Day 12: Grosmont to Robin Hood's Bay. .. the finale

We've made it to the last day!  To celebrate we're having porridge for breakfast - the full English has finally got the better of us.  This morning we need good walking fuel!

The first hour of the day it's all uphill (literally) as we climb out of the valleys back up onto the familiarity of the moors for one final time.

Oh yes, and we haven't seen the last of the bogs either - the walk has certainly saved some of the best of those for the last day!

We were so looking forward to seeing the boys in RHB, and were just debating whether they'd left home yet or not when my phone buzzed with a request from les for the postcode of his destination! Now considering I was standing in a very muddy field in the middle of nowhere you can imagine my response...

Our first snack stop of the day was littlebeck - followed by a lovely walk through woodland following the beck. Halfway through we came across a fab tea rooms set up at a place called Midge Hall next to a waterfall with fab homemade cake. Perfect timing for a break!

From there we climbed back out of the valley to be rewarded with views of Whitby and the abbey - our destination was in sight.

What follows is a "stroll" across 2 moors, described in the book as boggy, very boggy and extremely boggy in places.  Well the "boggy" came halfway up the boots, the "very boggy" was over the boots - we couldn't wait to see where the "extremely boggy" came up to.  We both had visions of us sinking into oblivion with just our walking poles pointing the way out!

Thankfully someone had thought to build a walkway over the worst bit otherwise we would have been bog snorkeling.

Finally... saying goodbye to the bogs we headed for the coast and the headland walk into RHB.

Even the rain didn't dampen our determination to finish and we eventually made it into RHB at about 6.30 to find the welcoming committee in the hotel bar of all places - though we shouldn't really have been that surprised should we?

Day 11: Blakey Ridge to Grosmont

Yet another brekkie, and another morning setting off wondering what the weather has in store...

At least we can see where we're going today, beautiful bleak moorland, with the grouse cackling at us as we walk.

The views across the moors back towards the lion Inn are amazing - although we seem to be walking big zigzags today, around one ridge then another with views into green cultivated valleys showing the contrast of the moors above.

From the tops we then wound down into Glaisdale to follow the river through Egton to Grosmont - which Les would have loved as they had steam trains!

Stayed at a lovely b&b right opposite the pub so I didn't even have to put my boots on to get dinner!

Feels weird as it's our last night before finishing - we can't quite believe we've made it this far. We're so close to our goal we're just hoping the feet get us to the end as they're really hurting now - think we'll be finishing on painkillers and Mars bars...

Day 10: Green Bank to Blakey Ridge

Thank goodness Bev had her coffee fix this morning, I'm not sure I could have survived another day of enforced coffee abstention - to say she's mardy without it is an understatement!

Well the weather forecast was optimistic to say the least the promised temp of 16 never materialised - the North York Moors resembled the set of wuthering heights with swirling clouds and winds cutting the visibility to 20m. Good job the path was easy to follow we didn't fancy getting lost up here today!

We were laughed at by numerous grouse and sheep as we mumbled our way past on what seemed like the longest 10 mile stretch ever. We've seen 2 people all day and coming over the ridge to find the Lion Inn was a very welcome sight.

The pub is a lovely old Inn which has a great menu and selection of beer - happy days...

I know the pic is crap but this is all we've been able to see all day.

Day 9: Danby Wiske to Green Bank

After waking up in the over-insulated shed we decided to get an early start, despite being offered a cuppa by our hosts (I suspect because we owed them extra for the so-called upgrade...)
We just wanted to get out of there and on our way.

Today was muchly better.  In fact it probably is the top contender for best day overall.

Started off a bit murky but the sun (yes I actually said sun) soon cleared that and we enjoyed some relatively easy going through woodland and up onto moors.

The images show our lunch stop for the day - the only time we've actually been able to sit and enjoy the view without getting soaked or freezing our bits off!

With Bev having missed her morning cuppa she was a bit of a bear with a sore head, so I'd promised her a coffee at Lord Stones Cafe while we waited for our lift.

Would have been pretty idyllic except it's currently shut for renovation with no sign of it opening anytime soon.  Boy was I in the bad books...

We nearly got ourselves involved in our second rescue of the trip as mountain rescue roared to a halt beside us, cropped the lock and went in search of an injured biker. Must have been a bad one as 5 vehicles turned out including 2 ambulances...

We called our b&b for the night and waited for the lovely Sue to collect us. After the debacle of Danby Wiske, Sue from the Four Wynds b&b couldn't have been more accommodating.  Not only did she collect us, make us tea and coffee (with homemade flapjack! ), put 2 deckchairs out so we could sit in the sun, she also drove us to the pub to eat, collected us and dropped us back on track the next morning following a fab brekkie.

And Jess the beautiful old collie insisted we play with her in the garden - Ruby mk2!

Day 8: Applegarth to Danby Wiske

Well after a very, very wet night in the sieve that passes for a tent we were both looking forward to a hot shower and hot drink to set us up for the day. Hot shower - tick, hot drink - dream on! Now most places we've stayed the hosts go out of their way to make sure their guests are looked after... however at the White Swan, despite it still raining we were deliberately locked out of the pub and were not going to be allowed in until the b&b guests had gone and the chores done. Just plain rude if you ask us!

So that's no coffee for the coffee monster, thank goodness for Tom & Leanne and their pack-up, kept us going through the rain!

It was a pleasant if wet walk into Richmond but past there it turned into a painful slog through boggy woods, past Catterick, more road and finally back to the White Swan - oh goody...

Chinese restaurant tonight with Tom and leanne - really good meal, then back to Danby Wiske.  Tonight's accommodation is a very bizarre cross between a shed and a sauna (we were upgraded from the tent as we couldn't find a b&b with space unfortunately). At least it's dry.

Day 7: Keld to Applegarth

After a fab nights sleep in the yurt we were delivered a delicious breakfast (warm baguettes loaded with bacon and eggs), collected our packed lunches and off we set.

Ten minutes later just as we were crossing the beck who should we be passed by yet again but mountain man in shorts and his mate (who always seemed to be wearing full waterproofs whatever the weather). We thought we'd seen the last of them in Shap as they were going a lot quicker than us to finish so that the mate could go on holiday! I think they'd also managed to shake the amorous German off too...

There are a choice of routes from here - we decided to take the low road and give the legs a bit of a break with a lovely walk alongside the river swale. The weather was actually quite kind to us today and we managed to get down to t-shirts for the first time.

A quick drink stop in Gunnerside at the tea rooms and we were off again. Now so far, apart from Nicky's trench foot and blisters we've been quite lucky with the injury count, until Bev suddenly started experiencing knee pain... uh oh!! Uphill and flat ground are fine but downhill is proving painful. So we're now both great apart from going downhill which is slowing us down somewhat.

The aim of today was to get to Applegarth where Tom and Leanne were collecting us and driving us to camp at Danby Wiske. We arrived at the pub (White Swan Inn) and it took ages for someone to get around to showing us where to pitch the tent etc. We wanted to eat there too - not a lot of choice on the menu and they didn't seem all that keen to fit us in. The food was pretty good (probably due to the local farm sausages and pies) and we turned in for an early night.

To say it rained would be an understatement - it poured... allllll night. The tent really couldn't cope with the volume of water being thrown at it and sprung leaks all over the place. There was I thinking I'd have a nice cosy night with dry feet (think again Nicky) We woke up with wet sleeping bags, pillows and clothes...
Tbc

Day 6: the barn to the yurt (Keld)

Having had a really good night in the barn, waking up to a lovely sunrise and the birth of a lamb was a great start to the day.

Following a breakfast of tea/coffee and biscuits we decided to leave early for Kirkby Stephen and call in for elevenses at the Pink Geranium.

Good choice for food.  I had a great jacket spud with prawns while Bev tucked into ham, egg and chips.

The normal route from here takes you up and over Nine Standards Riggs - there are 3 alternative paths, all of which are boggy in normal conditions - we were advised to take the road to Keld, bit of a slog but saved having soaking feet again.

The yurts at Keld were a very welcome sight for the foot weary walkers, and the cold beers delivered directly to our door were a godsend!

We couldn't have asked for better hosts.  Ian and Michelle were stars.  We ordered dinner, which was home cooked and delicious and delivered to the yurt.  The breakfast rolls (baguettes with bacon and eggs in) were heavenly and also delivered.

The yurts themselves were brought over from Mongolia in kit from and erected on site.  They have a wood burning stove in the middle, enough space to sleep 4, and plenty of games to play. And they even have fairy lights that come on at night. I think we'd both like to go back sometime and spend some time exploring the area.

We've now reached the halfway point of the walk and are both feeling a bit battered, 

Although the blister count is very much in Bev's favour, or you could say Nicky's winning 10 - 0!!

Day 5: Fall flat (supplementary log)

Check the name on the gate....
To say Bev couldn't stop laughing would be an understatement!

Day 5: Shap to Bents Farm Camping Barn

Day started well.  Short walk from Shap to cross the M6 and from there up onto the moors. Very bleak but impressive landscape, very different from the lakes, but no less isolated (sorry Bev, still no coffee shops).

And yes, we're still bog trotting!! Nicky decided that she really could jump the bogs (forgot she was wearing a backpack) and landed face first in the mud - so much for clean ish trousers. .. (see the supplementary post for a laugh! !) Bev has not let Nicky forget this little incident since...

And of course we're still smiling. Especially when we came across a tearoom serving cream teas at just the right time of day. Bliss!

Although Bev did have a major sense of humour failure when we arrived at our accommodation for the evening. A camping barn in the middle of nowhere (an old 16th C shepherd's cottage) - brilliant as far as I was concerned, minorly better once I'd got a hot drink and meal into Bev and we were cuddled up in our respective sleeping bags with 2 hot water bottles each (no, I'm not kidding! )

I'm so glad Bev went to sleep quickly as the sheep and lambs were banging on the door to be let in all night, and there were 3 sat on the doorstep in the morning.

Highlight of the morning; watching a lamb being born right outside the window. Aaahhh.

Day 4: Patterdale to Shap

Another cold and blustery day started with a fab breakfast then an interesting climb onto Kidsty Pike. Climbs to the highest point on the coast to coast, and yes apparently the views can be spectacular when it's not wall to wall cloud - there would be more pics if the weather had played ball but most of the time we had our heads down, hoods up and just kept the feet moving.

We arrived in shap in pretty good time (for us) and headed for the Shap Chippy for tea.  Best fish and chips I've had in ages!

Warning for anyone doing the coast to coast this year - the greyhound pub/hotel is closed and if you are booked in you'll need to find alternative arrangements.

We stayed at New Ing Lodge and it's to be highly recommended.  The 2 brothers, Jamie and Scott, have renovated the rooms to a high standard and the breakfast's are great. They even gave Ronnie (the aussie with the broken leg) a lift to the pub and back.

It's also the place we first came across mountain man with the shorts and the green jacket (although he'd already strolled past us up Lining Crag - having long legs made short work of that! ) apparently he was getting away from an overly amorous German chap...

Day 3: Borrowdale to Patterdale

Probably our hardest day yet. Most of our kit was still wet despite the best efforts of the drying room, but with the hostel full and everyone having a wet day I'm not surprised it hadn't all dried out.

The worst bit was my boots. Sponges might have been a more apt descriptor, whoever described them as waterproof had obviously never field tested them in the lakes!

Some very steep uppity bits today, the views of Eagle Crag were stunning, then followed a steep scramble (sorry Bev) up Lining Crag, made more interesting by the hailstones pinging off the backs of our ears and coating the already slippery rocks with an interesting layer of marbles.

The (extremely) long walk into Grasmere really took it out of our legs so a tea stop was called for, and a new rucksack for Bev as she carelessly broke the one she had.

Off we set again on another gruelling ascent and descent into Patterdale. What else can I say except it rained...

The highlight of the day for me was seeing an old friend for the first time in 10 years. Lucy brought the 3 kids along too and we had a great natter and catch up at Patterdale yha.

The hostels have been brilliant. Great food and great value- we would recommend them to anyone!

Day 2: Ennerdale Bridge to Borrowdale

The day started walking along the edge of Ennerdale Water, lovely scenery and good company (you start seeing the same crowd everywhere you go - (WARNING -builds camaraderie, and can lead to playing Trivial Pursuit in youth hostels! )

We had a bit of a scramble round Anglers Crag amd Bev chose this moment to say that she's not great with heights, edges or drops!

After a bit of coaxing we made it to flatter terrain and that's when the rain started. Now if I'd wanted to take up bog-trotting I'd have gone to Ireland, not the Lakes in the middle of May. I have never seen so much water on the fells at this time of year, let alone wrung as much out of my socks at the end of the day!

The next stretch to Black Sail YH was a stroll through the forest in lashing rain.  When we got to the hostel Bev's face was a picture as we were staying in hostels for the next couple of nights and Black Sail is a bit basic and was full to the brim of dripping wet walkers all trying to warm up.

We had a cup of hot choc and some cake to ready us for the next onslaught.

More bogs and a very indistinct path led us to the steep climb up Loft Beck to the aptly tagged "Boggy Saddle". From here the path leads round Grey Knotts and down towards Honister Slate Mine.

It was here we came across Chris and Bill. Now we're not the quickest walkers in the world but we get the job done, and being overtaken is part of the day for us, gives us a chance for a quick gossip! So there we were thinking 'Yes! We're actually catching up to someone for a change', until we saw why we were catching them. Chris had happened to hear Bill in distress and had found him wandering lost and freezing cold.  His legs had gone, he was suffering exposure and hypothermia and was not wearing wet weather gear or boots. The 3 of us couldn't keep him moving, even with Chris giving him a fireman's lift, so the decision was made for Chris to hotfoot it down to the slate mine while Bev and I sat with Bill to keep him warm. After carrying an emergency blanket in my kit for 30 years this was the first time I had ever used one! It always pays to be prepared! After about 40mins of sitting on very wet ground in the rain and wind we were freezing, so goodness knows how cold Bill was, Chris appeared over the horizon in his 4x4, parked on the old quarry road and armed with a couple of guys ran across to where we were, scooped Bill up and away to the slate museum. We followed in Chris's car to a very welcome hot cuppa while the paramedics checked Bill out and took him to hospital.

Chris kindly offered us a lift to the hostel as we were soaked to the skin and shivering so much I'm not sure I could have walked another step. At the hostel it seemed everyone had come across Bill at some point through the day, I'm just glad Chris heard him and we got him help in time.

I think we deserved our bottle of red tonight!!

And to top the day off, who should we be sharing a room with- mrs RG!

Day 1...

The start at St bees was a lovely climb, which got windier and windier, then wetter and wetter until we had hailstones blowing horizontal trying to push us sideways into the hill.

As we turned inland the weather gradually got better until the sun came out.  It was at this point the fun and games started!

"Robin Gibb" appeared from a very strange direction saying "don't go that way". Our mantra became "ah, ah, ah, ah, staying alive, staying alive..."  accompanied by lots of giggles!

We encountered RG and his wife several times that day, mostly when he'd gone wrong.

By the end of the day his poor suffering wife seemed to have disowned him and decided to take over the route finding. (In other words followed everyone else!)

The views from dent hill were stunning, good weather was followed by an excruciating downhill, very steep and ankle-turning!

The walk into ennerdale bridge was long and tiring for the first day, we saw a few people stopped to brew up by the path, a farmer on his quad bike looking for his herd of cows (which we found later 2 valleys further on! )

It was lovely to see Les wandering up the path to meet us, and then even nicer to get the soggy boots off and down a pint...

The campsite in St Bees was fab, in the garden of Stonehouse farm.  Hot showers, stones throw from the pub and really friendly, even offered to dry our boots for us.

Link to fundraising page

I've been asked to post the link to the fundraising page, so here it is:
uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/c2c2013

Thank you!!

We've arrived! !

Well here we are in St Bees, we were supposed to be staying in Ennerdale Bridge- but the supposed "campsite" turned out to be a very muddy track to a field full of sheep, now I don't mind sharing my tent with les, but I draw the line at a flock of sheep!

We're now camped in a farm in St Bees at Stonehouse farm, really friendly and helpful considering we hadn't booked in

The food in the Queens hotel is excellent and to be recommended! Just time for another pint, then off to bed...

Night night said zebedee!

Packing panic ensues

Tent...... check
Maps.... check
Comfy boots... check
Blister plasters... check!

Have I forgotten anything? Probably, but I'm sure I'll survive without it for 12 days, as long as I can stay warm, dry-ish and look forward to a pint at the end of the day I'll be happy.

Right back to the packing.....

Nearly here. ..

Well here I am waiting for a train at Lincoln (coz silly me missed the last one by seconds!) and I thought it was time to update everyone.

The packing is sat on the spare bed ready to go in the rucksack, just need to get the tent etc out of the loft, take number 3 dog to the kennels and Fri morning we'll be off!

We're camping at ennerdale bridge for the first 2 nights as we'll have les with us to watch the gear (and drink beer, as we're camping at a pub! )

I've just had a fab Indian Head massage courtesy of the lovely Yvette Karan, and I'm now feeling relaxed and sleepy, which is a bit of a bugger as I've still got work to do... oh well, best laid plans and all that!

Lots to finish before heading off, I'm now really looking forward to getting away from it all for a couple of weeks.

A huge thank you for all the sponsorship money raised so far, , online and offline donors have been really generous.

I've been keeping my beady eye on the weather, and it seems like a band of rain is going to track us as we walk west to east-please can we have at least one day of sunshine!

If you'd like to sponsor us online go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/c2c2013