Coast To Coast with Caroline & Kate - Week Two

19 June - SATURDAY - KELD to REETH - 11.1 miles - day EIGHT

We started today with a superb breakfast and a few delightful minutes spent with Scamp, the resident King Charles

Cavalier spaniel at our B&B in Keld.

After collecting our sandwich for lunch we set off, planning to do the high

route to Reeth.

A steep climb took us up past some old lead mine workings and at the

'remains of a tractor' we turned left up to the high route past the

brilliantly named Crackpot Hall.

It was a good climb with some interesting features. At some point during

the morning we missed a footpath and ended up a bit confused, some

might say lost.

The landscape around us sort of matched with the map but the

orientation was all wrong and we knew something wasn't quite right but

couldn't fathom it.

We retraced our steps and eventually set off on the main path but we

knew it wasn't the right path.

A bit further on we were able to use the landscape to pinpoint exactly

where we were on the map and rather than backtrack we decided to

carry on to Gunnerside and then join the low route to Reeth.

There was much excitement as we entered Gunnerside and saw signs for

a tearoom but unfortunately it was closed!

We made do with a cold lemonade and some posh crisps sat outside the

pub where we chatted to a family of keen walkers.

The father must have easily been in his 70s and was as fit as a lop as my

Grandad used to say! They were experienced Coast to Coasters having

done it three times already!

After our nice break we set off on the low route and were faced with

another steep climb. It turned out to be quite a disappointing route with very monotonous landscapes and not a lot to

look at.

We passed through the little village of Healaugh and then took the path alongside the River Swale but trees made it

difficult to appreciate the views.

We met up with the walking family again and they took us straight to the centre of Reeth to The Black Bull where we rest

our weary heads tonight!

Day 9 from Reeth to Richmond started with a bit of rain.

It was a nice walk out of Reeth along the river and along to Marrick Priory and then up the Nuns Steps to Marrick, a tiny

little hamlet.

By now the rain had stopped so waterproofs were off and packed away.

Strolling through a meadow we spotted a farmhouse that looked

suspiciously like a it had tearoom and we were delighted to find Elaine's

Farmhouse Kitchen where we enjoyed a cup of tea and home made cake.

Delicious and much nicer than our normal elevenses!

From here we walked to a tiny cottage called Ellers where it all went a bit

wrong. We couldn't see the obvious path over the beck but we could see a

vague route so we went for it.

Kate got stung by nettles and I slipped off a rock and submerged my left

boot in the water.

At least it was only one wet foot this time.

Unfortunately, once we had crossed the beck we spotted the path on the

other side of a dry stone wall and the easiest (as in least likely to

soak/sting us) way was to cross the beck again, tiptoe along the rocks at

the edge and crawl underneath a bridge through a gap in the gates that

stop the sheep getting through!

Don't tell our Navigation Award teacher or we'll have to hand our badges

back!

We redeemed ourselves not long afterwards as we rescued a riggwelted

sheep.

The term is used to describe a sheep that has managed to roll onto its

back and can't get up.

Left alone they will eventually die and this particular sheep had two

lambs.

We righted her and up she jumped and ran off.

The lambs were soon feeding again.

It was relatively uneventful from this point apart from me limping having pulled a muscle when I slipped into the beck.

We are staying in a lovely hotel and have had a couple of drinks and a nice meal.

I've had a hot bath so hopefully my gammy leg will be better tomorrow for the fourteen mile, flat walk to Danby Wiske.

20 June - sunday - reeth to Richmond - 11 miles - day NINE

21 June - MONDAY - Richmond TO DANBY WISKE - 14.3 miles - day TEN

Today might have started badly. I sent my breakfast back as my poached eggs were hard boiled! Second attempt was

much better and we both had a nice breakfast and we were overjoyed to see the fundraising total go past £3k.

As today was Global MND Awareness Day we tied MNDA balloons to our rucksacks and wore our MNDA t-shirts to walk

in.

Cotton t-shirts aren't the best thing to walk in. Modern, quick drying fabrics

are much more comfortable but the weather never got hot enough nor the

gradients interesting enough to bother us. And that pretty much sums up

our walk today.

Cloudy and flat. A bit dull if we are honest. We strolled alongside the River

Swale out of Richmond.

I popped one of my balloons on the first gate we went through! The river

was nice but trees meant we never really got a good view of it.

We headed to Colburn, under the A1M and then to Catterick, being sure

not to stray into the Catterick Garrison Firing Range to spend a penny!

After that we fought through footpaths of waist high vegetation and fields

full of cattle with calves and often bulls.

It was heavy going and we began to wonder if there is an alternative C2C

route because some of the footpaths we were on didn't look like anyone

had been on them for months!

It rained lightly on and off all day. I am converted to wearing shorts now.

I'm the first to admit I don't have the legs for them but they are perfect for

days like today when walking through long wet grass. Skin dries much

faster than fabric.

I am also hardened to nettles and thistles!

Unlike previous days, we weren't entertained by Lapwings and Curlews but

there were plenty of birds singing in the hedgerows as we started a long

section on a quiet road.

The highlight of the day was almost a large pile of tractor tyres but then I

spotted a teeny weeny frog on the path!

We finally arrived in Danby Wiske where we were greeted with a large pot of tea, toasted tea cakes and a slice of lemon

cake.

Our hosts are superb and we are now off to bed after a good meal at a local pub.

22 June - TUESDAY - DANBY WISKE TO OSMOTHERLY - 11.8 miles - day ELEVEN

What a day! We stayed in a fantastic B&B which was a real home from home.

After breakfast we said goodbye to our hosts and Benji the dog and headed out of the lovely little village of Danby Wiske.

We crossed the East Coast Main Line and went across footpaths running through fields of crops in the bright sunshine.

Where the paths cut through the crops you can see just how dry the ground is. It is a wonder anything can grow after so

many weeks without much rain.

Just over a mile up the road we had to cross a busy road next to a car garage. While we were waiting to cross the road I

could hear a strange noise coming from the verge opposite.

It wasn't a bird and sounded like a cat. Being slightly cat mad I had to investigate.

I pulled away at the undergrowth and discovered a kitten, about 6 weeks

old, down a rabbit hole.

With no sign of its mother or any siblings I knew we had to get it out. I

contacted the RSPCA and in the meantime tried to tice it out.

It got braver but every time I went to grab it, it went back down the rabbit

hole. After the best part of an hour I tried miaowing at it and the effect was

nothing short of miraculous.

The little kitten jumped up and just came straight to me so I picked it up

and put it in a box then we took it across to the garage where the RSPCA

inspector subsequently collected it and informed us that it was a him and

seemed in good health.

He'll go off to a foster home until he is old enough to be adopted. I had

blood running down my legs from the thorns but it was worth it to have

saved him.

We finally got going again and headed through Moor House then to Wray

House Farm where we had some cold chocolate from one of the many

honesty boxes on the route.

People stock up fridges, cool boxes and even summer houses with cold

drinks, snacks and home made cakes.

Walkers wishing to partake just leave the money in an honesty box. It's

lovely and welcome where shops and cafes are few and far between.

We decided to stop for lunch a mile or so down the road and a kind lady

allowed us to sit in her field (next to a massive pile of pig muck) to avoid

the dust generated by the cars driving down the track.

It was nicer than it sounds!

We then had to cross the busy A19. I was amazed that there isn't a footbridge

and we had to negotiate 70mph traffic and cross four lanes of traffic! Not

nice.

After saying hello to some lovely horses and ducks we came to Ingleby Cross

and then Ingelby Arncliffe where we stopped for a cold drink and an ice

cream.

From there we climbed into Arncliffe Woods.

Our first hills for a few days!

This is where we left the Coast to Coast route and walked to Osmotherley

where we are staying tonight.

Tomorrow we will retrace our steps on the Cleveland Way and walk to Clay

Bank Top which is just to the left of the middle of nowhere!

23 June - WEDNESDAY - OSMOTHERLY TO CLAY BANK TOP - 11.8 miles - day TWELVE

We stayed in a pub last night. The shower was about as powerful as a dripping tap.

Wonder Woman would have struggled to get changed in the tiny bathroom. The bar had no proper beer or even draught

cider. When we got to bed the 'shutters' were ineffective against the light streaming in from the pub sign so I slept with a

bedsock draped across my eyes.

Despite all this we got up feeling optimistic and looking forward to a good

breakfast.

That was a mistake.

Breakfast was disgusting so we left the lot and went up to the village shop

for a yoghurt, banana and a tub of ice cream!

Ice cream for breakfast can only mean the day is going to be good and it

was.

It was scorching hot and really humid which was quite energy sapping.

As we had a bit more time today we had lots of breaks and we also met a

lot of people who wanted to chat. People are interested when they find out

we are Coast to Coasters wanting to know how long we have left.

It's lovely to be able to chat and today we met some people walking the

Cleveland Way as well as bumping into a father and daughter doing the C2C

who we met last week.

Today really felt like we were on our way home as I got a glimpse of

Roseberry Topping early this morning and then as we got up onto Carlton

Bank I actually saw the power station I work at over at Hartlepool.

As well as following the Cleveland Way, we also spent some time on the

Lyke Wake Walk. This is a 40 mile walk across the North Yorkshire Moors

that has to be completed within 24 hours. A future challenge methinks!

We passed a Bronze Age burial mound, lots of old boundary stones, an old

OS benchmark and triangulation station (trig point).

We stopped at Lordstones restaurant for a cold drink where I bumped into

an old workmate.

The day ended with several steep climbs and then descents (give me the climbs any day - it's the coming down that hurts

the knees!)

At the Wainstones we called ahead to the pub we are in tonight. It is about 4 miles off the Wainwright route so they pick

up walkers and then drop them off the next morning.

Tomorrow we are going across to Blakey Ridge where Kate's parents, Martin Fowkes and his mate Pete will join us to walk

the penultimate leg into Grosmont on Friday.

Good night.

24 June - THURSDAY - CLAY BANK TOP TO BLAKEY RIDGE - 9.94 miles - day THIRTEEN

Today our breakfast was very good and served by Wolfgang, the Landlord of The Buck Inn at Chop Gate (pronounced Chop

Yat).

Knowing we only had a short walk (8.5 miles according to the book) we would've preferred to set off later but the lift back

up to Clay Bank Top left at 8:20am so we were earlier than ever!

This meant we could take a leisurely pace but it's quite difficult to walk

deliberately slowly and once we had got to the top of Carr Ridge it was an

easy stroll across Urra Moor.

On the way we saw some interesting boundary markers; one with a hand

and one with a face. We climbed up to the OS Trig point as we knew the

view would be worthwhile!

The path then crossed the old Rosedale Ironstone Railway at Bloworth

Crossing and it was here we left the Cleveland Way.

In the midst of Moorland now, there were plenty of grouse and the odd

Meadow Pippit. We couldn't find anywhere to sit for a little break so we

perched on out sit mats on the edge of the heather.

The moorland is notorious for ticks so plenty of DEET spray is required.

Just as we got sat Emily and her dad passed us and we had a chat with

them. They are going straight through to Glaisdale tonight so we won't see

them.

Glaisdale was well within reach today but The Lion is such a good pub that

it's no wonder Wainwright recommended a stop here!

We were soon on the march again and before we spotted The Lion Inn, our

home for the night, we saw Pete and Carol, Kate's parents, walking

towards us.

They had parked up at the pub and come to meet us.

We took a slightly longer route around to extend their walk and even after

all of our photo stops.

We arrived around 12:30pm and had a lovely bowl of chips and a cold

drink before I had a hot bath and Kate had a shower.

We have more people arriving to see us tonight so although the lazy afternoon has made me realise how tired I actually

am, friends and family will spur me on tomorrow for the penultimate day.

25 June - FRIDAY - BLAKEY RIDGE TO GROSMONT - 14.3 miles - day FOURTEEN

The Lion at Blakey Ridge is pretty remote. A pub dropped in the middle of the North Yorkshire Moors.

It can be at the mercy of the weather and it certainly was this morning.

The rain was coming in sideways as me, Kate, Martin Fowkes, Pete Woodfield and Pete and Carol (Kate's parents) left

Blakey. Pete and Carol had decided to walk a little way at the start and meet us again near the end and by the time they

turned to return to their car they were soaked to the skin.

The waterproofs the rest of us were wearing were no match for the

weather and within an hour we were all wet through.

The going was particularly tough today.

We'd only really had the one very bad day up on Kidsty Pike and although

the wind today wasn't quite as bad, the rain was worse and across

Farndale where there is absolutely no shelter, it was relentless.

We had one brief stop when we found a boarded up farmhouse which

provided a little respite from the rain but standing around when you are

wet just makes you cold very quickly. After that it was heads down into

the driving rain for the best part of 7 miles without a breather.

The Moors can be an unforgiving place.

We finally started to drop down into Glaisdale after what seemed like

forever on a stony, difficult path.

At the pub Martin and Pete left us after almost 10 miles in the worst rain

we had encountered. Not bad for two 73 year olds.

We'd also made quite a pace too; one of the things bad weather does is

make you walk faster! Kate and I had a pot of tea in the Arncliffe Arms and

put dry socks on then set off through East Arncliffe Woods.

Part way in we met up with Pete and Carol again and they walked with us

to Egton Bridge where Kate insisted we all had 99 ice creams with a flake

at the Horseshoe Hotel!

Not ideal in the rain but they were very nice!

We are well and truly on our home territory now and we have stopped at

the Horseshoe a few times on our training walks.

As tradition (Kate's tradition) dictates, we all went over the two sets of stepping stones though I think they are probably

not passable by now since all that rain has made its way down.

From there it was an easy stroll, though at a good pace, along the toll road into Grosmont.

The crossing gates were shut and we saw our first steam loco for a fortnight. The plan was then to have a quick drink in

the Station Tavern before walking back to Esk Valley but the pub was shut!

So home it was.

It was lovely to get back and see my cats and my own mam and dad who are staying for a couple of days.

Fish and chips for tea and off to bed ready for the final chapter tomorrow. What a journey this has been!

26 June - SATURDAY - GROSMONT TO ROBIN HOOD’S BAY - 14.3 miles - day FIFTEEN

The words tonight may not be as coherent as usual.

We've just had a great evening sat outside with family and friends having a few drinks to celebrate our achievement.

The day started a bit strangely for both of us as we were not in the same house. Consequently our routine went down the

pan but we were ready to go just after 8:30 and we set off to Grosmont, the 'official' start point in drizzly rain.

The first part of the walk is a two mile climb out of Grosmont.

It was nowhere near as bad as we expected (hills really do make you strong) but it was too hot for waterproof coats and

too wet to be without them.

Part way up we met Kate's dad Pete who walked with us for the majority

of the day.

We headed across Moorland to Littlebeck and then on to Falling Foss

where we had a quick drink and met up with more of Kate's family who

walked with us to Robin Hood's Bay.

We hadn't expected any drama on the last day but as we walked across

one section of moorland we encountered the sort of sodden peat bog

we avoided on the way down from Nine Standards Rigg last week. It was

wet but not bad until we got within sight of the gate and our way out.

Two women walking had been going round and round for about fifteen

minutes looking for a dry way out. The water had already over topped

their boots and they'd had a serious sense of humour failure.

Having considered all options I decided to remove my boots and socks

and take the direct route to the gate. The rest of the gang skirted around

the wet stuff and climbed barbed wire fences but at least, once I'd dried

my feet I could put on dry socks and boots again!

We crossed the road to High Hawsker and a little car went around the

corner tooting the horn at us. It was the Pollards and the Stanilands who

had driven all the way up to welcome us to Robin Hood's Bay!

It was still three plus miles to go so we headed through a caravan park

and down onto the coastal path.

It was really weird being on the opposite edge of the country.

Two weeks ago we spent half a day walking up the west coast and here

we were walking down the east coast. By now the rain and clouds had

disappeared and the sun had come out.

After what seemed like an age we got to a very busy Robin Hood's Bay.

The bank down did our knackered knees no favours but the welcome at

the bottom was worth all the pain.

The people sat outside the Bay Hotel clapped and cheered as did all our

supporters who had gathered to meet us.

Boots off again we went into the North Sea where a wave crashed into

us and knocked poor Kate right off her feet and she was soaked to the

skin two days in a row. I just looked like I'd wet myself!

The stones collected from the beach at St Bees were then tossed into the

water and only one thing remained which was to have a pint in the Bay

Hotel. We chose to have our outside as it was such a lovely day!

We will write a summary of the whole walk soon but for now, on behalf of Kate and myself, I can tell you that it was a

fantastic experience.

It was challenging, breathtaking, scary and extremely fulfilling.

To get through fifteen days walking, two hundred and eleven miles and never get seriously lost and never (not once) fall

out is good going. We couldn't have done it without each other and we have loved having everyone following us and

sending donations and messages of support.

You have no idea how much they helped us. Thank you all and special thanks to my dear friend Peter who puts so much

time and effort into supporting all of my fundraising for MNDA in memory of our friend Lesley Fowkes.