Day 12: Lovesome Hill to Ingleby Cross

Today was a continuation of yesterday's terrain, but thankfully not its weather.

Though not exactly wall to wall sunshine, at least it remained dry and our walk was mercifully short.

Breakfast at Lovesome Hill Farm was brilliant, and though we had no real need of the fuel for such a short (7.5 mile) walk, we took advantage of the farm reared bacon and specially made sausages.

Lovesome Hill Farm Gardens

At the very end of our walk, trying to cross the A19 felt like a live version of some video game - perhaps the originally named 'Crossy Road'.  Crossing four lanes of traffic, all doing 60- 70mph with no footbridge or pedestrian crossing is not exactly what you expect on the Coast to Coast, though it should be if you've read the book.

Megan pronounced, 'Now I know how hedgehogs feel.'

We arrived at Somerset House Farm, which is situated unfortunately right next to the A19, but otherwise is a delightful B&B.  We occupied all three bedrooms in the converted barn, had some minor fights with the showers but otherwise a successful overnight stop.

Steeling ourselves for the final three days of walking - tomorrow is meant to be 'the finest section of our marathon outside Lakeland' (according to Wainwright), and the weather is allegedly meant to be wonderful today :

After a rather cloudy start in some areas, it will be dry with long spells of sunshine, and feeling pleasant by the afternoon. Cooler, and possibly cloudier, near some coasts where onshore sea breezes will develop. Maximum Temperature 21°C

Information provided by the Met Office

I try not to be obsessed with the weather, but would prefer not to get a dousing as soon as I step one booted foot out the door.

Onward and upward to the North York Moors. 

Day 11: Richmond to Lovesome Hill

7:00 am Monday 13th July 2015

Weather forecast for the day: 

Uh oh. 

6:00pm Monday 13th July 2015

Well, as my optimistic sunbeam of a husband would say, 'The weather wasn't that bad today'.  No - it was dreadful.  I am not really kidding, we had a few breaks in the rain, and considered ourselves lucky when it merely drizzled on us instead of hammering down.  It was 18.4 miles today - our longest day yet for mileage.  Not a very 'straight line' on the map, either!

Wainwright himself did not like this section of the walk, and I can see why. Even in fine weather, it was a bit featureless unless you have a particular fondness for fields of crops, and walking along the edge of B- and sometimes A- roads.  There was a fairly hefty detour (due to roadworks) which added an extra mile or two to an already long day. The flat terrain, whilst beneficial to recovering knees, was a bit dull and was countered by the muddy paths which made it difficult to stay on your feet at times.  Also the paths through fields were uneven, so not so great on tired ankles.

However, if you like wheat, barley and rapeseed fields, you will love this stage of the Coast to Coast.

Obviously he likes crops

Highlights of the day were finding refreshments in St Mary's Church in Bolton-on-Swale:

"Please leave a donation..."

Finding The White Swan open at Danby Wiske;

130 miles - done

Only (!!)  60 miles to go

Along the way today, we met this couple, who were very speedy walkers:

Dermot O'Toole and Anne Dudley

Whilst offering advice on what to do about the blisters, (pop them with a sterile needle and then cover with Compeed, apparently) Dermot mentioned he's done lots of 'Race walking'.  I said, 'Do you do the Parish Walk, on the Isle of Man?'  Only 20 times, apparently.   For any non-Manxies out there, the Parish Walk is an 85-mile walk, must be completed in 24 hours, and you are not allowed to run or jog, it is a walk. The route goes past our house in Dalby, and we used to set out a table with refreshments and jelly babies for the walkers, even in the rain.

Dermot and Anne live on the Isle of Man, and this is their 4th Coast to Coast; they were just beetling along. We might see them at the end, but if we do see them I think they'll go flying past us in a blur. It's a small world, as we keep noticing.

We were shamed by another couple when we were hesitating before entering a field of bullocks - the woman hopped over the fence and said, 'What's wrong with you? Are they menacing you, or are you just nervous? Come on!' and off she stomped through the field. We followed meekly behind, rather embarrassed to be noted for being wimps, really.

The last highlight for me (after a death-defying walk up the A167) was finding Lovesome Hill Farm B&B.  John and Mary provide a warm welcome, pot of tea and possibly the most delicious oat biscuits (I may ask for the recipe before we leave). They've got a place to dry your boots, hang your wet muddy walking gear (NOT allowed in the house, and I don't blame them - we would have brought half of the last field in with us if we couldn't take them off first) and then they show you to your room for the night. The 'outlaws' took the cottage tonight, and we've got a room in the B&B. There's a bunk barn as well. Very comfortable and welcoming.

Dinner smells delicious - we're going nowhere tonight!
Note: Dinner was Roast Beef from the farm, Yorkshire Puddings (unrecognisable from the hockey pucks I usually make), lots of veg and then for dessert: Eton Mess.  We are very happy, sated walkers. The kids have gone to explore the farm, looking for the kittens.  Hopefully neither of them will put one in their pockets - we have enough cats already!

Quote of the day:
Grandad/Doobs: (On having to put wet rain jacket back on) This mac isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

I'm sorry to tell you, but I can still see you

Day 10: Reeth to Richmond

Marrick Priory

We were sad to leave the Yorkshire Dales behind, but the metropolis of Richmond (and the promise of a rest day tomorrow) spurred us on.

Day 10 was punctuated by knee pain (for me, at least).  Megan took the option of the bus, hopefully with positive results for the next walking day on Monday.  Without overwhelming this post with whinging about my knee, I will just say that although the day began with no pain (I thought - hooray!) within an hour of walking I could feel it hurting on descents.  Within two hours, ascents and descents hurt.  By the end, it just hurt the whole time, with every step.

The walk itself was a delightful grassy stroll through farmland with views across the valley.  We passed through more beautiful Yorkshire villages, such as Fremington, Marrick and Marske with the River Swale peeking in and out of view all day.

The laziest sheep I've ever seen - crawled on its 'knees'

This one needs James Herriott's help

Too early in the walk - we didn't stop

This walk is starting to feel like a Pilgrimage.  At one point we could see 6 Coast to Coaster walkers ahead of us, and knew there were at least seven more behind us.   I'm picturing The Canterbury Tales, but set in the North of England only and heading West to East.

At Marske, we found another lovely tearoom - and a host of our fellow nutters. I mean, walkers. Yup - coffee and cake were consumed - it would be rude not to.  Unfortunately another uphill climb followed, (will I never learn?) and we were on our way again.

My excuse? They gave me an ice pack for my knee

Gardens at the cafe 

At Richmond, we easily found our most welcoming and attractive accommodation at Cordilleras House Gez and Liz are great hosts, they'd already welcomed Megan and we all sat down to tea and home made cakes in the garden. I will need a diet when I finish the walk if I'm not careful but I cannot resist home made cake. If you click on their link, our room is the one on the far left.  A simple, light and spacious room - up two flights of stairs on the top floor.  Limpity limpity limp.

photo courtesy of Jack

Our hosts noticed the plethora of knee bandages (by this point I was literally limping at every step - the final path into Richmond descended down a long hill) and immediately passed on details of a Remedial Massage Therapist in town who has helped some other Coast to Coasters limp their way to the finish.  Jennifer Thursfield managed to squeeze me in with just half an hours' notice, and will fit Megan in if necessary tomorrow afternoon (yes, on a Sunday).  You couldn't ask for better service than that.

I've had an hour's appointment with her, and so far so good.  It doesn't hurt walking on flat terrain at the moment, since the treatment. She thinks it is probably just a strained muscle (not a ligament, thankfully) and has given me some strengthening exercises and stretching to do to gently try to recover enough by Monday. Fingers crossed. The rest day came at just the right time.

Day 9: Keld to Reeth

We were sad to leave Keld Lodge - as a former Youth Hostel, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the building and rooms, but it was lovely.  The rooms were big enough, they had installed ensuite showers (very much appreciated after a long day!) and the staff were friendly and enjoyed a bit of banter. Right up our street.

Keld Village

Good ole Royal Mail

East Gill Force

The weather was glorious for our 9th consecutive day of walking.   It turned out to be another long day, broken by a delightful but ill-advised coffee and cake stop in Gunnerside, approximately our halfway point.  I say 'ill-advised' because we had to climb another 600ft immediately afterwards.  

Ghyllfoot Tearoom and Bistro, Gunnerside

Filling up on coffee and cake

My new friend

It was a tremendous walk. It was meant to be 11 miles, and somehow we walked almost 14, we’re not quite sure how that happened though. I can't blame it on the Ryder men, I was leading! We followed the book, it was slightly confusing in one little hamlet and we found our way quite easily, and the detour was definitely no where near a mile, let alone over 2 miles off track.  Anyway, the super duper GPS watch said 13.97 miles.

The views of Swaledale were magnificent - I have always loved Yorkshire. As the owner of Keld Lodge told us, everything you are looking at is man-made to some extent or other.  The cleared mountain tops are due to man's introduction of sheep, the fields, the barns,  the drystone walls, everything.   Only the ravines and streams are left 'natural'.  It is interesting when you put it like that, but no less beautiful for it, in my opinion.

Reeth Bridge

Megan was struggling with her knee (and blisters) and we suggested once we got to Gunnerside that she should catch the bus instead of walking. Her brother kindly agreed to keep her company which was very chivalrous of him. It was the right decision for her - walking the extra 8 miles on an injury would not have been the most wise thing to do. I am concerned that she shouldn't be walking on it at all. There's a bus to Richmond tomorrow, and I think she'll take that option and rest it. We'll see if she's in any state to continue once she's had a rest day.  Unfortunately the rest day is a Sunday, so the chance to consult a Doctor is probably fairly slim, but I will check it out.

Reeth is the quintessential Yorkshire village – now sited as the Capital of Swaledale, it was the featured in several episodes of James Herriott’s All Creatures Great and Small in the 80s, apparently. I don't recognise it from the TV show, but  it is beautiful.

Reeth

Pubs, of course

How cool is that? (Sorry, random people I don't know, I'm taking about the VW)

Note:

Last night, in Keld, my husband had overheard an American couple talking – he told me confidently ‘She’s from Maine!’.

I eavesdropped myself for a while, and said, ‘There’s lots of similar accents, not sure about that.’  You can see where this is going; of course, she’s from Bethyl, Maine. She said to me, 'What on earth are we doing out here, in the middle of nowhere?!'  I have to admit, I didn't have an answer. 

She said some of the terrain we'd passed through reminded her of Maine - for me, it was mainly the forested areas, as the smell takes me straight back to my home state.  Some of the pastural countryside also bears a passing resemblance.  Both beautiful places, without doubt. 

We met this same couple again in Reeth, (as mentioned before, we keep meeting the same Coast to Coasters) and chatted to them some more.  Anne and Wayne now live in California. They kindly let me take their picture for the blog. 

Ann and Wayne

Day 8: Kirkby Stephen to Keld

Boggy.  Day 8 was very boggy.  It was also sunny, peaceful and revealed one of the most gorgeous valleys we’ve seen so far (once we got out of the peat bog, that is).

Megan has had some serious blister issues, her knee injury caused us to buy a bandage back in Grasmere, but the blisters now had invited all their blister friends to stay, so we thought we’d better see if any of the shops in Kirkby Stephen could help before we set off.  Turns out the boots she bought were a full size too big, and this was causing them to bend in the wrong place – right across her toes.  Another pair of Keen Trail shoes later (the ‘old’ pair of boots having been donated to the charity shop, mud and all) and hopefully she at least won’t have gotten any new blisters today.  The ‘old’ pair were only a week old, and the moral of the story is… get your boots fitted properly in the first place! Difficult in Penrith, but lesson learned. 

On the plus side, her original injured knee seems better, but by overcompensating with the other leg, the other knee has now started giving her trouble so today she had to swap the bandage over.  Grrr.

We couldn't coordinate our happy/miserable photo

I don’t think the boggy terrain helped with the situation; you have to pull your foot out of it as it tries to suck you under, like quicksand.  It seemed to inflict a new knee injury for me as well – downhill became a bit of a challenge but flat terrain and hills aren’t too bad. Ho hum.  I’m hoping a good night’s rest will sort that out for me.

Anyway, apart from the aches and pains it was an interesting walk.  We met a man who had set up a temporary radio mast at the top of a marilyn (which are British hills which have a clear drop of 500 feet or 150m all round). so that he could talk to other mad people with radio masts.  Interestingly, the first thing he said is, “Do you want to know how far away the furthest person is that I’ve spoken to today? A guy Wayne, in Maine.”  I kid you not.  My question, ‘A guy called Wayne, in Maine, or a guy in Wayne, Maine?’ seemed to confuse him.

I've looked him up and it turns out he is called Wayne, and he's from Naples, Maine.  How very strange the world is sometimes.

We also met a group of men who were out walking together. Not quite sure what their story was, I was sure they were seasoned walkers (maps, boots, chatting away) until they checked, ‘Do you know where we are?’.  John helped them out with their OS Map, the ‘leader’ clearly unhappy that he couldn’t find the cart track we were on, on the map. Meanwhile one of his followers was saying, ‘Well, this isn’t very good. Our first day, and we’ve only come this far because we’ve followed other people!’  They were laughing though, and having a good time, which is more

 than we all were by that point. (Knees, blisters etc). 

We have arrived in Yorkshire (so Pat and Jack are in their home county), we’ve passed the ‘watershed’ so from now on all rivers flow East, to the North Sea, and we’ve also crossed the Pennines. We have passed our half way point as well, and we have walked for 8 days – only 7 more days of walking until we get to Robin Hood’s Bay.  Monumental information, I know. I don’t know how you are containing your excitement.  We shall raise a glass to ourselves tonight, anyway!

Swaledale is the most beautiful valley, it’s all rolling green fields and ravines.  There are barns dotted about every three fields (the boundaries being limestone walls, so picturesque).  I absolutely love it.   

A couple of miles before Keld, we arrived at Ravenseat Farm – which had been temptingly been suggested in the walking guide as a place to rest, get teas or coffees and possibly, if Amanda was around, cream teas (scones and cream).  

Of course, they were closed, but they had thoughtfully put a sign out inviting walkers to refill water bottles, use the toilet; we took the opportunity to also make a fuss over the horse.

 If cream teas were on offer, I would have been in like a shot.  Nevertheless, a beautiful spot in a hidden little valley, what lucky people. 

We must walk for two more (slightly shorter) days before reaching Richmond, where we get a rest day – hooray!   I think we are all looking forward to that – we will be, literally, limping into Richmond at this rate.

Keld Lodge was a welcome sight at the end of the days walk, and apart from nearly poking out the eye of a fellow guest with my Leki stick on arrival (an accident, and I didn’t ‘get’ her), we got checked in, found our rooms and the drying room for our boggy boots, and have started to recover from the day’s exertions. The views from the rooms are stunning, rooms are comfortable and food is served here. No more walking today.  I am hoping for a delicious pudding as well today, as it’s my birthday. That’s today’s excuse. Tomorrow… who knows? Day after my birthday?