My Advent Calendar - Day 24

December 24^th

Welcome to Day 24 of my Advent Calendar, where I have been reliving my Coast to Coast adventure!

Afterthoughts

People walk for all sorts of reasons. Some because they have to, it’s their only mode of transport; others for exercise; some do it as a challenge; while for many it’s just a nice social thing to do with friends.

            Hannah and I walked the from one side of England to the other, a journey of fourteen days, for a holiday, strange I know, although we also did it for the challenge. We chose the Coast to Coast path, because it has a definite beginning and end. It has a place to start from and a goal to reach, and this is different to mere rambling, a stroll with the possibility of a pub at the end. This is a determined decision to see something, to reach the destination.
           
A long time ago, some wise men made a journey, beginning, unlike Hannah and I, in the East. They were travelling to a destination, although they weren’t certain where that destination was. They did, however, know what they were looking for; a baby; a king.
            We don’t know how long their journey took, whether they had bad weather, tough hills, heavy bags or waterproof shoes, but I’m sure that it wasn’t easy. Undoubtedly they’d have met people along the way and I like to think that they gave them names, like Hannah and I did, and I like to think that they passed through some ‘nice little places’. All that would have counted for nothing, however, when they arrived in Bethlehem, led there by a star (something I’m glad we didn’t have to rely on). They found the baby and delivered gifts, which they had brought along. Not pebbles or simple keepsakes, not last minute buys, like when you’ve forgotten to get something for your mum, but meaningful presents that hinted at the life the baby would have.
            Gold, for a King; Frankincense, for a Priest; Myrrh, for a body to be buried. The wise men probably had little idea what their gifts really meant, but they were perfect.
            What is the perfect gift now? And I don’t mean as a stocking filler. What can we give to Jesus, the King, the Priest, the Saviour who died, and defeated death. The only thing he wants, is ourselves.
 

Have a very Happy Christmas!

 

My Advent Calendar - Day 23

December 23^rd

Welcome to Day 23 of my Advent Calendar, where I am reliving my Coast to Coast adventure!

Day 14 – Part 2

~ To the coast, We are passed by Superman, Scattered showers, Treacherous cliffs, Familiar faces, Final miles, Down the hill, Robin Hood’s Bay ~

As we gazed out at the endless ocean we realised that we still seemed to be heading towards Whitby. We checked the map and discovered that we would start to turn right soon as we headed due east towards the coast.

            The road was beginning to get a little tedious and we noticed that we were actually quite tired. We had no excuse however when we were caught up by a new walker. He was about our age, carrying all his gear (which we were pleased to see) and alone. He was also doing a terrific pace. As he came along side we chatted with him and soon found out that he was walking the Coast to Coast in seven days, half what we’d done it in. In fact he eventually finished in 163 hours (including rests). That morning he’d got up at 3:30am, from The Lion Inn, where we’d been the day before! We realised we were in the presence of Superman (although he was a bit shorter than I expected him to be). He didn’t stay with us for long, clearly we were holding him up and he sped away.
            The rain returned in patches, which was annoying but, aside from a brief stop for some lunch, we kept going and soon saw a sign post for the cliff top path. Bizarrely this meant walking through a caravan park but sure enough, on the other side, were the cliffs and the sea.
            We hadn’t finished yet, though. The cliff path runs to Robin Hood’s Bay, the final destination, and that was still more than three miles away. So, like the very start of the walk the journey ends with some treacherous cliffs. The wind was blowing and the rain made the surface slippery, and our aching legs seemed to drag. Slowly we inched along, creeping nearer to our goal.
            Then, just as we were making progress we were accosted by three badly dressed people (for walking in the rain) and a dog; namely, our family. Together we marched to the finish, which included a steep descent through the town of Robin Hood’s Bay. The rocky beach greeted us, as did the two guys ‘doing it in 12 days’ and we dipped our toes in the water, before throwing the pebbles from St Bees into the North Sea, a memorable moment from a very memorable adventure.


Please return tomorrow for the final instalment of this Advent Calendar!

 

The camp site, where we joined the cliff top path

 

Dipping our toes in the North Sea

My Advent Calendar - Day 22

December 22^nd

Welcome to Day 22 of my Advent Calendar, where I am reliving my Coast to Coast adventure!

Day 14 – Part 1

~ Final morning, We get lost, Falling Foss, Woods, Rain again, We can see the sea! ~

The last day is designed, like the Tour de France, as a victory parade; a nice stroll through woodland and fields to the cliffs on the east coast, before arriving at Robin Hood’s Bay. The sea was only about four miles (in a straight line) from the Bed and Breakfast we’d stayed in, and we were hoping for a pleasant end to our mammoth walk.

            For the last time then we donned our smelly clothes and damp boots and heaved our bags onto our backs. We bid a fond farewell to the farmer and his wife and set off in a rough easterly direction. We left the farm and passed another before crossing a stream and followed a sign post pointing us to Falling Foss. However we soon found ourselves in a field with no apparent exit. I looked at the map and decided we’d missed our turning, so we headed back. The turning I wanted, though, seemed to go through the second farm and Hannah wasn’t keen on trespassing, so we tried a second time crossing the stream, but still to no avail. Bar going right back to the start and taking a different route altogether we were a bit stuck and definitely lost but we knew where we wanted to get to, so we looked at the map, drew a straight line, crossed a few fences and got there. Hey, we’d been walking for 14 days, I think we had the right to make a short cut.
            We found a track and shortly after entered a wood where we stumbled across Falling Foss. This is a beautiful waterfall and we stopped for a while and watched it. We were also keen to press on though, and so we headed on into the woods. Somehow we ended up on the wrong side of the stream, but I found a handily fallen tree which we could shuffle across, just to be really adventurous!
            A while later the woods ran out and we emerged into rain. We quickly ducked back under the shelter and donned rain coats before moving on. We’d hoped for our last day that the rain would hold off, but sadly not. We followed the road, heads bowed and then cut across a stretch of moorland. Hannah got to use her GPS again when we lost the path and got bogged down, but aside from that we made it across safely.
            We carried on along the road for a while and eventually the rain eased off. We cut into a field and disturbed some nearby cows, who were obviously hungry. Leaving them behind, we then crested the hill and beyond us lay the final stretch of England, before the blue North Sea began.

 

Falling Foss

 

In the woods with Hannah in front

 

The sea!

My Advent Calendar - Day 21

December 21^st

Welcome to Day 21 of my Advent Calendar, where I am reliving my Coast to Coast adventure!

Day 13 – Part 2

~ Leaving Glaisdale, Muddy path, It gets hot, Grosmont, We spot Whitby Abbey, We rescue a sheep, Farmhouse B&B, Our nicest night ~

By the time we had finished lunch the sun was fully out and we packed away our raincoats before setting off. The motorbikes were still racing through the village and we nearly got run over several times (well, not really, but we could have been). We quickly left the road, however, and entered a wood. Inside the path was almost a river of mud in places and we went slowly as we tried to avoid getting completely bogged down. Eventually though we made it out of the other side and into the hot sunshine.

            We walked on, mostly along the road, until we reached Grosmont. This village is famous for its railway line and sadly we missed the steam train, which left just as we approached (we heard it all right) but the diesel engine was still there and we stopped to admire the carriages. The town was busy and we spotted a few fellow walkers, including the two men ‘doing it in 12 days’ who seemed to have stuck with us during the second week. They were still admiring us for having ditched our bags yet.
            Leaving Grosmont the road climbed steeply as the moors provided one final hurdle. All the time we expected the sea to come into view but it was just over the horizon. We did, however, spot Whitby Abbey, standing clear against the sky.
            Before we reached the top we spotted a lamb stuck in a fence. The other sheep were further up the road and clearly didn’t want anything to do with such a stupid animal. They were probably bleating things like, ‘the grass is always greener, isn’t it!’ We decided to rescue it.
            Hannah left her bag at the side of the road and tried to help it wiggle it’s head back though the wire, but the sheep didn’t like her and just cried out. We tried my penknife but the wire was too thick and we were afraid of cutting the lamb. Eventually though with both of us pulling the wire and pushing the sheep it got it’s head free and bolted back up the hill to it’s mum. With pride in our hearts we went on to conquer the hill and crossed the A169 before dropping back down to our final overnight stop: a farmhouse B&B.
            We were welcomed warmly by the farmer and his wife who showed us our gorgeous room and then laid on easily the best dinner we’d had in the two weeks. After a while pub food gets tedious and a home cooked feast was just what we wanted. Staying there were two other couples who happened to come from South Africa and we shared stories of our walks as we ate.
            After dinner Hannah and I sat in the lounge and played Rummikub and felt like we really were on holiday. This, we decided, was easily our best night.

 

The train in Grosmont

 

 Whitby in the distance

My Advent Calendar - Day 20

December 20^th

Welcome to Day 20 of my Advent Calendar, where I am reliving my Coast to Coast adventure!

Day 13 – Part 1

~ Damp morning, We find out what the inside of a cloud looks like, Ugly Betty, Walking with people again, Australians, Glaisdale ~

Sadly the sunshine of the night before had been replaced by rain when we woke on the penultimate morning of our two week adventure. A cloud had descended over the moors and when we looked out of the tent we couldn’t even see the pub 100 metres away. As we packed up the cloud slowly lifted and by the time we set off we could at least see the road and moorland ahead.

            It drizzled on and off and we decided to stick to the road as it curved around the hill, rather than cut across the moor. We stopped to say hi to Ugly Betty, another Coast to Coast tradition. Basically it’s a couple of rocks that look vaguely like a fat woman (but don’t tell any of the Coast to Coast die hards I said that) and you leave a piece of food for her. I can’t remember why.
            After a while we left the road and joined a path headed towards Glaisdale. We found ourselves in a large group, most of whom we didn’t know, and together we huddled from the rain and trudged on. A little later we met a couple from Australia who explained the great usefulness of bubble wrap. Apparently it makes an excellent waterproof seat when you want to rest, and of course it weighs barely anything. They were taking the route steadily, 19 days in fact, but then, as they’d come from the other side of the world, we didn’t blame them.
            Glaisdale lies just to the north of the moors, literally on the side of a hill and we descended the steep road into the village just on lunch time. The rain had just about stopped and we found a small café for a bite to eat. Outside some kind of motorbike rally was passing through, which made it very noisy, but we didn’t mind, Glaisdale was still (of course) a ‘nice little place’.
 

Looking East from The Lion Inn

Sadly, we weren’t going this way

My Advent Calendar - Day 19

December 19^th

Welcome to Day 19 of my Advent Calendar, where I am reliving my Coast to Coast adventure!

Day 12

~ More up and down, The Wainstones, Return of the rain, Disused railway line, We stay at another pub, Our last night of camping ~

We wasted little time in the morning and quickly got back to the path. The rolling moorland stretched on and we seemed to spend half an hour going up and then another half hour going back down again.

            We had been warned of the potential difficulty of the Wainstones in the guide book and we did indeed struggle. The Wainstones are a group of large rocks scattered over an patch of hillside. The path is non-existent and so you have to find your own way. Of course this is a lot easier without heavy bags, and we took ours off until we made it to the top.
            Eventually the land flattened out as we joined the route of an old mountain railway line. This snaked around the hills in wide bends, which made it feel like we weren’t making much progress. The rain had returned too and the afternoon was fairly dull, but we sang songs to ourselves to keep our spirits up and pressed on.
            Eventually our destination came into view as we rounded yet another bend and saw, up the hill to our left, a pub. At 1,320 feet The Lion Inn is one of the highest pubs in England and has spectacular views of the moors. They also do some nice food and after pitching the tent in the overflow car park, we went inside for dinner. By the time we’d finished the sun was fully out and the sky clear. This, we reckoned, was our first dry night of camping, it also happened to be our last night of camping. No bad thing either, the tent was showing wear. One of the poles had a crack, but it seemed to be holding.
            We watched the sun go down and then tucked down for our penultimate night. There were just two more days of walking to go. We could do this! We were going to do this! Nothing could stop us now!
 

 

The Wainstones

 

 The view from the tent

 

Watching the sunset

My Advent Calendar - Day 18

December 18^th

Welcome to Day 18 of my Advent Calendar, where I am reliving my Coast to Coast adventure!

Day 11

~ Onto the moors, A good path, Lots of ‘up and down’, We camp on a farm and are ignored ~

We got our first solid breakfast for days, which gave us a good boost ahead of our first morning on the moors. This was our final section, we were only just over 30 miles from the coast (as the crow flies) but we were wary. We knew we could conquer the hills, but we were unsure as to what the surface of the moors would be.

            For starters though we climbed up through some woods on a wide track. The sun was up and by the time we emerged at the top we were very warm. There were plenty of other people around, but we were surprised when we came across a large and noisy group of women, all over forty, and most over sixty. We stopped too and let them go on ahead taking their chatter with them.
            When we carried on we were pleased to see signs for the Cleveland Way, which meant a good path, and it was. Nicely laid stones, and well managed earth made walking very easy and pleasant. The hills rolled on into the distance and so we set about getting over them. These were the first real hills in several days and they brought back happy memories of the Lake District. We felt fresh again and even the clouds that blew in later on didn’t bother us.
            Occasionally we saw people we knew; Mr and Mrs ‘we have two different guide books’ were still going strong, as were the two men ‘doing the walk in 12 days’. Our favourite moment, however, was seeing our old friend from Shap: ‘Martin Wainwright is useless’. If you’ve only just found this Advent Calendar, Martin has written one of the guide books on the Coast to Coast path, and happened to be the one that Hannah and I had chosen. This man and his friend, were also using him, but having rather more trouble having got lost on the fifth day. We hadn’t seen them for some time, but they passed us as we were resting in the early afternoon, said hello and then told us how they’d got lost again. To be fair they didn’t mention the guide book this time, but how they got lost is a mystery. The Cleveland Way is well signposted, the path is clear and the direction obvious. Hannah and I laughed for some time after they’d gone.
            We also met four ladies, the most talkative of whom was called Carol. Apparently they’d been discussing how old we were, and when we told them their guesses weren’t far off they shook their heads sadly, saying, ‘that makes us fifty years older.’ They were on the final stage of their Coast to Coast walk, which they’d been on for over a year. Not continuously of course; they’d started and stopped several times. They had interesting stories about people they’d met too, including a mole catcher and we enjoyed listening to them, but after a while we moved on ahead.
            After yet another up and back down we neared the farm where we would be camping. The trouble was, how to get to it. The map showed a couple of paths, but having tried one and got stuck we had to turn back. A bit further along we found a better way and eventually strolled up to the small farmhouse. No one seemed to be around so we set up our tent and got out some cooking equipment. Later Hannah did find someone to pay, but that was all we saw of them. They were looking after sheep, and walkers were of little interest I suppose.
 

Traffic on the Cleveland Way.

 

Up onto the moors.

 

Looking North East, with Roseberry Topping in the distance.