St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay

13 days, 192 miles, seven B&Bs, umpteen litres of fluid by day, the same measure of beer by night, more cooked breakfasts than we would normally eat in a month, nutty bars by the handful, suntan lotion, aching feet, but happy minds and memories.

The start.....

.......the finish.

More to follow.

Grosmont to RHB

Day 13 of our non-stop, no rest days, trek from Coast to Coast. Today was a 15-16miler that would take us over Sleights Moor into Littlebeck, out onto Sneaton Low Moor, onto the 1001 paths of the Graystone Hills, into Low and High Hawsker, before delivering us to the cliff tops for the saunter into RHB.
We arrived in Grosmont just as the 9.30 train was leaving, visited the toilets (by the girls as usual) before we started the climb up out of the village on to the moor tops. On the tops we met up with the GwP and so, as it was their last day and ours, we slowed our pace and walked the next couple of miles swapping histories. Then we pressed on to leave them to their own thoughts (or iPod sound tracks).
Passing through Littlebeck, that had nothing to offer other than a man cutting his lawn, we pressed on to

Falling Foss that promised tea-rooms. Before then though we had to pass through Little Beck Woods and the Hermitage which gave us our longest concern over whether we were on the right path or not (we were, it was a problem of scale). Falling Foss appeared and went but we gave the tea-rooms a miss as they were populated by children and mad-dogs (or was it the other way round?). Our morning biscuit stop was thus held in the wood after crossing one of the many bridges. Here we had our first conversation with a passing couple who had 'always wanted to do the C2C but had never got around to it).
Lunch was taken sat on the side of the path on the Greystone Hills - not much to say really other than Narg refused to eat the ham sandwiches and we ate the last of the cake (now nearly two weeks old, yummie).
Bottoms Lane was met and conquered (without the aid of paper) and we pressed on to the coast.

Funny, with three miles now to go we all had little aches and pains beginning to manifest themselves. Previously we would have shrugged them off but now, with the end in sight, there was no need to 'cover them up'.

As with all days the last three miles seemed to stretch out to act as twists in the tail. Today was no exception and our pace, rather than increasing to the end seemed to slow. However, as with all things they come to an end and we eventually found ourselves walking down the hill to the bay.

It's amazing what you see on a walk - The Girls with Pearls.

Blakey Ridge to Gro(s)mont - silent s.

This, according to accounts, was to be a 13-14 mile walk, and was to be considerably shorter than the 20 miler we had originally planned. It turned out to be our easiest day by far: we were fitter and more conditioned and the route was almost flat (or nearly so). Thus we were clocking off the miles at a little under three an hour. So, by half three the job was completed and we were sat in the tea gardens at Gro(s)mont eating ice-cream and cakes and drinking tea and coffee.

Which one is Fat Betty?

The walk started on the tops (passing Bell End Farm on the way) walking the side of the road for two miles until we paid our respects to Fat Betty - who obviously fancied Neil. We passed into Great Fryup Lane (wonder how that name came about?) and then Great Fryup Dale where we started to pass our day sighting Red Grouse (do they know the 12th is not far away?). We passed the Girls in Pearls, and then a bunch of soldiers playing army with a Gnat overhead flying dummy runs.
We also discovered who was responsible for the M&Ms we had found placed at strategic points on route - they were markers placed by the American 'Tankers' (a dad celebrating his 60th birthday, his two sons) for the GwP.
We breezed through Glaisdale and Arncliffe Wood (and the bench placed to the memory of two dogs)toying with the River Esk.We then, as instructed, turned down the driveway for Egton Estate and passed their sewage works (they must all be vegetarians) and the old toll house (diversification of income) before we entered Grosmont  and the tea-house. Fat Betty's relatives were here having taken the train to Whitby to find it stopped short at Grosmont! Now they were waiting for a lift to arrive to take them the rest of the journey. Question: should we have told her she had toilet paper hanging out the back of her trousers - pretty immaterial really because we didn't.

Lunch on a very nice seated. Probably rated about forth on the list of best places to eat lunch.

Even the dead have to pay!

Lord Stone's Cafe to Blakey Ridge

Some of the 'unlisted' ups and downs

Somewhat annoyingly the continuous round of at least five ups and downs do not seem to get much mention in the guide books. It didn’t make for much of a good start as the up followed almost immediately by a down, then followed by another, did not allow any sort of rhythm and severely hampered distance gained on the ground. This combined with heavy squally showers necessitating waterproofs gave rise to several stops and starts.

All that said the views from the top were spectacular – 360d views of all of the surrounding countryside (and the approaching rain). Kirby Bank was followed by Hasty Bank, Clay Top Bank, Carr Ridge and Urra Moor; the names paint the picture. After we had walked off all the day-trippers we shared our thoughts with grouse and heather.

Eventually we joined the bed of the old Rosedale Ironstone Railway which took across  Farndale Moor and High Blakey Moor – it was easy if somewhat tedious walking with the outlying scenery changing little as we plodded forth. It was probably the coldest day of the trip so far as, after one squall of rain we kept our coats on and they never came off again. Our day eventually came to a close at the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge.

Danby Wiske to Lord Stone's (non) cafe

We left Danby Wiske already knowing that we were going to walk further than originally planned in order to shorten the 20 miles predicted for the following day. Initially it was another day of flat walking through fields of cereals and drying rape seed. The first couple of hours passed with ease.

We reached Ingleby where it was too early for lunch so we pressed on. Just after we passed the church we came to our second honesty box of the day – this one containing homemade flapjack of various flavours, so one all round please.

Into Arncliffe Wood we stopped for lunch. It started to rain so out came the waterproofs but they weren’t on long. Then they were off, then back on again, the weather was playing with us. 

At Scarth Moor Wood, just before we got onto the moorland, it became apparent that full waterproofs were now needed (we could see the weather closing in) and so, for only the second time on this walk we had coats and trousers on.

It then rained, stair-rods, for the next couple of miles (about an hour ) as we passed Huthwaite Green and climbed up on to Live Moor. It was warm so as soon as possible they, the waterproofs, all came off again and, for us, the sun returned.

Having reached the moor top we walked the length of Carlton Moor to reach the trig point on Carlton Bank where we had our first views of the North Sea (over Middlesboro). The vista here was a full 360d on the Cleveland Hills and plain. 

The Lord Stone’s Cafe is closed for renovation – so no cup of tea. Instead we walked down into Carlton in order to collect the car (before the next band of rain) and our onward drive to Blakey Ridge.

Strange things you see on a walk. The skull was pretty unusual too.

Richmond to Danby Wiske

Richmond was a shocker. To be in the wide outside meeting a handful of people a day for the last week it was a shock to the system to suddenly find oneself surrounded by the hustle and bustle of modern day life. Give me the former every time.
We have seen some rain but, fortunately, we have avoided the worst of it - the five hours of continuous rain overnight had all but petered out when we started off this morning, it was coats and gaiters only and they soon came off when the heat started to be generated.
Today's walking was flat, almost pancake flat. Initially it followed the River Swale, now brown and muddy and increased in flow and volume by the rain. Then it moved on to field verges, green lanes and field crossings. We met and overtook Paul and Soph (who will be joining us in The White Swan in Danby Wiske later) and motored on; and met no other Coasters today while on route.

Catterick Bridge was a nightmare, built for busy traffic rather than foot-traffic waiting to cross the road. The A1 a dream - we just went through the bridge underneath it. We plodded onwards, with Yellowhammers in the hedges, flowers in the verges and not much else. The book says, of one road trodden, "this is a very, very quiet country road" - 40 cars, one lorry and three bicycles later we were almost glad to get back onto the fields.
Back at Danby Wiske early we (almost) gate-crashed a christening party that was being held in the pub - we felt really underdressed, us in our sweaty walkers, they in their Sunday best (including the lady in her cycling shorts!)

Reeth to Richmond

Today started with a Coasters breakfast as it contained us, the 'Girls with Pearls' (two ladies from Vancover who we passed on the path out of Kirby Stephen), and the Aussie with the French Canadian (Alan and Soph). We compared notes as to what had gone before and of what was to come - all around the wit of our host Les (a typical and direct Yorkshireman - a type of shut-up and eat your breakfast, and ensure you leave none sort of bloke).
Soon onto the path at our second earliest time (8.50) we charged into Reeth to meet the 'lady with the blisters' and her husband who were doggedly putting in the miles. So, with the Pearl Girls hanging onto our slipstream, we set off on today's task - and back to the river Swale.

Today's walk was very much like 'home' walking - lots of green fields, rolling hills and agriculture. The miles just slipped away. We passed Marrick Priory and hiked up the Nuns Steps to reach the second highest point of the day with views just beginning to appear to our front and rear. Again it was hot and dry (the weather has been good to us).

At Marske we met the couple of the 'lady with the blisters' and marveled as to how on earth they could have got in front of us so, at the 11am biscuit stop out came the maps and we decided they had done the whole route till that point on one of the back lanes out of Reeth. They passed us at this point and we never saw them again (or at least only fleetingly as they ploughed onto Richmond).

Next, up the second climb of the day, and the highest point, to the white cairn of Applegarth Scar, another panoramic vista, lunch sat on limestone outcrops, a slow-worm on the path, the path
through the wood and we were soon entering Richmond.

Today's walk had taken us just a little over 4.5hours and went as a doddle. It was an easy walking day but had none of the scenery of yesterday.

And in the distance - the east coast.

To be read with a high level of innuendo