Introduction to our Walk

This journal describes our walk, the Coast to Coast Walk, from St Bees on the west coast of England to the pretty fishing village of Robin Hood's Bay on the east coast - a distance of approximately 310 kilometres. The route was devised by Alfred Wainwright and is very popular with walkers. There were five in our party - Henk and I, our friend Neil O'Brien from Brisbane, Ron Donnelly from Manchester and his friend Chris Tordoff from Cambridgeshire. Henk and I met Ron three years previously on the Pennine Way when we were undertaking our Land's End to John O'Groats walk.
We started our walk by keeping to tradition and dipped our toes in the Irish Sea at St Bees and chose a stone from the beach to carry along the way. When we reached Robin Hood's Bay we dutifully threw our stone into the water. As one of the tourist brochures stated, "That should confuse geologists a few thousand years hence!"
The walk took fifteen days with one rest day through three major and contrasting national parks - the Lakes District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. The walk is traditionally undertaken from west to east as it keeps the prevailing wind and rain on one's back. Unusually, this was not the case and we spent much of the time walking into headstrong winds, hail, sleet and very briefly on one occasion some snow high on the moors. Overall, the weather was not kind to us but this added to the experience and the exhilaration of the walk.
We averaged twenty-one kilometres a day with the longest being twenty-five kilometres from Rothswaite to Patterdale. This was the toughest and longest day as there were two major peaks to climb and the weather was quite bleak.
We mostly stayed in Bed and Breakfasts and occasionally hotels. Henk, Neil and I chose the company, The Sherpa Van Project to carry our luggage rather than carry heavy packs. They also booked our accommodation. Each morning we had our luggage packed by eight thirty ready for the pick up. Ron and Chris used another company, the Packhorse to transport their gear.
We had a wonderful time and we particularly enjoyed getting into our walking gear again and getting out into the challenging elements taking in the wonderful scenery.
Henk and Di.

Day Sixteen - Grosmont to Robin Hood‘s Bay - 9 May

Time Departed: 8:50am Time Arrived: 5:00pm Distance: 26 kms Cumulative Distance: 309.7kms Percentage Completed: 100% Weather: Mostly sunshine in the morning, overcast in the afternoon Accommodation: Devon House B&B We made it! It was a long day and the path tried to throw everything at us just for good measure! We had a very steep climb out of Grosmont and it took us quite some time to reach the highest summit of the day initially on footpath and then on tarmac. Near the top we set out looking for the High Bride Stones and Low Bride Stones. We found them but apart from realising that these standing stones were ancient in origin we didn’t know anything more about them.

At the summit we also had a good view over Whitby and its abbey. This view kept us company for most of the day and it looked like the path was taking us there instead of Robin Hood’s Bay. Our first break was at eleven o’clock after a steep descent into the small community of Littlebeck. We saw a tea room notice forty minutes along the track at Falling Foss so we didn’t delay. We walked alongside the Little Beck and May Beck streams and on our way we climbed steeply to The Hermitage which is a solid large boulder hollowed out with ample seating for about fifteen inside. It is unknown why George Chubb did this in 1790. We made it to the tea room at Midge Hall by noon and found it sat above the beautiful waterfall Falling Foss. We sat in the beautiful garden and enjoyed a cuppa with homemade cakes. When we set out again we had about fifteen kilometres to go.

The path became very muddy in the nearby woods and it was good to get on some tarmac higher up the ridge. We then went through very wet peat bog areas on Smeaton Low Moor and it became very frustrating and slow going. We had another break after this to regain our energy. From here the path improved and we decided to take the cliff path around the head north of Robin Hood’s Bay rather than the flat straight ex-railway path into town. We were pleased we did this as we had good views over the cliffs and eventually rounding Ness Point we finally saw our destination. It was a good sight. We soon descended from the cliffs and started walking through the streets of Robin Hood’s Bay and descend through the heart of the village down to the sea. We had a lovely surprise with Mylo and Cliff walking up the steep road to meet us. We all walked down to the sea ramp and took out our stones from St Bees.

Mylo photographed us throwing our stones into the sea. We were all very pleased to have reached our destination. After a series of photos to record the event we headed to the nearest pub to celebrate and have dinner. Neil ended as he started with a huge Cumberland sausage and mash.

Mylo surprised us with Olympic Gold Medals which we proudly wore. We all signed the book at the pub and wrote our individual comments. We laughed at Chris’s which, in part, said, “Never again!”. The walk had been a challenge mostly because of the weather. We had some lovely sunny days but the days when it blew a gale, rained, hailed, sleeted and then some snow tested us both physically and mentally. We had the wind against us for most of the way which was unusual. Ron thought Wainwright’s route linked all the muddy paths from coast to coast! As long distance walkers we know it’s all part of the experience and we saw the wonderful and contrasting countryside of the Lakes District, the Dales and the Moors. Importantly, we stuck together as a team. We all have different personalities but we rubbed together very well and this made our walk very enjoyable.

Day Fifteen - Blakey to Grosmont - 8 May

Time Departed: 9:45am Time Arrived: 4:15pm Distance: 22 kms Cumulative Distance: 283.7kms Percentage Completed: 91% Weather: Changeable with mostly sunshine and little rain Accommodation: The Station Inn We had a good day walking through the final stages of the North York Moors before reaching Glaisdale for a late lunch. At breakfast we found a couple of fellow walkers had decided to pull out of the Coast to Coast walk due to one of them feeling quite ill. We had kept company with them on and off since Orton. They were very disappointed that they weren’t going to make it especially as they were so close. We did feel for them.

The Lion Inn might be high in the moors in the middle of nowhere but the standard of service and food was very good. As we moved away from the inn we kept high on the moor ridge and came across some very old crosses including one called the White Cross and commonly known as Fat Betty.

We spent the majority of the morning walking on Danby High Moor with extensive views over lovely deep green valleys on either side. We had morning tea at the only shelter on the moor at a stone shooter’s hut. It very conveniently had a stone seat at the front of the hut. These huts are used by shooters for the hunting of grouse of which we heard and saw many.

We encountered twenty minutes of rain which forced us to put on our raincoats and then the sun came out for the remainder of the day. We came across three men running the Coast to Coast in five days and raising money for multiple sclerosis. They would have reached Robin Hood’s Bay by nightfall. We worked out that they would have been running more than a marathon each day for the five days. An amazing effort! At the bottom of the scattered village of Glaisdale we found a pub incorporating a tea room. They had picnic tables outside on a green and it was an ideal time and place to have a late lunch in the sun. Ron and Chris availed themselves of an ale and Neil, Henk and I had a cuppa and “goddies” at the tearoom.

When we left Glaisdale we descended to the nearby River Esk where the path took us through East Arnecliff Wood with a centuries old and well-worn stone path which was originally a trade route. The path led us into an attractive village, Egton Bridge which boasted large, attractive stone houses and a large, impressive church, St Hedda built in 1866. The remainder of the walk was flat along an old toll road along the valley floor of the Esk into Grosmont.

We passed the old toll house on the way with a sign depicting the charges for the use of the road. When we arrived at Grosmont an old steam train was preparing to leave the station. It was exciting to see it being prepared for departure. The Grosmont train station reflects an older era of train travel and attracts many visitors.

After the steam train left the station we headed for our various accommodations. The Station Inn is aptly named as it sits very close to the train line and we all met at the pub at seven o’clock for dinner. It was a busy pub as it is the only one in the village. Tomorrow is our last day of walking and it‘s a longer day. It seems an age since we set out from St Bees fifteen days ago.

Day Fourteen - Clay Bank Top to Blakey - 7 May

Time Departed: 10:20am Time Arrived: 2:30pm Distance: 14 kms Cumulative Distance: 261.7kms Percentage Completed: 80% Weather: Sunny at the start, overcast, cold, very windy Accommodation: The Lion Inn We all enjoyed the hospitality of our bachelor B&B host. He had his own style of managing his B&B having done it for only two seasons. He was a builder for thirty-five years before deciding to convert his large house into a B&B. It had a very relaxed atmosphere and he gave a fair amount of autonomy to his guests.

We decided on the later breakfast of eight thirty as it was a short distance to Blakey. We served ourselves cereals, yoghurt, fruit, toast and tea and coffee from the sideboard and our host served hot breakfast for those wishing to have it. After breakfast he put out the ingredients for making sandwiches for our lunch. Once again something different from the norm where the B&B lady makes our packed lunches. Chris couldn’t eat his bacon after eating his large bowl of porridge so he had the tastiest sandwiches using his leftover bacon. He was “unblessed” at our lunch break when he didn’t share them! Our host took us back to Clay Bank Top in two trips in the red Mercedes and we asked for a photo of him as he was such a lovely guy. The climb up to Urra Moor was the only steep climb for the day. Once we got to the top it was easy, flat walking through the moors on broad tracks. It quickly became overcast and a strong, cold easterly wind came again. The reason walkers walk from west to east is to have the wind on their backs but we have to say we have mostly walked straight into the wind for the entire walk. After an hour of walking and reaching the summit for the day at four hundred and fifty metres at Round Hill we had morning tea.

We had only been walking for an hour at this stage! After passing many old boundary stones along the way we had lunch at one o’clock and the wind was strong and cold. Ron had a brilliant idea of sitting low in the heather and it was a good decision as it was very sheltered and was warmer. We saw many grouse today hovering over the heather and then quickly going under cover.

The North York Moors has the largest covering of heather in England. It’s not in flower at present but as it covers the majority of the moors in the area it must look spectacular when it does. We arrived at the Lion Inn at two thirty and the large carpark was filled with cars.

It is clearly a very popular pub high in the moors. When we went inside the warm air enveloped us and there were people everywhere having lunch and the place was packed. We were efficiently checked in. Our rooms are above the pub and dining areas in the roof section. When we walk down our stairs we are immediately in the dining area. Our room is modern given the age of the hotel which goes back four hundred years. The large pub has an old world appeal with fire places in each of the rooms and these were ablaze. There are a number of walkers staying the night en route to the final destination of Robin Hood’s Bay.

Day Thirteen - Ingleby Cross to Clay Bank Top - 6 May

Time Departed: 9:15am Time Arrived: :30pm Distance: 18.5 kms Cumulative Distance: 247.7kms Percentage Completed: 75% Weather: Sunny in the morning, overcast, cold, snow Accommodation: Dromonby Bridge Farm, Great Broughton The scenery changed quite dramatically today as we entered the North York Moors National Park crossing the Cleveland Hills. We woke up to a frost but as it was a lovely sunny morning the frost quickly disappeared and it wasn’t as cold as predicted. The maximum was nine. We decided to visit the Mount Grace Priory which was near Ingleby Cross and just off the path.

It was well worth the visit incorporating not only the priory but also a manor house which has been refurbished in the Arts and Crafts style of William Morris. The priory was founded in 1398 and is the best preserved of the ten medieval Carthusian (charterhouses) in England. It closed in 1539 during the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII. The path today followed the Cleveland Way and it had quite a few steep ascents and descents along the way. We had lunch when we found two benches overlooking Swainby and the flat plains which we had walked across on the two previous days.

The many yellow paddocks of oilseed rape stood out in the countryside. After lunch we had a long steep climb on mostly flagstones to the summit of Carlton Moor. We could see the sea for the first time overlooking Middlesbrough which was about thirty kilometres away as the crow flies.

We had another brief break at Carlton Moor before descending and ascending to Cringle Moor. In the distance we could see that rain was possibly approaching and we all donned our rain gear.

To our amazement it started to snow. Henk, Neil and I were very excited and as we walked on it got a little heavier. It surprisingly wasn’t cold and unlike rain it was silent. It lasted about ten minutes. When we descended Cringle Moor we decided that we had had enough of the ascents and descents and we found a very muddy parallel path at the bottom of the next moor peaks.

This was about three kilometres long and brought us out to our destination of Clay Bank Top. There is very little accommodation in this area and the five of us were booked into the same B&B at Great Broughton which is about a seven minute drive away. Henk rang the B&B host and he came to pick us up. We were joking that given our muddy boots we hoped he didn’t have a Mercedes Benz car. He turned up in a red one! Thankfully, it was old which was a good thing. He took Ron, Chris and Neil back to the B&B and Henk and I waited for the second car run. The B&B is a very large, rambling house with seven bedrooms accommodating up to sixteen people built in the late eighteen hundreds. Our host took us to a pub at Kirkby and we enjoyed a fabulous Thai meal. It was lovely to have something different from the standard pub meals. Tomorrow is a shorter day as we head deeper into the moors.

Day Twelve - Danby Wiske to Ingleby Cross - 5 May

Time Departed: 10:00am Time Arrived: 3:30pm Distance: 14 kms Cumulative Distance: 229.2kms Percentage Completed: 69% Weather: Overcast, cold with some rainy and sunny spells. Accommodation: The Blue Bell Inn

We were in no hurry to get away as the distance was short and easy. Neil, Henk and I met our very pleasant B&B lady when we went to breakfast. She painted a village which is pulling together to keep it going and it is dependent upon the walkers. The entire village meet each Friday evening at the pub and catch up with each other. No wonder the pub was busy! Danby Wiske is a very pretty little village and is the lowest point between the two seashores.

Before setting out for the day Neil, Henk and I walked to the Danby Wiske church which sits on the edge of the village. It goes back to Norman times and the daffodils in the church yard made a pretty picture. We met Ron and Chris just before ten on the green outside The White Swan. We walked under the pub sign which told us only 60 miles to go to Robin Hood’s Bay.

The day’s walk was predominately on the edge of farms or on minor tracks or roads. There was a lot of mud which we had to wade through. We came across a picnic table and more goodies set out for walkers with another honour box about an hour into the walk. As we weren’t in a hurry we took the opportunity to sit at a table.

We had our rain gear on and off during the day when the weather couldn’t make up its mind if it was going to rain or not. The closer we got to our destination came the Cleveland Hills which we will be climbing tomorrow to take us onto the Yorkshire Moors. We had lunch on the edge of a field only a couple of kilometres from our accommodation. Very close to Ingleby Cross we had to make a dash across the A19, a busy dual carriageway. We walked straight down a narrow road passed Ingleby Arncliffe which is alongside Ingleby Cross.

The cross is a war memorial in the middle of the small green. We were greeted by the publican’s four year old confident and delightful daughter, Izzy. Our rooms weren’t ready as we were early and we were given a cuppa in the pub lounge and we were entertained by Izzy. She took a shine to Chris and had him read one of her favourite books. I taught her the game, “The first one to talk is the monkey” as she was very chatty and she loved it.

We all had a turn of breaking the silence which she thought was very amusing. Dinner was at the pub and we all were feeling quite cold. The publican had only just started the fire and the pub had not warmed up. It was lamb shanks for all of us tonight. After a few days of easy walking we start to do some climbing again tomorrow. Frost is predicted overnight with a very cold day.

Day Eleven - Richmond to Danby Wiske - 4 May

Time Departed: 9.30am Time Arrived: 4:30pm Distance: 23.3 kms Cumulative Distance: 215.2kms Percentage Completed: 65% Weather: Overcast, cold Accommodation: Ashfield B&B We agreed to meet at the Obelisk which stands at the centre of the very old Market Place at nine thirty. We were all there earlier running in to each other as we raced around the shops buying lunch supplies and other necessities. The day’s walk was long but mostly flat alongside the Swale River, on minor roads and alongside farmland. A Richmond shopkeeper insisted that the distant-looking rain was sea mist! We descended from Richmond through its laneways taking the Castle Bridge across the Swale and looked back to Richmond Castle which sits high on the edge of the river.

We had our first stop at eleven o’clock when we found a bench at the beginning of the very tiny and sleepy village of Colburn. We didn’t see a soul. It had no shops and the pub looked like it had been closed for quite some time. Chris surprised us with iced buns. “Bless him”, we said! It didn’t take long for us to feel the cold and we moved on and skirted around the edge of Catterick and its racecourse via its very old bridge. The traffic noise grew closer and closer and we crossed under the busy very A1 which is the major motorway on the east coast linking Edinburgh.

We continued following along the banks of the Swale River until we got to the small village of Bolton on Swale where we decided to have lunch. We found the best place to rest was in the grounds of St Mary’s Church as it had benches amongst the grave yard and we could get out of the cold wind. There was a memorial of Henry Jenkins who was born in 1500 and was supposed to have lived for 169 years.

Outside the church an enterprising person at the village had set up a little table of refreshments for “Coast to Coasters”. Henk, Chris and I each bought a thick slab of lemon drizzle cake and duly dropped our pound into the Honesty Box. The remainder of the walk was alongside farmland which at times was very muddy.

We came across another little stall selling chocolate brownies with an honesty box. There was only one brownie left! We were pleased to have arrived at Danby Wiske as it was a long, flat walk and it was getting colder. It was threatening to rain on several occasions but we were lucky. The quiet village was covered in cars and the hall was full. We found it was a wake for a popular local and consequently our B&B ladies were nowhere in site. Neil, Henk and I were met by fellow walkers who were given the run-down on where our rooms were, where to put our boots etc. Chris and Ron were eventually met by the host’s husband who made them a pot of tea and they sat in the lounge. As there is only one pub we had all been booked in for dinner. When we arrived it was heaving as the people at the wake had moved onto the pub, The White Swan. We all agreed that the dinner had been the best on the path so far. The majority of us had chicken breast stuffed with haggis. Tomorrow morning we meet our B&B lady at breakfast.