Day 9 : Reeth to Richmond

We left the pretty village of Reeth in lovely sunshine having had much merriment over our meal the night before. There were several Coast to Coasters in the Dining area of The Black Bull but because the bar was full , our food took forever to come. 90 minutes in fact. However those who had ,shared their potatoes,chips, water etc with the have-nots and there was so much laughter and banter. It was a real Fawlty Towers scenario.

It was only about 12 miles today and felt like an amble in comparison with other days! 40 minutes from Reeth we passed the ruins of Marrick Priory , which had 17 Benedictine nuns living there at the priory's dissolution in 1540. We then had a bit of uphill to the village of Marrick, the ascent made easier because of the stone slabs known as the Nuns' Steps passing through Steps Wood. Walking through farmland we crossed over the inevitable, innumerable stiles with little gates and began to see as many cows as sheep , obviously passing into dairy farming country. A  muddy mile through Whitecliffe Wood and then Richmond was in sight. It is a busy market town built around the castle. Had tea and a sandwich etc at  a delightful tearoom on the market square. Lots of HOT water in the Band B where the owner gave us a warm welcome .We score each overnight stop by consensus and feel there is a 9/10 coming up!

Thought I would tell you about some of our fellow travellers doing the CtoC. It seems that people are given generic-type nicknames which stick. We are the Golden Oldies, apparently! We enjoy the humour of the Newly Weds with whom we frequently cross paths. They married the day before they left on the CtoC and when they told friends they were planning to walk from Coast to Coast on honeymoon, one asked incredulously " Don't you have a CAR?"
We have mentioned the lone Aussie previously and were glad to walk part of the day with her today. Not only did she sink into a bog, but she has also got lost and walked miles on the motorway being splashed by huge trucks in the pouring rain. An indomitable spirit!
Our actor friend, Man and Dog, returns to London tonight. We came across him and his brother sitting on Wainwright's bench outside Richmond having their picnic, today
Will post some pics of them.

The next 4 days are very long ones. Indeed the last three are all 18-20 milers. We need prayers for blister-free, happy feet.
Thank you for all your interest and support; the blog is being read in Nicaragua, South Africa, Australia not forgetting Epsom and Oxshott. And elsewhere no doubt.

Day 8: Keld to Reeth

We woke to the sound of a waterfall on the Swale just outside the Bunkhouse cottage where we had had a comfortable night and which had  exceeded our expectations! We shared our accommodation with Martin and his chocolate Labrador, who are doing part of the walk together. 
They are known by other walkers as Man and Dog!  He is an actor about to understudy the principal in the Scott borough Boys in London and treated us to a bit of the prologue!
Pardon the silence yesterday but we had neither reception nor WiFi. Wainwright describes Keld as having stayed the same for centuries. It is a tiny , quiet greystone village with most of the action taking place at Park farm/ The Bunkhouse and Keld lodge where we had dinner.

It was a brilliant walk today sometimes along the river and sometimes in the dales above the valley. The sun smiled upon us and the walking was not too taxing. The scenery was idyllic and the vales and dales stunningly beautiful. The only difficulties en route were the countless narrow stone stiles and gaps in the walls, often accompanied by a heavy swinging gate. We had to assist each other to get through at times
We even had time for a coffee stop at the Ghyllfoot Tearoom in Gunnerside before continuing alongside the lovely  Swaledale valley into Reeth where much of All Creatures Great and Small was filmed. The green was heaving with trippers spending a sunny Sunday in the country while a brass band played. The Black Bull is a rather strange pub and we managed to change a  room rich in cigarette fumes for a more pleasant smelling one. I am trying valiantly to write the blog in a bar (only place to get WiFi) where my ears are being assaulted with" it must be true love"at eardrum -bursting volume. So please excuse  any incoherence.  Or incorrect photos which we have to send from phones and then save. All very complicated for those with limited technical ability!

Day 7: Kirkby Stephen to Keld

Departing from our excellent BandB in Kirkby Stephen we started with a long steady ascent up Birkett's Hill after which we were in the lower reaches of the Pennines. Our hosts at The Old Croft House had seen that all our wet gear was dried and ready for us. The bliss of putting on warm boots! It was a shorter day - just over 12 miles- and apart from one shower, we had good weather for walking. About 12 degrees, overcast and a little chilly, but with some patches of blue sky and sunny spells. The walking was sometimes difficult but after the previous day,  we were not fazed by it. There were some very boggy bits and also fast flowing deep streams to ford. Jenny has become particularly adept  at distinguishing between normal mud and bog ; a good person to follow. We had all put on gaiters before leaving so have damp, muddy shoes but fairly dry socks. We were told of a walker taking  the red route via Nine Standards Rigg today, sinking into the bog almost waist deep. Glad we took the lower green route. Quite boggy enough but manageable. The walker in question is an Australian, Maureen, who is walking C to C, alone, as a retirement challenge. We liked her comment: " Do some people do this for FUN?!" She is a very plucky lady.
We  passed the border between Cumbria and Yorkshire and are  now in James Herriot country. It is very different from the Lake District  but beautiful in a different way. In fact Stedman in one of our guidebooks,  encourages  that if "we do succumb to the mires," we can cheer ourselves up with the thought that we will be spending the night in the " gentle pastoral scenery of Swaledale."
And this Bunkhouse has far surpassed our low expectations. Pat and I have comfortable bunk beds, the use of an excellent shower and we all 4 share a well equipped  kitchen/ lounge area where we are currently reading the newspaper or our books while I write this . unfortunately neither reception nor WiFi  but we hope to be able to send this from Keld Lodge later.

Statistics

Jenny walks with a pedometer in her pocket and is a mine of information. So, having done mental arithmetic at dinner, we would like to furnish you with some statistics:

1) we have walked a total of 89 miles thus far
2) we have taken 190,000 steps
3) we have ascended 8000 feet

Should you want to sponsor us, please go to www.justgiving.com/Andrew-Jenny-Jennings  or www.justgiving.com/PandP-Fleming
Please pray for us too as we now enter unknown territory as previously we have walked on only 6 consecutive days  when on holiday, and tomorrow is Day7!

And a big thank to all of you who have given to the GRCT in so many ways. See:  www.grct.org.uk

Day 6:: Shap to Kirkby Stephen

We left Shap with 2 of us not feeling refreshed having slept in a Lake district bed (ie one full of peaks and hollows with a few springs thrown in for good measure! ) The weather was wet,wet,wet and cooler. Indeed it rained steadily all day. We had lunch huddled behind a drystone wall and didnt linger over it! It was a day of endurance more than enjoyment as we pushed one squelchy foot ahead of the other over the moors. Very bleak they were indeed today and Jen and I were reminded of fictional characters associated with windy moorland. We felt Jane Eyre could have collapsed on just such a moor when fleeing from Thornfield! ( no sound of nightingales for your information, Tom, Edward and Sarah)
However there was little conversation or photography  as conditions were not conducive for either. We just wanted to get here and arrived absolutely sodden. Our wet weather gear didn't quite cope. Poor Jen especially found her shoes and jacket not at all waterproof! Our kind hosts have relieved us of all the wet clothes and have hung them in the kitchen. We even wore gaiters and as we were putting them on were passed by the army lads going at a cracking pace. Putting on gaiters and waterproof trousers while trying to balance on wet grass with rain pouring down,is a tricky  operation and there were some minor tumbles.

We found the long walk over Ravenstone Dale moor particularly tedious, boggy and muddy , and discovered only tonight that it is a key site for ancient monuments and stone age villages. But we had our hoods up, visibility was poor and we were focused on getting to Kirkby Stephen so we missed all the interesting archaeology. It was an 8 hour day and we walked 22 miles in all. How wonderful to have hot water and a bath and dinner IN the BandB tonight. Very friendly , warm hospitality and a few good laughs  have revived our much dampened spirits.

Day 5 : Patterdale to Shap

After a comfortable night and good breakfast at Old Water View,  a favourite of Wainwrights, we set off on what many think is the hardest day of the CtoC.  The guidebook says "be prepared to be very tired indeed at the end of this 16 mile stage" and so we are! Jen and I both had shaky,achy knees as we walked into Shap. It was a long climb up to Kidsty Pike and then  what is described as a gnarly descent to Haweswater. Gnarly and nasty it was unless you had long legs to help you climb over rocks on a steep decline. Squash-players lungs no doubt helped  P and A too but for others it was  more difficult! Altogether we had 1300 metres of ascent today, if you add in the undulating trawl along the lakes edge. From Kidsty Pike(2500ft) the splendid views made the hard slog worthwhile. Up there we chatted to 5 army chaps on a team building CtoC  walk. 4of them had served in Afghanistan and said "the harder it gets, the closer you become." I hope the C to C doesn't get harder!
For a while we were delayed by hundreds of sheep being shepherded down the lane ahead of us. It was fascinating watching the farmer's Australian sheepdogs doing their stuff.
Our BandB is in a 300yr old house but what we most appreciated was loads of hot water and a nice bath.
We had fish and chips across the road and will soon go to bed. I am sitting doing this in the bathroom as it is the only place where there is reception.

Day4: Grasmere to Patterdale

Lovely weather for walking and we started with a bit of a climb to the pretty mountain lake of Grisedale Tarn. There we separated and Jen and I did the Grisedale valley route into Patterdale  while Pat and Andrew walked  via St Sunday Crag. We are pleased to say we covered almost exactly the same distance (Jen and Andrew both have pedometers!) Although the men's route had long hard slog and a steep descent. They also travelled rather fast wanting to reach Patterdale before us- which they did. And then a worried Patrick went and asked in the village post office whether 2 women had come in looking for husbands!! He got a strange look... Despite the initial uphill I enjoyed the day and have thought of a new saying " its not the steep hard slog which throws one but the obstacles in one's path. " It was a relief not to have to contend with boulders, mud or bog but a pleasant path. Sadly our BandB had a Closed till 4pm notice and we had arrived early,
But we walked (slowly) down to Ullswater and had a cup of tea. Now we are in the lounge of The Old Water View inn, a place full of walkers  and stories. Fascinating.
One man has walked Striding Edge on his birthday since he was 12. He is now 51years old! Irish!