C2C - The Epilogue
Before I start, I’d like to wish my sister a very happy birthday - just before she goes to bed. I think it’s about 11pm in New Zealand now. Thank god for Amazon gift vouchers!
It’s been a week since Clive Catton, Richard Poole and myself walked down onto the beach at Robin Hood’s Bay, and enough time to look back dispassionately at the events that unfurled during the previous two weeks.
If you want to read a daily account of the journey seen through my eyes it’s best to start at Day 1, funnily enough, and use the next page links at the bottom of each blog post. All blog posts were sent using my mobile phone; this was partly an exercise in helping me prepare for a talk I’m doing at Wordcamp UK 2008.
Perhaps the events over those two weeks show that no matter how much planning goes into these jollies you just can’t foresee every eventuality. Like Clive needing to replace his walking boots a few days before embarking. And my knee giving me troubles almost from the very start despite all the miles I’d put into my legs the previous year. Or my Digital SLR packing up after getting a soaking inside the rucksack during 87mph winds.
The walk started well with a delicious meal at Platform 9 the night before. We probably wouldn’t have eaten there but for our late arrival - and leaving the guesthouse to book us a table somewhere.
Right from day 1 (7 miles into the walk in fact) I was plagued with knee trouble - no hint of this until the weekend before when I put it down to walking on tarmac for 17 miles. For me, it put a damper on things as I was always concerned if it got worse I might have to retire.
Day 2 was memorable for the descent to Honister having come over from the Ennerdale valley and the shadow of Haystacks. The problem was the descent, coping with the man made steps and the jarring effect. Day 4 had a particularly bad descent from Kidsty Pike for me, and that put us an hour behind schedule - we’d been doing well up until then. But the walk alongside Haweswater was delightful, sun shining and no steep ascents/descents.
At one point Clive suggested I might have to take a taxi at Orton on day 5 if I couldn’t keep up the pace. That didn’t happen but I paid for it a mile from the end. But it did show that if it got no worse I’d see it through.
Day 6 weatherwise was the day from hell. 87mph winds, horizontal rain, being soaked to the skin and ultimately discovering my DSLR had ingested enough water to cause the camera and lens to become disfunctional. Another highlight of day 6, if you could call it that, was the ducklings, sheep, cats and dogs at Tan Hill Inn. It’s not often you see sheep cr*pping in a restaurant - sorry if that was too much information. And the landlady - a formidable woman. If humiliation is your thing don’t pay a professional mistress, just pay a visit to the landlady at Tan Hill and she’ll give you all the abuse you can handle for free.
Day 7 was remarkable for the change in weather conditions - sunny day, warm and a lovely walk beside the Swale on our way to Reeth. Day 8 was equally pleasant with only a 10 mile stroll into Richmond, the only place of any size we visited during the walk itself.
And I must just mention Alan Clark of Xionox Computers, he transferred all the images on my little Fuji F30 memory card to a DVD, which meant I had a camera I could use, and refused to take any payment. He’d been manager of the shop for several years, and month ago bought the business from the previous owner - I wish him well as he takes the helm.
From Richmond to the final day passed by with very little drama. I was taking painkillers and coping with the knee quite successfully.
I think any issues we had were over our mis-matched pace, but despite any niggles about this we got over it and each of us now has a deeper insight into the others character traits and we’ve come out of it smiling at the other end.
Would I do it again? I’d love to… but only when the knee is sorted - anyone know a good chiropractor?