 and had been taking part in a swimming competition in Italy, so added on a walk in England. He was already thinking about next year, possibly kayaking in Fiji! 

A leisurely start today as  breakfast wasn't served until 8:30, then sandwiches from local shops. Eventually we got going, with me just managing to haul my bag from the second floor in time for Packhorse to carry it onwards. Not sorry to leave my room with dog hair all over the carpet and a bathroom that smelt overbearing damp. 

We walked three miles to Marrick Priory where we met Steve, a walking guide friend, and his partner Anne who were walking the remaining 8 miles with us. It was great to catch up and to have someone different to chat to. En-route we passed the German couple who were ending their walk in Richmond. We never caught up with any others; probably won't do from now as we all seem to have planned different stops, although we did see two dads with two girls whom we met first near Nine Standards but hadn't really spoken to. 

Walking today was over fields, along lanes and by farms. Steps Wood was the only challenge with 375 steps to go up. Feet are all getting tired now but we are doing great! My sticks may get used again tomorrow after a few days of being carried on my back.

After a pleasant afternoon drinking tea in the back garden, chatting to the 3 As and The Corgis, and awaiting Andy, we climbed up the very steep hill, to the Market Square. Here we spotted one of the Dads so we joined them and The Corgis in the pub. After one drink we went in search of food. The recycling had already been done by the Lads and Dads and they had chosen the Weatherspoons, but by the time we got there, just after 7, it was closed! We went to the next pub where food was served until 8:00, to find they had already closed their kitchen, but they offered to turn the cookers back on and serve us! The rule in Richmond seems to be that there has to be a whippet in every pub, whereas in Reeth plus fours were the common feature. On the way back we saw the chaps on the square so had a farewell photo as our schedules don't coincide again. They are really going for it now with long, energetic treks.

Day 8. Keld to Reeth. About 11 miles ( about 112 so far)

Day 8:  Keld to Reeth 12 miles

A great evening, last night, with several of our C2Cers gathered at our venue. Beer, G&T then wine, followed by water, as we need an early start tomorrow. Bags from here, like Kirkby Stephen, need to be taken down at breakfast time at 7:30. 

Lots of discussions about the routes so far and the options for tomorrow. Rachel and Sue off to bed at 9:45 as usual, whereas Jackie and I made it to at least 10:15! 

So today, we have the high route with the remains of old lead mines and moor, or the lower, river level route. The St Clements, (Dan and ? From Alaska ), the Likely Lads, now re-named the Lads and Dads ( Rob, Ben, John and Craig from Alfreton) and the Corgis, (Alison and Lee from Essex) all favoured the high route. Taking the low route were the 3As ( two from America, one from Australia, all using Sherpa to plan their trip and carry their bags,) and a German couple. 

We had a split; Sue wanted the low route to help her poor feet, whereas I wanted the interesting high route. Rachel nobly offered to accompany me and Jackie went with Sue. 

We started off together, then soon separated. Our way was stoney all day. The ups though were well worth it to see the old mines. An interesting industrial heritage of lead mines, left to crumble. On top, the visibility was minimal as the cloud descended, or we rose to meet it. The Lads and Dads soon overtook us, although we had passed their campsite when they were having breakfast. For safety, Rachel and I stayed close to the St Clements and Corgis. Between us we had a variety of maps and guide books and helped each other to decide which way to go, until eventually we sighted the Lads and Dads again. A few scrambles and slips and slides through peat led us to the deserted workings and finally back down to the moors above Reeth. We had already been told by the Lads and Dads that Reeth had five pubs, and we were staying in one of them. Alas, we spotted them outside the neighbouring one to ours, so I had already downed a pint before Jackie and Sue arrived from their more leisurely route. 

By 4:00 two pints of Black Sheep had been consumed, so I decided to book in to our pub, only to find to my surprise that I had booked us all into separate rooms. I am hoping to beat the four hours continuous sleep of last night. What do I need to do to be able to sleep at night? Meal in pub and a few more drinks with the Lads and Dads, then an early night for me at least. Only 11 miles tomorrow to get to Richmond.

Accommodation: The Black Bull, 1680 pub and needed an upgrade! Smelly room (dogs), damp bathroom, tired decor to say the least. Good beer and views. 

Day 7 Kirkby Stephen to Keld

Day 7 Kirkby Stephen to Keld. 12 miles (100.67)

HALF WAY

A relatively short day, arriving at the pub before 4:30 and a pint of Black Sheep in my hand almost before I had the boots and gaiters off. Still quite a tough day though. 12 miles is more than we usually walk and we did 20 yesterday, never mind the previous few miles. Kirkby Stephen is an amazingly busy little town with cash machines and food sources, along with an outdoor shop. Loads of religious venues, or previously anyway, such as The Temperance Hall. Nothing other than Christian though! 

A climb up on an unforgiving road next to the local quarry, which turned into a stone  track that continued ever upwards all the way to Nine Standards. These finally loomed out of the cloud in front of me; nine stone columns, each one a different size and shape that stand guard on a ridge. Google to find out more about them!  At the top there was quite a party going on, with my fellow walkers, the four Likely Lads and a new couple.

The route from here was great fun...although I have to say I was the only one who thought so! The terrain was all moor, mostly peat bogs, with different routes in force depending on the month. For August, we had to follow the blue route which was marked by the occasional wooden post showing the intended way across this wonderful, bleak land. Pure Wuthering Heights, minus Heathcliffe. The only way was just to go for it, expecting to sink to ankles and being very grateful if you managed to choose strong enough grasses to carry your body weight for a split second. We could see the other walkers in the far distance to start with, but soon lost them as we helped each other through the worst bits. Once we got to Craygill Scar we stopped for lunch, then carried on in a similar way through, eventually, to Ravenscar Farm. This farm looks like it is straight from a film set. Signs warn of Free Range Children. We saw a toddler being carried on the farmer's lap on a quad bike rounding up sheep, three more playing in a stream. Yet another one called out to us to helpfully get us onto the right route around the numerous ancient stone barns clustered around the hillside. There were two more that we didn't spot and another on the way, yet the farmer's wife still manages to offer wonderful cream teas, that we saw the "St Clements"  couple sampling. To be fair, they had already told us that they hadn't stopped for lunch! Photos can't sum up what this little scene was like...Julia
Bradbury also enjoyed visiting here. 

The last couple of miles showed how busy this community must have been, with many unused cottages and barns that would have housed other families. On arrival in Keld we were delighted with the choice of Keld Lodge. The view from our bedroom window is of the idyllic hamlet...a picture has been taken and if the Internet in the bar works, I will try to upload it to the blog or to Facebook. 

No time to write more as we need food and more beer now Rachel has done her laundry, patched up her feet and made herself look beautiful! My feet still fine.

Accommodation: Keld Lodge. Wonderful for walkers. Excellent drying room good beer, good food, fantastic views. 

Day 6 Shap to Kirkby Stephen. 20 miles (88.67)

Our longest day, so far. Twenty miles is further than most of us have ever walked before. I have done two 22 mile sponsored walks, but over 45 years ago. For me it was less tiring than yesterday but my left knee is not so sure and my toes were doing their best to stop me walking on stones.

It was great to get out of Shap and cross the M6, thankfully on a well placed footbridge. We then seemed to head South for a rather long time, with hills in all directions, but not where we were walking. Lots of stone circles today...we spotted none of them! A few fly pasts by jets doing low level manoeuvres over the moors were interesting though. Cold but pleasant all day, with me not parting company with my fleece and resorting to a polar buff for a while to warm my neck up.

The route was busy today. "Frank and Nancy" joined us for breakfast but delayed their start as a sole had come off Frank's boot yesterday. Fortunately the seconds trainer shop in Shap were able to come to the rescue by selling a new pair.

An American couple, christened the St Clements as they were wearing bright orange and yellow coats tailed us most of the day, overtaking us at one point but we soon caught up, then let them take over near the end. By that point they had been joined by "Mr Collie." The dog had got worn out jumping over rocks on Saturday so had been fetched by the daughter, leaving Mrs to sort things out, while Mr walked. He couldn't read a map so was following others! The Americans are Chris and Dan we found out when Mrs Collie gave us a FULL version of events! We also met four blokes who were partly camping but deviated to the chocolate factory at Orton in order to use their facilities, as they politely put it. At point, I was getting a bit left behind and a chap started talking to me. He was biking it in sections, but had parked his car then returned back to it on his bike two days later. I held his bike while he put his coat on...then rode it for about 100m over a muddy, hilly field. Great fun, and I am sure you will allow me that tiny little break from walking, if you have sponsored me.

Our rooms here have been swapped to help out in this busy guest house, leaving us with a triple and a twin. As my lack of need for sleep is hard for the others(!) they have kindly given me the single, so I
have a double bed and a jacuzzi bath, along with Internet access, pure luxury.

Accommodation: The Jolly Farmers, good breakfast, nice rooms, no cards taken.

Day 5 Patterdale to Shap

Day 5. Patterdale to Shap. 16.93 Miles (68.67)

Time to say " goodbye" to Alan today, as he is heading home, in Sue's car as original plans were changed due to the bad weather yesterday. Andy will now have the job of getting all the girls home safely. We enjoyed our brief stay in the bunkhouse at Noran Farm and our DIY breakfast and the best packed lunch yet.

The weather today was quite cold with the occasional sprinkling of rain, meaning coats on most of the day. I walked in waterproof trousers and gaiters all day.The first part was straightforward with the walk up to Angle Tarn, but we just carried on going up until we bagged Kidsty Pike, the highest point of the entire trek. This took forever, but so did the scramble down to Haweswater, and then the never-ending trudge along the edge of the reservoir up and down crags and all on shingle or through streams. Thinking we now almost there, once we reached the dam, we still had another six miles to go to Shap. The only excitement today was getting my first phone signal for four days! 

We were all feeling tired and weary and several of our feet are suffering. Between us we are using every variety of foot care on the market. Personally, only one sore toe which has Compeed and foam on it, but the stones were hurting my left foot. We were passed again by "Frank and Nancy", a couple we first met on the stretch into Grasmere. It turned out they were staying at the same venue as us, when we chatted to them in the pub later. Red squirrels and Golden Eagles were all in hiding, or. We were too busy to see where we were putting our feet to actually spot them.

Today's walk seemed to take forever. It was about half past seven when we finally reached  The Hermitage, a 17c house, which would be worth exploring if time and opportunity allowed. We
dumped our bags and hobbled to the nearest pub in search of food of any variety. Liver and bacon
with dumplings and chips followed by rhubarb crumble, washed down by a couple of pints, did the job for me.  Shap is not the most desirable of places but has good facilities including a Co-op where we intend to get sandwiches ready for our first twenty mile day tomorrow. Heading back to Kirkby Stephen, where we started.

Accommodation: The Hermitage, Shap. Grade 2 listed, boots taken to be dried...and returned just as wet! Food from local yokel pub in village.

Day 4 Grasmere to Patterale. EXTREME Walking!

Day 4. Grasmere to Patterdale 9.54 miles (51.74)

A fantastic day for testing the waterproof and wind proof qualities of our new and expensive kit! Even with Paramo and Sealskin in use, every single bit of me was soaked! The gale force winds and heavy rain made it hard going getting from Grasmere to Patterdale and Helvelyn was most definitely NOT an option. Grisedale Tarn looked good for surfing on, with impressive waves on it! 

On the way, we encountered Jackie and Pat, previously known as the mauve and yellow ladies, until we learned their names. I slipped down a waterfall and turning to warn those following me, saw Jackie get blown off the top, then Pat. It was rough going and we stayed together to help each other over and along the many streams. Boots were full of water so wading across streams became the safer option rather than trying to balance on submerged stepping stones. I was wet, but warm, as the technical clothing did work at keeping me insulated, despite wearing only a tshirt under the coat and trousers, whereas Alan was very cold by the time we reached Patterdale.  

We arrived near the YH just as the Packhorse mini bus did, meaning it had just dropped our bags off a bit further along he road. The bunkhouse was waiting for us and Rachel suggested a quick dash back to the Post Office and buying whatever they had got that we could have for tea. Showers for all, followed by the evening entertainment of how to dry five lots of very soggy kit with one radiator and one cooker.

Accommodation: Shepherd's Crook Bunkhouse, Noran Farm. Very friendly welcome, made our own drying room as we were the sole occupants. Good to just chill in our space. 

Day 3. Longthwaite, Borrowdale to Grasmere

Good weather today for a gentle stroll up Greenup Gill, over Greenup Edge, then taking in the high alternative as the forecast is not good for Striding Edge tomorrow. : (
The day was a mix of wading through streams and hopping over bogs. Peat bogs are not always as firm as they might appear but long jump techniques improved as the day went on. We met lots more Coast to Coasters including Mr and Mrs Collie, as I called them. The collie had already done the C2C once with Mrs Collie and was now doing it with both of them. Mr Collie slipped in a stream and had a nasty graze very early on but we never spotted them after a few chats at the start, so he must have been OK. We met our two Chinese friends again on Greenup Edge and said Good Bye to our South African lad and his girlfriend early on. They had to plough on to Patterdale due to confusions about moving their camping equipment on. No other C2Cers seem to be staying at our base for the night so it may well be Shap before we meet any again.
Busy in this hostel but they sell Snecklifter, so I may get a good night's tonight sleep after just not being tired enough last night!
Does anyone read this?

Accommodation: Butharlyp-Howe YH. Shared dorms so harder to organise our stuff. Drying room and food good. Made use of lounge.

Day 1 and Day 2, St Bees to Borrowdale

Well, first internet access so a quick update before I fall into bed.

Day 1, just managed to get five of us, with our Yorkshire lass joining us, into one car and over to the other side of Kirkby Stephen to find the mini bus. It left exactly on time, with us tucked inside. A delay at the seaside of St Bees, while we had sandwiches made to order, then the obligatory pebble finding and dipping our boots into the Irish Sea.

Finally we started walking... due North, along the coast. Map reading successful with a slight deviation over the Dent fell.

Lovely sunshine all day, cormorants, butterflies, a deer, and good company. The rain started as we stepped into the porch of the pub. Food, beer then straight to bed.

Accommodation: The Shepherd's Arms, Ennerdale Bridge. More modern pub, recently updated, by put suffering from flooding two weeks ago. More upmarket than the previous night.

Day 2. Woke to rain, big debates over exactly what to wear and what we could get away without carrying in our bags, sorted out the bill and finally set off. Weather improved, overcast but dry until well after lunch. Highlights were our new Chinese friends, who were carrying ALL the stuff and camping. Scary bits for me especially were scrambling at great height on rocks above Ennerdale Water, where one little slip would have been disastrous. Our Chinese chaps needed us to help them get their bags, and expensive cameras, over the rocks.
   

A Forestry Commission imposed detour took us through Ennerdale Woods from where we made our own brew at the isolated Black Sail YH. our friends turned up so Sue made them one too. An interesting walk up Loft Beck, once we crossed over it. Finding our Chinese lads later we learned that they had struggled here and one of them had lost both of his trekking poles in the process. They kindly waited at the top near the cairns to check that us oldies had all managed to get up in the visibility of about 20m. We saw them go into Honister Slate
Mine...never to be seen again. We found Drum House and walked along the old tramway down to
the slate mine, then mainly walked along the road to get to Borrowdale YH.
By this time we were DRENCHED. For the first time we got washed and changed for dinner!

Accommodation: Longthwaite YH. Excellent drying, good grub and good company.

Day 0

I can't really call this day 1, as we don't  start walking until tomorrow.

Bags packed and all ready to roll. Straighteners left out, not sure how I will cope though, in favour of munchies, especially for the longer days where there is no tea shop. In fact the whole route is rather lacking in tea shops. Oh well, I don't suppose this is going to be a "Southern Softie" walk. A bit too much of the rufty tufty Northern style in my view, if the gales predicted for Saturday appear.

The first challenge will be to fit Alan and three women with all our kit into Sue's car. Over to Sue then, to get us to Kirkby Stephen without the accidental detour to Blackpool that we nearly  made last time we ventured to the Lakes.

Accommodation: Black Bull, Kirkby Stephen. Basic but friendly local pub.

Itinerary

A map seems too hard to upload but this is our route.

Drive to Kirkby Stephen - hoping that 5 of us and kit fit in one car.

Minibus from Kirkby Stephen to St Bees
Walk from St Bees to Ennerdale Bridge  14 miles

Ennerdale Bridge to Rosthwaite 15 miles

Rosthwaite to Grasmere 9 miles

Grasmere to Patterdale, via Helvelyn 13 miles

Patterdale to Shap 16 miles

Shap to Kirkby Stephen 20 miles (Back where we started!)

Kirkby Stephen to Keld 13 miles (Half way - water should start flowing to the East now!)

Keld to Reeth 11 miles

Reeth to Richmond 11 miles

Richmond to Danby Wiske 14 miles

Danby Wiske to Ingelby Cross 9 miles

Ingelby Cross to Blakey 21 miles

Blakey to Grosmont 13 miles

Grosmont to Robin Hood's Bay 16 miles!!
(Minibus next day back to Kirkby Stephen to drive homeward.)

Blog ready for action

Details of my blog have been sent to some contacts and shared on Facebook. I hope to add to this where Internet access allows, at the end of each stage. Please add comments to encourage four fabulous females on our stroll across England.

Two Weeks to go to get fit!

Well, we have had the idea, convinced friends to join us, booked the accommodation, organised the bag carrier, completed two training weekends and got ourselves totally fit. Apart from the last comment, actually. The many permutations of kit have been tested and every eventuality considered. Is a sit mat as essential as one emergency blanket each? Can we remember the emergency signals? Or more importantly, can we read a map and all agree which route to take?

If there is an Internet connection and if I have the energy, this blog will be added to as four women walk 200 miles across England more or less following Wainwright, with a deviation up Helvelyn just because it's there, as long as the weather is good.