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| St Bees |
Our Coast to Coast adventure began in St Bees - an hour late due to delayed trains - not something we had to concern ourselves with for the subsequent 14 days as we endeavoured to journey on foot to Robin Hoods Bay on the East Coast. Grey skies loomed ominously above, but we escaped with very little rain as we skirted around the coast line before heading inland and detoured around Dent hill by road to avoid the thick mist and ensure we arrived at the campsite before dark!
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| Heading to Enerdale Water |
Day 2 started with a marvellous
full
English breakfast at the farm before we set off in the direction of Enerdale water. The mist and occasional drizzle cleared by mid morning to become the first of four glorious sunny days through the lake district. Having made good progress around the lake and refuelled with tea and cake at Enerdale YHA we opted for the high route option of Red Pike and High Stile before dropping back down into the valley to spend the night at Black Sail. The route provided some steep climbs (not easy with a 14kg backpack!) and fantastic views (see below).
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| View from Red Pike |
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| Outside Black Sail |
After a good meal and night's rest in the peaceful (if midge-infested) location of black sail YHA, we started our longest day of walking yet over to Grasmere and beyond. Again more of the magnificent views the lakes are famed for. By the time we hit the outskirts of Grasmere, we were both pretty hungry and settled on eating in the first place we came across - a vegetarian restaurant in a fairly posh hotel. We felt a little out of place as smelly grubby walkers, but the food was good and we left with enough time to head out of anti-camping Grasmere to wild camp on tongue gill.
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| Looking down towards Grasmere from tongue gill |
Day 4 was our shortest day - just a mere 7 miles up to Grisedale tarn then down to Patterdale. No sooner had we begun our descent we started meeting other walkers heading the other direction, including two cyclists carrying road bikes who turned round when we told them it would be another 3hours before they reached the nearest road! Patterdale turned out to be the first of many places on route I would describe to Jonny as a 'nice little place' and we stopped at the post office to buy postcards, replenish food supplies and have lunch before checking into the YHA. Here we met and shared stories with several other coast to coasters who we would continue to see over the next couple of weeks, and we began to realise that we were very much in the minority carrying our own luggage each day!
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| Grisedale tarn |
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| Woodland near Patterdale |
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| Kidsty Pike |
Day 5 and suddenly more and more coast to coasters are appeared as we followed a chain of walkers up to Kidsty pike and down to Haweswater reservoir. A final farewell to the lakes and the good weather! At the top of Kidsty pike we made the error of offering to take a picture of a large group of Americans...and got given 10 cameras! They did take one of us in return - but declined our offer to let them carry our bags down the hill!
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| Top of Kidsty Pike |
At the end of Haweswater reservoir the coast to coast signs started to reappear, and we started to have to pay more attention to the map to navigate our way to Shap, until the ruined abbey became visible in the distance. At breakfast the following morning a fellow walker told us he had got thoroughly lost here ended up in a village 2miles off route and had to be collected by the B&B owner!
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| Shap Abbey |
(This is not the first example of 'cheerfully cheating', as Martin Wainwright coins it, that we had come across - at breakfast on day two a couple of ladies were feigning injury to get a lift by the packhorse bus with the intention of heading to a spa!!)
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| Cold in Keld. |
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| In the tent |
Thursday, and as forecast the good weather changed, giving us two days of continuous rain and wind whilst we trudged over the bleak landscape of the North Pennines, thankfully the campsite in Kirkby Steven had a tumble dryer and a 5* toilet block, but once up on the moor we were soon soaked through again. So after relying on the GPS to get us to the road and off the moor we stuck to the road all the way into Keld, where sadly there was no room in the bunkroom so once again it was camping.
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| The caravan! |
It's amazing how much rain saps your energy and morale, so after a bowl of hot curry and rice I curled up in my sleeping bag and slept for about 12hours! Discussions between different groups about bailing out were had the following morning but with the wind having died down and the rain stopped briefly we packed down the tent, put on wet socks and boots and set off for Reeth. By the time we had stopped for a good bit of Yorkshire food on route we were feeling much better. We received a wonderful welcome in Reeth (another nice little place) by the campsite owners who keep a caravan for coast to coast campers to use and we were delighted not to have to pitch the tent that night.
Over halfway now and the landscape had considerably changed again, gone were the mountains and moors to be replaced by fields and valleys. The sunshine was back too, as we waded through mud and over stiles to the little village of Colburn and the Hildyard arms. When we arrived the pub was completely shut up but at 7pm signs of life appeared and soon the place was full of football supporters ready to cheer England on in the quarters finals, we joined them to watch the match, though were far more interested in the takeaway curry we had ordered for dinner!
Some of the signs we found on route - keeping us going in the right direction!
Day 10 was our second 20 mile day, and the flatest of the whole route, crossing the vale of Mowbray and the A19 before arriving at Ingelby Cross and the Blue Bell Inn where I had my first cup of tea in 4days and we both enjoyed a night not under canvas. The day's walk took us through some beautiful villages and woodland areas, and we faced the only field crossing that defeated us (a very narrow hedge which even with taking our bags off we may have made somewhat wider!)
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| Bolton on Swale |
Day 11 was a day of ups and downs - as we joined the cleveland way winding across the heather strewn landscape of the Yorkshire moors. The landscape may have changed again but the sheep are still present, as are the low flying military jets similar to ones we had spotted in the lake district. We had some difficulty making our way off the route to our campsite at Beak Hills farm due to very wet boggy ground, but eventually found a way through and set up camp...once again in the rain! This cleared though and we had a three course meal (of dried food packs!) prepared by boiling water on the kelly kettle.
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| Wainstones |
Rain again for putting the tent down and setting off along the Cleveland way, for another day on the moors. Less walkers out and about today, apart from occasional other coast to coasters and school groups. We had to smile at the looks we got from the children when we explained what we were doing - I don't think they could fathom what had made us even consider such a venture! After a break for lunch (where a sheep made a bid for our sausage rolls) we left the Cleveland way and joined the old railway route across the moors, this being much flatter - but as a consequence winds around all the contours. At last on the horizon the Lion inn on Blakey Ridge came into view, this is the highest pub in England and a very nice one at that. Popular with both walkers and motorists, we enjoyed a good meal and drinks by the fire after pitching our tent for the last time.
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| The Lion Inn |
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| Last night pitching the tent! |
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| View from the tent on the last camping night. |
Day 13 - penultimate day of the walk and we hoped to see the sea before reaching Glaisdale but mist prevented this. It was a mixed day of walking terrain, first moors, then though villages and woodland, followed by a climb up the hill out of Grosmont and away from it's steam railway to more moorland, where we stopped to rescue a lamb that had got itself well and truly tangled in the wire fence (a bit of 'grass is always greener on the other side' syndrome'). Finally, we walked through a series of fields to reach intake farm where we had booked to stay for a final night. It was wonderful to be welcomed by Judith with a cup of tea followed later by a fabulous three course meal of beautiful home cooked food. We both agreed this was the best night of the walk.
Final day and just 12miles to Robin Hoods Bay to go! After some delay watching the cats and kittens at the farm and then getting lost on the way to falling foss waterfall, we made it out of the woodland and over to Hawsker where we were overtaken by a guy who was completing the coast to coast in just 7days and had set off that morning at 3.30am from the Lion Inn! We rejoined the Cleveland way for the last stretch of coastal walk down to the finish point, just as we were approaching the rain came down for one final time and we spotted a very wet welcoming party of three humans and a dog walking the other way to meet us! To complete our expedition we walked down the steep lane through the town to the beach and threw the pebbles we had brought with us from the other side into the sea. 192miles finished!
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| Falling Foss |
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| Woodland |
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| We can see the sea! |
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| Dipping our boots in the North Sea |
Disclaimer: Most photos (particularly the good ones) taken by Jonny! :)
