Coast to Coast, Day 17, Grosmont to Robin Hood’s Bay

Our final day wasn’t really bittersweet and we agreed that we were ready to be finished with the walk. We felt we’d accomplished what we set out to do: see three National Parks in England and experience walking in the countryside. We felt strong and energetic, which was a good thing because the first two miles were a steady climb back up to the moors. After experiencing mud and bogs on the moors in previous places, we were grateful to walk on a quiet paved road for some of the time.

Morning climb out of Grosmont

The weather turned overnight and it was quite cold. “A bit brisk,” was the cheerful greeting when we met local hikers; “a bit brisk” included hail, sleet, rain, and wind which these hardy types seem to meet with glee. The bad spells didn’t last too long, though, and as we neared the coast of the North Sea, the sun came out.

I had 15.5 miles to ponder the final leg of the C2C today and about 8 miles before the official trail ended, I concluded that Alfred Wainwright was a hiking sadist. We passed a highway sign pointing south that informed us that Robin Hood’s Bay was 3.5 miles away. But not for us intrepid hikers! We had to go north first to get to the coastal trail so that we could really appreciate our arrival in Robin Hood’s Bay. I have to grudgingly admit that Wainwright was probably right; it was pretty spectacular and formed a fitting book end to our departure from St. Bee’s.

We had one final task, to dip the toe of our boots in the North Sea and to toss the rocks we had carried from the Irish Sea. A storm had arrived, and the storm surge from the ocean prevented anyone from going near the beach. We stood on a beach access road in charming Robin Hood’s Bay and met the waves as they came in. Rocks dutifully thrown, we headed out for a celebratory whiskey and pub dinner. Job well done, I say.

Coast to Coast, Day 16, The Lion Inn, High Blakey Moor to Grosmont

We walked, and then we walked some more. On the moors in the wind, and then through a few quiet villages. 14.5 miles and, thankfully, fairly flat. Both of us agreed that the highlight of the day was the walk up a gentle slope through the woods over stones worn down by centuries of walkers and packhorses. And the ginger cake with custard for dessert. And the whiskey. One more day!

Moors in the morning with a distant view of the North Sea.

A shooting hut from 1891.

A grouse in the North York Moors National Park

Coast to Coast, Day 15, Osmotherley to The Lion Inn, High Blakey Moor

Morning view from our room

We woke to a beautiful sunrise over the charming town of Osmotherley.

Breakfast at The Golden Lion Inn

The Golden Lion Inn was a nice place to stay the night before our longest day on the C2C. It is quite old and the downstairs areas keep up the atmosphere of years gone by with candlelit tables both at dinner and at breakfast.

Osmotherley

Well fortified after yet another breakfast of eggs, sausage, and toast, we left Osmotherley. On the way, we appreciated the stately houses, then, midway up the first hill, walked with the cows for a bit.

A view of a couple of the Glorious Hills ahead

This was the beginning of the Glorious Hills, a series of six hills, one after the other, and each higher than the last. The ascents weren’t too bad but the descents were tricky as they were very steep and slippery.

At the top of the first hill, we met Graham, a well traveled gentleman from Kent whose extensive knowledge of politics, travel, birds, geology, pub names, moor vegetation, and local legends kept us going. We chatted until the last hill when he finished his three day hike and had to drive home. He’s the one who told us that the hills were called the Glorious Hills and I agreed wholeheartedly after the first hill. The second was kind of glorious, the third was not glorious, the fourth was hard, the fifth was another damn hill, and the sixth was a &$@ hill.

The paved Cleveland Way

On a brighter note, the route was clearly marked by flat rocks similar to paving stones. Graham explained that the stones came from disused cotton and woolen mills, were helicoptered to the hills, and were set by volunteers. The project was started in 1998 and is pretty amazing since the paved route goes on for miles up and down all the hills. For much of the day’s route, the C2C shares the trail with the Cleveland Walk, one of the UK’s National Walks, and this explains how well maintained it is.

At the top of one of the hills are the Wainstones, a striking jumble of pinnacled rocks jutting up from the moors. They are a popular place for rock climbing.

We said goodbye to Graham right before the last hill that took us to the top of Ulla Moor. We still had 8 miles to go and were concerned that it would get dark before we reached the night’s accommodation. We saw lots of grouse in the moors. We were happy to find that the last 5 miles were on the bed of a railroad track that is no longer used; the rails had been removed so the walking was relatively level. Unfortunately the wind really picked up and we got to experience the winds on the moors.

Our pace got slowed by an amazing sunset, and then we missed the turn off to The Lion Inn and reached a paved road in total darkness. I had a headlamp but was so tired after 20 miles and 3100 feet of total elevation gain (and loss) that I fell into dark despair. The Inn is very isolated and there was nothing anywhere around us — except darkness and the rising full moon. Scott, ever level headed, saved the day — or night — and took out his cell phone, turned on roaming (gasp!), and determined that our Inn was 12 minutes walking on the road over a small hill. Imagine my joy when, upon cresting that hill, I saw a well lighted place, yellow light spilling from its windows. The Lion Inn was built in the mid 1500’s and is a warren of low ceilinged public rooms with fireplaces. Thankfully our room was fully modern AND had a bathtub, praise be to modern conveniences.

One public room of The Lion Inn, High Blakey Moor

It was a challenging day for both of us. The cumulative miles and then the mileage today have given me blisters and other minor foot issues. But we did it. And really, it was a fabulous day. Two more days.

Coast to Coast, Day 14, Danby Wiske to Osmotherley

Our lodging in Danby Wiske consisted of twin beds in the guest room of a private house. We had our own private shower and a view of the owners’ small farm. The drawback? The hostess apologized but the only place to eat in town, The White Swan Inn, was closed Monday nights. No grocery stores either. The pizza restaurant five miles away wouldn’t deliver because it was too far. We made do with granola bars, slept well, and then devoured the delicious breakfast provided by our hostess in the morning. Not a great end to a rather frustrating day, but then some days are like that. As we left Danby Wiske, we walked by The White Swan Inn and appreciated the sign above the door (without forgiving the prior evening’s closure, of course).

Then it was into the fields we went. I know farmers must love the smell of manure mixed with rich soil because they envision the wonderful crops it will produce, but I think it is an acquired smell.

Needless to say, we were happy when about mile 7 of our scheduled 12 mile day we reached the Cleveland Hills and left farmland. On the way, we had a nice surprise when we saw one farmer’s gesture of friendliness.

We reached Ingleby Cross where the C2C enters The North York Moor National Park and we began our first real uphill in days. From a clearing near the top we could look back over the way we had come.

Near Ingleby Cross we met Stephen from Aberdeen, Scotland who was walking only as far as Osmotherley, our destination for the night. He had already done the last miles to Robin Hood’s Bay several times. He and his wife are avid hikers and had just finished a 9 1/2 month trip around the world where they had hiked in Nepal, SE Asia, India, New Zealand, California, and South America. He wanted to visit the ruins of the Mount Grace Priory on the way to Osmotherley and we decided to join him. Lucky for us, he had a GPS system that allowed us to eventually find (through a bit of trial and error) a little used path through the forest to the Priory. The Priory was founded in 1398 and completed after 1440. It housed about 15 hermit Carthusian monks who lived in separate cell like houses, each about 22 feet square with their own gardens. They had minimal contact with each other, were sponsored by wealthy families to pray for the families, and spent their days reading, meditating, writing, praying, and gardening. Sounds kind of nice, except for the isolation part.

Our side trip added several miles to our day but was well worth the effort. Tomorrow it’s THE MOORS. 20 miles. It gets dark around 7 now. I wish I hadn’t seen American Werewolf in London. It’s full moon tomorrow, October 24, too. Wish us luck.

Coast to Coast, Day 13, Richmond to Danby Wiske

I started the day with this delicious English breakfast (minus the baked beans). And toast. I was ready for the day but reluctant to leave our comfortable B and B and interesting Richmond. We had a 14 mile day ahead of us and we left Richmond at 9 am. It’s been a bit of a joke between us that no matter how far we have to walk each day, we seem to arrive at our destination around 5. Not a bad 9 to 5 gig.

The morning was sunny and clear. We had one last glance at Richmond Castle high above the River Swale, and then walked over more pastures and more fields than at any other time on the C2C. This is low country and it is covered with some pastures, but most is arable acres of wheat, oats, and barley. Alfred Wainwright called it “the dullest part of the whole walk”.

Although it was easy terrain, it was also easy to lose the path. Our 14 mile route turned into 17 with a few unplanned detours as we followed what we thought was the correct trail. There are so many signed footpaths, and that is how they are signed: Footpath! At one point a woman walking her dogs informed us that we were “a bit off track,” and, at another point, a man stopped his car to see if we needed directions to the C2C. Fortunately, we were able to regain the correct trail easily. We did visit a beautiful 14th century church, St. Mary’s Church in Bolton-on-Swale.

St. Mary’s Church, Bolton-on-Swale

We also saw the outside of Kiplin Hall, a hunting lodge built in 1620 for James I’s Secretary of State, George Calvert. The grounds are extensive and there are many buildings on the estate built from red brick, but none are as elaborate as the main house which is unique in Jacobean architecture.

Kiplin Hall, Kiplin

Tuesday, Day 14, will be more of the same until the end of the day when we reach the Cleveland Hills and the beginning of the hills in the North York Moors.

Coast to Coast, Day 12, rest day in Richmond

We are staying at the Willance Guest House once owned by Robert Willance. Above Whitckiffe Wood which we walked through yesterday is Willance’s Leap. In 1606 Willance was riding a young mare who may have been spooked by something and she leaped over a limestone precipice with Robert in the saddle. The mare died, sadly, and Robert’s leg was badly broken and had to be amputated. Willance went on to be the first alderman, or mayor, of Richmond. The area of the accident has been known since as Willance’s Leap. Willance died in this house in 1616. It is another wonderful guest house with kind hosts who make delicious shortbread and brown bread, and who received an award for one of the best breakfasts in the UK. It was delicious!

We went off to explore Richmond Castle this morning. It is a massive Norman Castle, mostly in ruins, and exactly what I think a castle should look like. It has massive walks, a tall square tower, and the ruins of a Great Hall that invites visitors to imagine noisy medieval feasts and parties. Construction of the castle began in 1069 and it is now known as one of the finest examples of Norman building in Britain. There is even a legend that King Arthur and his Knights are sleeping in a cave under the castle. I knew I could sense Lancelot nearby!

The Great Hall

After the castle we strolled the town and sampled local bakery items. If you like dry scone-like pastries, this is the place for you. Thankfully we still had some Kennedy chocolates from Orton.

View of Richmond from the Castle tower

Richmond Street

Waterfall, or “force,” over the River Swale below Richmond Castle

Coast to Coast, Day 11, Reeth to Richmond

We walked by this encouraging hand painted sign today. Thank you Anonymous Well-Wisher! Another day without rain. In fact, by the time we reached Richmond, it was positively warm — and sunny. It was a day much like yesterday: leafy trails along the river, quiet paved one lane roads, sheep, and the sounds of birds and rustle of leaves. As usual, we went through many gates and over many stiles; some of the stiles were quite narrow!

Yorkshire is beautiful, gentle, peaceful. It all looks like a J. M. W. Turner painting. Being Saturday, we met a few locals out for walks with their dogs and a party of hunters who we think were hunting pheasants.

We hiked a little over 12 miles, but it was an easy day and we arrived in Richmond by 3. Richmond is the largest town on the Coast to Coast route and the Richmond Castle built in 1071 dominates the town. Among several notable places to visit is the Georgian Theatre Royal. Built in 1788, it is the UK’s oldest working theatre and the only Georgian theatre with its original interior. We were able to take a tour, and it was a pleasure to see it. British Royals are quite fond of this tiny place and there is a Royal Box where they sit when attending performances (the box is surprisingly simple and plain). Dame Judi Dench is the theatre’s president.

Coast to Coast, Day 10, Keld to Reeth

(Correction: yesterday’s title should have been Kirkby Stephen to Keld. )

The Kirkby Stephen to Keld leg on Thursday was lengthy, 17 miles, and with over half of that on pavement through a rather bleak landscape, we were happy to descend into the beautiful valley that rises on either side of the River Swale. Keld comes from the Norse word “kelda” and means spring or stream. Keld sits at the start of Swaledale which is one of Yorkshire’s most beautiful valleys. Historically, it was a mining area but much of the mining occurred higher in the hills, out of sight of the river. We passed stone barns called “laithes”, and appreciated the beauty of the autumn foliage against limestone cliffs.

We fell into bed by 8:30 Thursday night and awoke refreshed Friday morning. Another mostly clear day! Keld is the halfway point on our Coast to Coast trek!

Like the walk from Kirkby Stephen to Keld, we had a choice of two routes today, one high that traverses the hill tops and visits numerous disused lead mines, and the other along the River Swale. The lead mines had been described to us as socially and historically interesting but bleak. We chose the river route and had an easy day walking beside low waterfalls, through fallen leaves, over pastures, and through small villages filled with stone buildings. It was an easy 13 mile walk.

An interesting geological feature of this area is the presence of “swallow holes” and “shake holes”. Both are noted on our maps and they are deep depressions of various diameters and depths, some a few feet across and deep, others yards across and quite deep. They are sinkholes down which water disappears via a fissure to join a subterranean drainage system. Apparently sheep sometimes get trapped in them.

As for wildlife, we saw rabbits galore, and of course sheep and cows. We also saw pheasants and a bird that looked like it was hovering. It was much too large to be a hummingbird. We found out it was a kestrel. They “windhover” and are the only bird of prey to do so. Tomorrow is another easy hiking day to Richmond, and then we get another rest day.

Coast to Coast, Day 9, Kirkby Stephen to Keld

We were grateful to wake to another cold, clear morning. Over a tasty breakfast of eggs with smoked salmon, juice, toast, and fruit we held a somewhat indecipherable conversation with two Scottish gentlemen also staying at the hotel. I asked if they were hikers and by understanding every fifth word or so, we learned that they were in town for the sheep auction, something about rams, something about how exciting Saturday would be because of something, and that they were from somewhere in Northern Scotland. I’m sure they understood me perfectly. More comprehensible was Mark, the owner of Packhorse which is the company that arranged our travel. The office is in Kirkby Stephen and he kindly stopped by to see how we were doing. He confirmed that we are the last of the Coast to Coasters and we all agreed that autumn is a lovely time to hike because of the fall colors, the cool temperatures, the lack of the dreaded midges, and the fact that we have it all to ourselves. After our fond goodbyes to our B and B hosts, we set out for the Nine Standards and Keld.

There are several routes to continue on to Keld after the summit at Nine Standards and they are determined by the time of year one is hiking. Because of so many visitors during the year, erosion is a problem so walkers are directed to a red, blue, or green route depending on the month they are there. It is very boggy and mucky in the Yorkshire Dales, and this makes hiking a wet and muddy experience in this area. On the way up to the Nine Standards, we crossed several bogs. One steps on what looks like firm green moss only to find that it is a mossy island floating on a muddy swamp and the entrance and exit of hiking boots is accompanied by loud squelching sounds. After several miles of this we weren’t eager to continue the experience. At the Nine Standards we could see over the area we would cross on the Blue Route, an area pocked with bogs.

We decided to do the Green route which would take us to a one lane paved road into Keld. It added a few miles and was a bit boring, but the walking was easy and we arrived in Keld with dry feet.

Coast to Coast, Day 8, Kirkby Stephen

We enjoyed our rest day in Kirkby Stephen and spent it wandering the town, shopping, visiting the church, and watching a sheep auction. Historically, the town has been a market town and, appropriately, it was full of farmers and vendors visiting the Kirkby Stephen Auction Mart. We watched as rams were brought into the small arena to strut around and display their stud appeal. Some fetched £700 or more. One who received no bid at all looked as fetching as the rest, so clearly I didn’t know what to look for!

The Kirkby Stephen Parish Church has lovely timbered ceilings, but its boast is the Loki Stone. According to Wikipedia, “The Loki Stone is an 8th century carved representation of the Norse God Loki, bound and chained. It is one of only two known carvings of this type in Europe, and the only one in Britain. We do not know how the stone came to be in Kirkby Stephen, but it serves to remind us of the Norse influence in this region during prior to the Norman invasion of 1066.” The place names in the area also reflect the Viking and Scandinavian early settlers: Kirkby, Keld, Thwaite, for example.

The food so far has ranged from excellent salmon, chicken, and toffee puddings to mediocre pub food like steak and mushroom pies always accompanied by mounds of chips (fries). We were delighted to find a good Indian restaurant in Kirkby Stephen, the Mango Tree. We ate there both nights! Tomorrow we are off to Keld which will begin with a hike up to see the Nine Standards, nine stone conical structures of indeterminate function. Folk lore says they were built to fool the Scots into thinking it was a large English military camp and thus prevent a Scottish invasion, which only shows the level of English contempt for the Scots. More likely they were property markets, but no one really knows. Personally, I think Mulder and Scully should investigate.

The Nine Standards (hard to see all nine, photo credit to Scott!)