Coast To Coast with Caroline & Kate

Caroline Stewart is no stranger when it comes to fighting a worthy cause, and there is no more worthy than the fight to raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association to aid them in the vital research to find answers that might one day help sufferers of this dreadful disease to recover from it. This lady has helped to raise thousands of pounds to raise awareness for the charity and is doing the walk in memory of Lesley Fowkes, a friend to all at the Blackpool GFS conventions and a very special friend to Caroline. Please read Caroline's words for a full description of what she intends to do.

coast to coast

I and my bungee jumping friend Kate Lewis are walking Wainwright's Coast to Coast to raise money for MNDA in memory of our dear friend and GFS member, Lesley Fowkes. We start on Saturday 12th June at St Bees and head West initially. There is a short section along the West Coast (dipping our boots in the Irish sea and collecting a pebble from the beach as tradition dictates) then we head East at Whitehaven and start the difficult section through the Lake District. The views will be stunning providing the weather stays fine. At Grasmere we are hoping to meet up with GFS member Daniel Adcock who is taking part in his own challenge walking one thousand miles to raise money for MNDA. After the lakes it is on through the Yorkshire Dales and finally 'home' into the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. The crossing will take 15 days. Mileage varies from 8 miles on the hilly legs to 21 miles on the flat legs and averages at 12.5 miles per day but I expect we will do more than that with detours to our accommodation and navigational 'issues'. MND Awareness Day is on the 21st June so we'll be tying blue and orange balloons to our rucksacks that day to raise awareness. The penultimate day is from The Lion at Blakey Ridge back to Grosmont. Martin Fowkes and his best friend Pete will be walking that leg with us. We'll be staying at home that night but the job is not yet done. The last day sees the big climb out of Grosmont and then we head North to allow us to walk back down the Coast into Robin Hood's Bay where we will complete the Coast to Coasters tradition and throw our St Bees stone into the sea and then wash our boots. Another important part of the tradition is a pint in The Bay Hotel and I think we will enjoy that! We had planned to do this walk in September 2020 but uncertainty around Covid meant we moved it. Sadly, Lesley is no longer here to see us do this but it gives us more motivation to raise money to find a cure for this awful disease.

12 June - Saturday - St Bees to Ennerdale Bridge - 14.3 miles - DAY ONE

07:13

Today's the day. Not the best nights sleep what with a yapping dog and someone drag-

ging goodness knows what up and down outside the door in the middle of the night!

The sun in shining and a big breakfast is on the cards. Wish us luck.

15:17

We've just got to the top of Dent hill.

21:20

Today was brilliant. It was hot but very breezy on the coastal path out of St Bees. We

made steady progress until Dent hill. Going up was quite a pull but coming down the

other side was worse still. Heavy on the knees, even with our trusty walking poles. The

last couple of miles seem to drag on but we made it with all the skin on our feet intact.

Thanks for your support. We are off to bed now. Knackered.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS…

13 June - SUNDAY - Ennerdale Bridge to ROSTHWAITE - 16.5 miles - day two

THE ROAD GOES ON AND ON…

Today started with a long walk along the lakeside path at Ennerdale Water.

Lakeside path brought to mind a pushchair friendly nice gravelled track. How wrong we

were!

It was a difficult, rocky path with precarious sections that had to be scrambled up and

down. It was hot and muggy and a lot more difficult than we had anticipated.

We then headed through Ennerdale Forest road which was closed due to forestry works.

We managed to get through one way or another and made it to Black Sail YHA which is

sadly closed.

This has to be one of Britain's finest youth hostel locations, only accessible by 4X4s. It

was a good place to stop for food but suddenly the heat was replaced by gusts of wind.

We then had the arduous trek up Grey Knott's. A 1km long, 637m ascent up 'steps' and

across streams. At the top the wind was quite frightening but thankfully it was in the

right direction and not blowing us back down the fell.

Then followed a trek along rocky footpaths to Honister and then the final leg up to

Rosthwaite.

We were out for nine and a half hours and walked about 16 miles.

Today was a very tough day but we were rewarded with a tasty home cooked meal at

Yew Craggs B&B.

In bed before 10pm without any beer! Whatever …

CAROLINE & KATE

14 June - MONDAY - ROSTHWAITE to GRASMERE - 10.7 miles - day three

on to new heights

Monday started with a lovely breakfast and then a short flat to Stonethwaite before we

started climbing up to the top of Lining Edge.

The views from the top were magnificent with not a cloud in the sky. We met a lady who

said she'd been up there several times and this was the first time it had been clear.

After that the navigation was difficult and we had to resort to the GPS a few times to

confirm our position (or not!) The peaty ground was very wet and it caught me out and I

ended up with both boots submerged and on my knees!

The weather turned extremely cold and gusty and I was thankful for my hat and gloves.

Heading down Greenup Edge pass was not too bad and we stopped for lunch using a

ranger's hut for shelter.

A good time for a pair of dry socks. As we carried on the wind got really strong and we

decided against our plan of taking the high route. However, the path played a trick on

us and we soon realised we were on the wrong path but we decided to keep going and

we were rewarded with some breathtaking views of the lakes.

It was up and up and a bit of down as we crossed various crags with Helm Crag being

the final and best one.

Then a very long descent down to Grasmere on the awful rocky paths that the Lake

District seems to enjoy.

A nice stroll took us into the heart of Grasmere where we managed to get a nice drink

before heading to another lovely B&B at How Foot Lodge.

Today, we had a good few places with mobile signal and the pings on the phone were

more often than not donations being made to the cause.

We smashed through our target today and it really boosted our spirits.

Lesley would have been proud of every single one of us, walker and supporters alike.

Kate's got a blister the size of Luxembourg on her foot but I'm ok other than falling into

a bog!

TWO LADIES ENJOYING A

WELL-EARNED DRINK!

15 June - TUESDAY - GRASMERE to PATTERDALE - 9.9 miles - day four

GUSTY WINDS BUT A WELCOME COLD BEER IN PATTERDALE!

Day 4 started with a good breakfast and a stop in Grasmere to buy some

famous Grasmere Gingerbread.

We then headed up a long steady climb to Grisedale Tarn. The Tarn was eer-

ily peaceful but the gusty wind up there made us rethink our route and we

took the original Wainwright's route through the valley.

It was almost all descent and once again the rocky footpaths made it an ar-

duous and somewhat monotous section.

It was impossible to look up from the uneven path and take in the scenery

as you invariably stood on a rock and turned your ankle.

We stopped for lunch at an old climbers hut, sadly locked up now but it was

a beautiful spot to rest.

We were glad to get to the bottom and into Patterdale where we were just

in time to enjoy a cold beer at the Patterdale Hotel.

Our B&B is a lovely place on a small farm so after a shower we had a walk

out for a bite to eat where we were overjoyed to see a red squirrel feeding

as well as red deer high up on the fell.

Tomorrow we say goodbye to the Lake District and head off to Shap.

After four glorious days in the Lakes, the weather wreaked havoc on our last day here.

We had a great breakfast at Crookabeck B&B where our host Adam kindly donated the money we paid for our packed

lunches to our cause. The rain was drizzly so I had no need to fret about my sunburnt legs as we set off in full

waterproofs.

Today started with a 5 mile climb up past Angle Tarn This climb was the

biggest on Wainwright's route.

After the last four days we actually found the climb ok but the weather

closed in and a few hundred metres up visibility was down to about ten

yards.

We were soaked as the rain got heavier and the wind got stronger and by

the time we go to the top of Kidsty Pike it was like something out of a film.

We couldn't see over the steep edge and the wind was howling over the

top, blowing clouds of mist past us. At one point we had to dig our walking

poles into the ground and hang on for dear life as it was strong enough to

blow us over.

We eventually started making tiny little steps with our poles for support

and we got out of the worst of it and both burst out laughing. It was defin-

itely a laugh or cry moment!

After this the rain barely let all day and we were soaked to the skin despite

our waterproofs. But the ascent in all

that weather was actually the best part

of the day!

We then had the awful descent to deal

with which, for me with two good knees,

was tough but for Kate with a knackered

knee was really hard. We both did good

tortoise impressions, slipping and land-

ing on our rucksacks! Thankfully the

only injury sustained was a severe

bruise to the banana I had in my bag for

dinner.

We stopped for a bite to eat and exchanged Kirdsty Pike horror stories with fellow

walkers!

Then we thought we had an easy walk alongside Haweswater but just like at Ennerdale

on day 2, it was a tricky walk with a lot of ups and downs and seemed to go on forever.

Once at the end of that and a good 12 or so miles in we then had to trek up and down

across fields to Shap Abbey and down through the village to our B&B.

It was well worth the extra mile or so though as the hosts are amazing. Home made

treats brought to us for supper! Tomorrow we are set for our longest day with 20.5

miles to Kirkby Stephen. Hopefully flat.....

16 June - WEDNESDAY - PATTERDALE to SHAP - 16.7 miles - day FIVE

SOAKED TO THE SKIN BUT SPIRITS ARE HIGH!

17 June - THURSDAY - SHAP to KIRBY STEPHEN - 20.5 miles - day SIX

A VERY TOUGH DAY BUT the girls remain undaunted

Message at 22:23 Thursday night

Very few words after today's 20.5 mile slog. It was hot and never ending

and our feet are a mess.

It wasn't a bad walk, just difficult after yesterday. The weather was hot and

that made it tougher as there was little respite from the sun. We made it

though!

Tomorrow is another 13.5 miles and we are barely able to stand now so

goodness knows what we will do with our feet

Obviously a tough day for the girls.

One thing that will help and encourage them and probably give them

new strength is knowing that donations are still coming in.

If you read these words, try to find it in your hearts to offer the girls the

support that I know will give them the energy to go all the way.

PP 18/06

18 June - FRIDAY - KIRBY STEPHEN to KELD - 12.3 miles - day SEVEN

A VERY TOUGH DAY BUT the girls remain undaunted

This morning we felt better and I applied KT tape to my foot and both of Kate's heels.

After a good breakfast and a nice chat with fellow walkers we set off in the

sunshine with our spirits high.

The route today was a climb up to Nine Standards Rigg which was fantastic.

Thankfully for us, the route back down through peat bogs was as dry as it's

probably been for years. We crossed the Cumbrian border and entered

Yorkshire!

After a slight navigational hiccup we found our way to Ravenseat Farm which

is the home of The Yorkshire Shepherdess.

We enjoyed a cup of tea and met Tony the Pony who was a real charmer as

well as a very cute terrier who liked a chin scratch!

From there to Keld was a pleasant walk, gently climbing away from the river

and then back down into this small village.

A lovely lady stopped to chat with us and gave us some options for our walk

into the village.

The people on the C2C route are generally very friendly and love to chat to

walkers and give them advice.

Lots of them put up little signs to help find the right path.

Once settled in our B&B we had a nice drink and a chat with some of our

walking acquaintances and then had a cracking meal at the Keld Lodge just

across the road.

The only thing that spoiled the day was watching a pathetic England

performance!

Message at 22:26 FRIDAY NIGHT

I'll start today by elaborating on the very brief report of day 6 I sent to

Peter on Thursday evening.

We left Shap just before 9am after being fed a wonderful breakfast by the

most welcoming and attentive landlady I've ever met.

This was at Brookfield's B&B in Shap and it's no wonder that this is con-

sidered the best B&B on the route by walkers. That was the highlight of a

really tough day.

We started off by crossing the M6 which was a milestone and from then it

was a bit of a trial. It just seemed never ending but we got there eventu-

ally, in bad shape!

We hobbled to the pub across the road for tea and then just collapsed into

bed.

Coast To Coast with Caroline & Kate

12 June - Saturday - St Bees to Ennerdale Bridge - 14.3 MILES

day one

07:13

Today's the day. Not the

best nights sleep what

with a yapping dog and

someone dragging good-

ness knows what up and

down outside the door in

the middle of the night!

The sun in shining and a

big breakfast is on the

cards. Wish us luck.

15:17

We've just got to the top

of Dent hill.

21:20

Today was brilliant. It

was hot but very breezy

on the coastal path out

of St Bees. We made

steady progress until

Dent hill. Going up was

quite a pull but coming

down the other side was

worse still. Heavy on the

knees, even with our

trusty walking poles. The

last couple of miles seem

to drag on but we made it with all the skin on our feet in-

tact. Thanks for your support. We are off to bed now.

Knackered.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS…

13 June - SUNDAY - Ennerdale Bridge to - ROSTHWAITE 16.5 MILES

day two

THE ROAD GOES ON AND ON…

Today started with a long

walk along the lakeside

path at Ennerdale Water.

Lakeside path brought to

mind a pushchair

friendly nice gravelled

track. How wrong we

were!

It was a difficult, rocky

path with precarious sec-

tions that had to be

scrambled up and down.

It was hot and muggy

and a lot more difficult

than we had anticipated.

We then headed through

Ennerdale Forest road

which was closed due to

forestry works. We man-

aged to get through one

way or another and

made it to Black Sail YHA

which is sadly closed.

This has to be one of

Britain's finest youth

hostel locations, only ac-

cessible by 4X4s. It was a

good place to stop for

food but suddenly the heat was replaced by gusts of wind.

We then had the arduous trek up Grey Knott's. A 1km long,

637m ascent up 'steps' and across streams. At the top the

wind was quite frightening but thankfully it was in the right

direction and not blowing us back down the fell.

Then followed a trek along rocky footpaths to Honister and

then the final leg up to Rosthwaite.

We were out for nine and a half hours and walked about 16

miles.

Today was a very tough day but we were rewarded with a

tasty home cooked meal at Yew Craggs B&B.

In bed before 10pm without any beer! Whatever …

14 June - MONDAY - ROSTHWAITE to - GRASMERE 10.7 miles

DAY THREE

on to new heights

Monday started with a lovely breakfast and then a short

flat to Stonethwaite before we started climbing up to the

top of Lining Edge.

The views from the top were magnificent with not a

cloud in the sky. We met a lady who said she'd been up

there several times and this was the first time it had

been clear.

After that the navigation

was difficult and we had

to resort to the GPS a

few times to confirm our

position (or not!) The

peaty ground was very

wet and it caught me out

and I ended up with both

boots submerged and on

my knees!

The weather turned ex-

tremely cold and gusty

and I was thankful for

my hat and gloves.

Heading down Greenup

Edge pass was not too

bad and we stopped for

lunch using a ranger's

hut for shelter.

A good time for a pair of

dry socks. As we carried

on the wind got really

strong and we decided

against our plan of tak-

ing the high route.

However, the path

played a trick on us and

we soon realised we

were on the wrong path

but we decided to keep

going and we were rewarded with some breathtaking

views of the lakes.

It was up and up and a bit of down as we crossed various

crags with Helm Crag being the final and best one.

Then a very long descent down to Grasmere on the awful

rocky paths that the Lake District seems to enjoy.

A nice stroll took us into the heart of Grasmere where we

managed to get a nice drink before heading to another

lovely B&B at How Foot Lodge.

Today, we had a good few places with mobile signal and

the pings on the phone were more often than not

donations being made to the cause.

We smashed through our target today and it really boos-

ted our spirits.

Lesley would have been proud of every single one of us,

walker and supporters alike. Kate's got a blister the size

of Luxemburg on her foot but I'm ok other than falling

into a bog.

TWO LADIES ENJOYING A

WELL-EARNED DRINK!

15 June - TUESDAY - GRASMERE to PATTERDALE - 9.9 miles

DAY FOUR

GUSTY WINDS BUT A WELCOME COLD BEER IN PATTERDALE

Day 4 started with a good breakfast and a stop in

Grasmere to buy some famous Grasmere Gingerbread.

We then headed up a long steady climb to Grisedale Tarn.

The Tarn was eerily peaceful but the gusty wind up there

made us rethink our route and we took the original

Wainwright's route through the valley.

It was almost all des-

cent and once again the

rocky footpaths made it

an arduous and some-

what monotous section.

It was impossible to

look up from the un-

even path and take in

the scenery as you in-

variably stood on a rock

and turned your ankle.

We stopped for lunch at

an old climbers hut,

sadly locked up now but

it was a beautiful spot

to rest.

We were glad to get to

the bottom and into

Patterdale where we

were just in time to

enjoy a cold beer at the Patterdale Hotel.

Our B&B is a lovely place on a small farm so after a shower

we had a walk out for a bite to eat where we were over-

joyed to see a red squirrel feeding as well as red deer high

up on the fell.

Tomorrow we say goodbye to the Lake District and head

off to Shap.

SOAKED TO THE SKIN BUT SPIRITS ARE HIGH!

16 June - WEDNESDAY - PATTERDALE to SHAP - 16.7 miles

day FIVE

After four glorious days in the Lakes, the weather wreaked

havoc on our last day here.

We had a great breakfast at Crookabeck B&B where our

host Adam kindly donated the money we paid for our

packed lunches to our cause. The rain was drizzly so I had

no need to fret about my

sunburnt legs as we set

off in full waterproofs.

Today started with a 5

mile climb up past Angle

Tarn This climb was the

biggest on Wainwright's

route.

After the last four days

we actually found the

climb ok but the weather

closed in and a few hun-

dred metres up visibility

was down to about ten

yards.

We were soaked as the

rain got heavier and the

wind got stronger and by

the time we go to the top

of Kidsty Pike it was like

something out of a film.

We couldn't see over the steep edge and the wind was

howling over the top, blowing clouds of mist past us. At one

point we had to dig our walking poles into the ground and

hang on for dear life as it was strong enough to blow us

over.

We eventually started making tiny little steps with our

poles for support and we got out of the worst of it and both

burst out laughing. It was definitely a laugh or cry moment!

After this the rain barely let all day and we were soaked to

the skin despite our waterproofs. But the ascent in all that

weather was actually the best part of the day!

We then had the awful descent to deal with which, for me

with two good knees, was tough but for Kate with a

knackered knee was really

hard. We both did good tor-

toise impressions, slipping

and landing on our ruck-

sacks! Thankfully the only

injury sustained was a

severe bruise to the banana

I had in my bag for dinner.

We stopped for a bite to eat

and exchanged Kirdsty Pike

horror stories with fellow

walkers!

Then we thought we had an

easy walk alongside

Haweswater but just like at

Ennerdale on day 2, it was a

tricky walk with a lot of ups

and downs and seemed to

go on forever.

Once at the end of that and a good 12 or so miles in we

then had to trek up and down across fields to Shap Abbey

and down through the village to our B&B.

It was well worth the extra mile or so though as the hosts

are amazing. Home made treats brought to us for supper!

Tomorrow we are set for our longest day with 20.5 miles to

Kirkby Stephen. Hopefully flat.....

17 June - THURSDAY - SHAP to KIRBY STEPHEN - 20.5 miles

day SIX

A VERY TOUGH DAY BUT the girls remain UNDAUNTED!

Message at 22:23 Thursday night

Very few words after today's 20.5 mile slog. It was hot and

never ending and our feet are a mess.

It wasn't a bad walk, just

difficult after yesterday.

The weather was hot and

that made it tougher as

there was little respite

from the sun. We made it

though!

Tomorrow is another 13.5

miles and we are barely

able to stand now so

goodness knows what we

will do with our feet!

Message at 07:30

FRIDAY MORNING

Morning all. We are up

and smiling again. Feet

are a little better than last

night and legs feel re-

covered. By the time we

get the feet taped and plastered we'll be ready to get going

up to Keld. Long sleeves and long trousers today because

despite frequent applica-

tion of sunscreen I still

caught the sun. Here are a

few pictures from yester-

day that I didn't have the

energy to share last night.

Thanks for your

encouragement.

Obviously a tough day for the girls.

One thing that will help and encourage them and

probably give them new strength is knowing that

donations are still coming in.

If you read these words, try to find it in your hearts to

offer the girls the support that I know will give them the

energy to go all the way.

PP 18/06

Message at 22:26 FRIDAY

NIGHT

I'll start today by elaborat-

ing on the very brief report

of day 6 I sent to Peter on

Thursday evening.

We left Shap just before

9am after being fed a won-

derful breakfast by the

most welcoming and at-

tentive landlady I've ever

met.

This was at Brookfield's B&B in Shap and it's no wonder

that this is considered the best B&B on the route by walk-

ers. That was the highlight of a really tough day.

We started off by crossing the M6 which was a milestone

and from then it was a bit of a trial. It just seemed never

ending but we got there eventually, in bad shape!

We hobbled to the pub across the road for tea and then

just collapsed into bed.

18 June - FRIDAY - KIRBY STEPHEN to KELD -12.3 miles

day SEVEN

WE ENTER YORKSHIRE!

This morning we felt better and I applied KT tape to my foot

and both of Kate's heels.

After a good breakfast and a nice chat with fellow walkers

we set off in the sunshine with our spirits high.

The route today was a climb up to Nine Standards Rigg

which was fantastic.

Thankfully for us, the route back down through peat bogs

was as dry as it's probably been for years. We crossed the

Cumbrian border and entered Yorkshire!

After a slight navigational

hiccup we found our way

to Ravenseat Farm which

is the home of The

Yorkshire Shepherdess.

We enjoyed a cup of tea

and met Tony the Pony

who was a real charmer

as well as a very cute ter-

rier who liked a chin

scratch!

From there to Keld was a

pleasant walk, gently

climbing away from the

river and then back down

into this small village.

A lovely lady stopped to

chat with us and gave us

some options for our

walk into the village.

The people on the C2C route are generally very friendly and

love to chat to walkers and give them advice.

Lots of them put up little signs to help find the right path.

Once settled in our B&B we had a nice drink and a chat

with some of our walking acquaintances and then had a

cracking meal at the Keld Lodge just across the road.

The only thing that spoiled the day was watching a pathetic

England performance!