Signing Off, Saying Thank You and giving Statistics

All 250 years of us have completed the 200 miles.
It was a  good journey: challenging and enjoyable
Some of us had wobbly moments
Others strode the road with ease
But we are all in one piece
Having seen much of England's green and pleasant land
And experienced the variable English weather-
We could not have done it
Without all your support:
Thank you for sponsoring us,
Thank you for encouraging us,
Thank you for praying for us.
We have emerged from it all
Well and blister-free


But what is more important is that about £13000 has been raised for the GRCT
Think how many children that can feed!
It helped us on the last day particularly  to remember that the walking was earning £1000 per day for a great cause.

 

 
And so some final statistics:

• Falls : Andrew =2, Pat=2, Penny=2, Jenny=0
• Injuries and/or blisters(not counting bruises)= 0
• Steps (according to Jen's pedometer)=430,392
• Miles = 201 miles
• Time on the road = 89 hours
• Money Raised thus far: £13000 approx.

Thank you for reading our blog. Please keep in touch via our website: www.grct.co.uk
Warm Regards
Penny (and Pat and Andrew and Jenny)

Day 13: Glaisdale to Robin Hoods Bay

After spending the night in a 17th century farmhouse we set off in rain on the last long leg of our journey. Wetter than wet we were "sodden" according to Jenny, by the time we had our lunch. We bought provisions in the Post Office/co-op in Grosmont and took shelter in a hermitage in Little Beck wood to eat them. This Hermitage is a boulder hollowed out to form a small cave with 1790 etched above the entrance. It was cold and dark within but that was far better than being cold and rained upon! Little Beck woods must be very pretty in better weather but their beauty was lost upon us as we contended with muddy paths .
And before  the path through the woods we had had a steep 700ft climb up to Sleights Moor where we had mist once more and were sadly denied the famous view of Whitby Abbey.  We had to traverse 2 more moors during the walk both of which were extremely boggy; we all sunk in ankle-deep and Jen complained of " bog filled boots."
As if the bog was not enough to cope with, we had mud and mud and more mud. Even on the cliff path along the coast to Robin Hood's Bay.
But what a delight to see the first signpost for Robin Hood's Bay and eventually to see it in the distance.
The adventures have been worthwhile and we are thrilled and proud to have walked the 200 miles and to have arrived all in one piece. Lovely too to meet others from the journey also celebrating their achievement. We have dipped our feet in the North sea and thrown in our pebbles.

Tired but well pleased, we enjoyed a dinner of freshly caught fish in The Boathouse and tomorrow will head back home by rail from Scarborough.

Thank you to all of you for your encouragement ,support and sponsorship, all of which we much appreciate.
Know that your money will be well spent to feed children in South Africa. A big thank you!

  

Day 12 : Clay Bank Top to Glaisdale

Our kind BandB host dropped us off at Clay Bank Top at 8.45 and we started the day with a steep climb to the top of Urra Moor- only 20 minutes of uphill. After that it was hours of walking on a wide track over the moors, this time NOT in the rain. It was cool and overcast but the views began to emerge through the light mist and the heather looked wonderful. We disturbed many red grouse on our way and they would suddenly rise up from the heather making their interesting cackling call. The silence was also punctuated by the bleating of the black faced sheep partially hidden in the heather. Unlike yesterday it was head-up stuff not head-down trudging through the wet.
At noon we arrived at Lion Inn , the 4th highest inn in Britain where we had a welcome sandwich having completed 9 miles at that stage. The Newly Weds , Paul and Nina, walked with us some of the way and we enjoyed chatting to them.
In the afternoon the sun came out and we seemed to be the only people on the moors. What a great delight to see the splendid views today! And great excitement to catch sight of the North Sea. The end is in sight. We are now in  an old farmhouse in Glaisdale , very quaint and comfortable and will WALK to the pub tonight for a meal. We understand it's the only pub in these parts so it will be full of Coast to Coasters. Our legs are tired probably because of the cumulative effect of two 20 milers and quite lengthy stretches on the road. Only one day to go -  nearly there.

some scenes on the way

Posing among the sheep, the lovely river Swale,  and P and P beside the monument to Henry Jenkins who is said to have lived from 1500 to 1669 in Bolton on Swale.

Day 11 : Oaktree Hill to Clay Bank Top

We started off in good spirits having enjoyed farmhouse hospitality and feeling happy because  of the sunshine. The 7 miles to Ingoldby Cross were very pleasant including tracks and quiet back roads through farmland as well as crossing a railway line  and a dash across the 4 lanes of the busy A19. We met a dear old farmer fixing a fence who told us his name was"Bill during the week and William on Sundays." He thought we were too young to be retired. We understood why ,when we heard that he was  77 years old and got up at 4am every morning to see to the milking of 160 cows! I include a Photo of Bill Stockdale. We have found the Yorkshire people so kind and friendly. Refreshments are often left out for walkers with an honesty box. Helpful in that there are no village stores in these parts.  Indeed  a delivery man seeing us walking told us twice that we mustn't miss the flapjack at" t' bank" before we climb up into the Cleveland hills. We didn't miss it and in the photo you can see Andrew enjoying  his purchase.

We then had a steep climb through Arncliffe Wood into the Cleveland Hills. This was but the first climb of many. Also at noon the weather changed and rain set in and it was not an easy 12 miles from then on. Disappointing ,as the views from the top of the moors ( which are reputed to have the world's largest expanse of heather) are said to be exceptional. Stedman suggests that this day can be very pleasant or " a miserable, muddy, rain-soaked trudge with all views obscured by a bone-chilling mist." Sadly that was our experience . I found the ascents and descents particularly tricky in the wet ,on slippery stones, and at one stage lost the will to continue but given the alternative of death from hyperthermia in the heather, I managed with Pat's help to soldier on. Jen and Andrew  led the party briskly at a good pace, but also considered it to be a tough day. One had no sooner conquered one peak, when another needed to be tackled.

The good news is that our BandB host collected us at Clay Bank Top  and we have since perked up having had baths and showers and a good meal in The Black Swan.  We have climbed 3000 ft today and have been on the road for about 9 hours, including stops for food and water and map- reading. And tomorrow is another 20 mile day but with fewer inclines and the promise of better weather!

Only 2 days to go to Robin Hoods bay!

Day 10 : Richmond to Oaktree Hill (Lovesome Hill Farm BandB)

We all enjoyed our stay in Richmond and had a delicious meal at the Rustique restaurant. Strange not to be surrounded by fellow Coast to Coasters! Our walk today was a 16 miler over a variety of paths and under an overcast sky. Andrew set a cracking pace and because there were no hills we all walked very briskly. We wanted to arrive before the rain. Unfortunately we arrived long before the BandB owner, but she had left the bunkhouse open so we were able to take shelter and make a welcome cup of tea  . It was a bit cold in there but eventually our longings for HOT water were realised when she arrived and showed us to our rooms . She is cooking for us tonight- lamb casserole (lamb from the farm) Apologies for the latter, Kath!
Leaving Richmond we walked alongside the river Swale for several miles through ferns and a heavily wooded area. We wore gaiters having been warned by Stedman ( the guidebook) about " slithering around over clammy, saturnine slush!" Jenny remarked that "the potential for mud was there"
However it was  more than manageable. We encountered mud much later when taking a shortcut to this farm through fields and ditches and all have appallingly dirty boots , which are not allowed in the house.
We had a long, tedious stretch of walking on a narrow minor road where almost the only traffic was a dusty, red Royal Mail van which beetled past us in both directions at different times.
Dreading crossing the A1 I was relieved that we went under it in a muddy tunnel to Catterick Bridge. Catterick is built on the site of a Roman garrison and town called Cataractinium dating from 80 AD to the 4th century. Interesting that it is still the base of an army camp today.  We didn't linger there but called in to the churchyard of St Mary's in Bolton on Swale to see the monument to Henry Jenkins who was thought to be 169 years old when he died; his longevity not his unremarkable life is his claim to fame. Rather quaintly the church has bottles of water and soft drinks available for walkers with an honesty box to hand. No village stores or co-ops in these parts. We had with us a somewhat unsatisfactory packed lunch so didn't go hungry as we huddled together on a convenient bench to picnic - grumbling a bit about what we paid the Band B owner for our provisions.

The rest of the walk was characterised by " unexceptional field tramping " in Stedman's words. True..

But we have a long up and down day ahead of us so this flat stretch Jen and I quite welcomed.
The good news is that there was excellent signposting today as we were no longer in any national park.

Fellow Travellers

.We hope you enjoy these pics of Maureen,the lone Australian adventurer, Man and Dog and  The Newly Weds. They are some of our fellow travellers.