Day 9 C2C Richmond to Ingleby Cross

Originally uploaded by flickrkw

Picture is of The White Swan, Danby Wiske.

I’m shattered after our walk today, so it’ll be a short post tonight. We were delighted that the Black Lion Hotel started serving breakast at 6.45 and we were heading out of Richmond by 7.30. We made brilliant progress and arrived at Catterick half an hour ahead of schedule.

We managed to keep up the pace and arrived at Danby Wiske at lunchtime. Have to admit to struggling for the last four miles, the feet were aching but it hurt more to stop.

Clive and I arrived at Ingleby Cross at 4.45pm with Richard 20 minutes behind. The whole 23 mile walk took 9.5 hours including stops.

Off to bed now. 11 mile day tomorrow - Ingleby Cross to Chop Gate. Aiming to be away by 8.30am.

Day 8 C2C Reeth to Richmond

Originally uploaded by flickrkw

As it was such a short day’s walking I went easy on the breakfast and skipped cereal. And we arranged that I would spend some time in Reeth while Clive and Richard set off for Richmond.

I took a few photos in Reeth’s village centre and had another look in the Scenic View Gallery. Unfortunately it wasn’t open until 10am. They specialise in Landscape photography and have captured some fabulous shots in and around Swaledale. Definitely worth a revisit.

I set off at 8.50am down through the village and out the other side, picking up the Grinton foothpath. Most of the walking was over farmland and easy underfoot. I made good progress and arrived at the outskirts of Marske at about 11am. By now I was walking on tarmac and heading into the village down a very sharp hill, which aggravated my right knee to the point of limping.

Having had enough of this by the time I’d reached the village centre I found a convenient seat by a bus stop that was too irrisistable to pass. There was nothing for it but to stop and eat one of my snack bars and have a drink.

I spent about half an hour there, and when two more walkers arrived 8 packed up and left so they could use the seat.

Crossing more meadows I came across a chap who’d done the Coast to Coast Walk 12 times in the last 14 years. Lots of information came my way. Of course he no longer needed to use maps.

Heading on, I reached what is commonly known as the Applegarth Riviera. Once the other side of it and through a woodland area I picked up a tarmac road into Richmond arriving at the Black Lion Hotel (really a pub) at 1.20pm.

A quick exchange of phone calls and I was sitting in the Crossview Tearooms with Clive and Richard tucking into sandwiches and the best cup of coffee since starting the journey.

Well, that was the shortest day so far at 10 miles and tomorrow we start the longest day at 23 miles. Wish us luck.

Day 7 C2C Keld to Reeth

Originally uploaded by flickrkw

The picture to the right is looking back at the Tan Hill Inn.

Shortly before we left Tan Hill Inn it was still raining and I thought we’d be in for showers throughout the day. Instead we got sunshine and a cool, gentle breeze.

Because richard and my boots were still damp and it was obvious neither of us had boots that would keep out the wet we took the road to Keld instead of the parallel footpath, which undoubtedly would have been waterlogged from the previous day’s rain.

The knee wasn’t playing up so with The Who’s Quadrophenia playing on the MP3 player I left the other two taking photographs and strode out. At some point on the road to Keld Tracey, landlady of the Tan Hill Inn, pulled alongside and wished me well for the rest of the walk before taking off down the road like a true local.

Three quarters of the way to Keld, in the middle of The Who’s Who’s Next album the batteries ran out. Checking my pockets I discovered that not only had I left spare batteries in my room at Tan Hill, but far more importantly that’s where the black stone I’d picked up at St. Bees Head. It’s traditional to carry one from one side of the country to the other. Didn’t feel too happy about that.

It’s always been agreed that if one of us is in front and gets to a point where he isn’t sure which way to go then he’ll wait for the other two. So when I got to Keld I checked out how to get onto the footpath. It seemed straightforward so off I went out through the back of Keld, crossed The Swale, climbed the bank and found Clive sat on a bench with Richard joining me on the footpath.

It turns out they’d cut off a corner, saving about a mile, and we’d reached that point almost simultaneously. From there we pressed on down Swaledale and stopped by the banks of the Swale for lunch.

Who should stop by but the two women we’d guided into Kirkby Stephen the day before yesterday. We asked where they’d stayed last night and it turns out they’d got as far as Nine Standards, and then turned back to Kirkby Stephen due to the atrocious weather.

About 2.30pm we reached Gunnerside and stopped for a cream tea; this had been planned in January when we spotted it passing through on our reccy.

Most of the rest of the journey passed through Swaledale’s meadows and ridiculously narrow stone wall stiles. We arrived in Reeth at 5.30pm, changed and took a look round the village. Later we went for a meal at The Black Bull where I had a totally forgetable curry. Then back to the BB for an early night.