Day 18 - Grosmont to Robin Hoods Bay

Today should be our last day on the Coast-to-Coast walk.  Fittingly, it rained for much of the night, and our tent is sodden.  We pack it down and leave it with the rest of our overnight gear for the luggage carrying company to pick up; then off into Grosmont for a 9:30am breakfast at the local shop, as none of the cafes have yet opened.  Fortunately the shop keeper comes to the rescue by making Fiona a cup of tea.  Fiona without tea in the morning - it just doesn't bear thinking about.  We drink our tea and coffee on the station platform, watching the staff of the North York Moors Historic Railway prepare a steam engine for its day's work.

We finally get walking at 10:00am, across another section of moor land. It starts raining again, and continues for the rest of the day.  At midday we enter a forest, where we sight the only deer that we have seen on the walk.  Unfortunately it does not stay around for a photo.

Then off across one last moor, before reaching the coast a few kilometres north of Robin Hoods Bay.

Followed by a spectacular, grey, rainy, walk along the coast - which is probably only appropriate for the North Sea - 

before reaching Robin Hoods Bay at 6:00pm.  We have a quick shower, then head to the pub that the guidebooks states is the gathering place for Coast-to-Coasters.  Here we met up with six other people who have also finished the C2C today.  One of them is new to us, but the other five we have seen regularly over the past few days.  Hot dinners are eaten, and C2C stories (both good and bad) are swapped.  

I am smiling - it is just that the rain has washed my teeth away

That is the end of our soggy Coast-to-Coast adventure.  I'll write up a summary next week.  The next adventure, real life (including finding a way to pay for these reckless walking endeavours). 

Distance walked today: 25km

Total distance walked - a little over 300km

As he hurried along, eagerly anticipating the moment when he would be at home again among the things he knew and liked, the Mole saw clearly that he was an animal of tilled field and hedgerow, linked to the ploughed furrow, the frequented pasture, the lane of evening lingerings, the cultivated garden-plot. For others the asperities, the stubborn endurance, or the clash of actual conflict, that went with Nature in the rough; he must be wise, must keep to the pleasant places in which his lines were laid and which held adventure enough, in their way, to last for a lifetime.

- Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Day 17 - Blakey Ridge to Grosmont

The day starts off with some blue sky over the moors;

which soon becomes grey skys over the moors,

and then it starts raining, again.

Fortunately the rain only lasts for 20 minutes, although it does remain overcast for the rest of the day.  We get to see some cute old shepherd's huts,

and to practice our grouse stalking skills again - which involve walking up to grouse just a little bit more slowly than we would normally walk.

Fiona demonstrates her skill as a huntress, by walking to within 4 metres of a grouse.

Idea for how to turn grouse hunting into a real skill-based sport - Make it that the hunter has to hit the grouse with a thrown unweighted beach ball.  The sport would then be re-named "Grouse Bunting", be administered by "The Royal and Ancient Society of Grouse Bunters".  and with the beginning of the bunting season each year the moors would abound with bunters demonstrating their skill with a brace of brightly coloured beach balls.  

We finish the day at Grosmont where we camp in a farmer's field, then walk into the village for dinner at  an inn.

Distance walked today: 20km

Day 16 - Lord Stones to Blakey Ridge

Yeah, the weather has cleared making for lovely walking on the North Yorkshire moors.  Heather as far as the eye can see.  This has to be one of the most purple landscapes in the world.  There are grouse everywhere, popping up out of bushes at the edge of the path, giving me a fright, then letting lose with their gurgling laugh.  Grouse have a warped sense of humour.

A sheep with the dreaded Blue Bum disease

Ancient boundary marker between two lord's lands.

For anyone who is wondering how difficult grouse shooting is - here is an unmagnified mobile phone photo of a grouse (centre of picture - not to be confused with the sheep in the right of picture).  Grouse have to be some of the stupidest / tamest birds in the world.  As long as you can hit a target the size of a chicken, with a shot gun, at a range of 4m, you'll be fine grouse shooting.  We found that mostly grouse just ran down the path in front of us.

Toward the end of the day we come across two 15cm long animals locked in combat on the path.  Subsequent research on the internet identified them as weasles.  We sat and watched the fight for five minutes.  It was like watching a gladitorial contest - between two socks.

Distance walked today: 20km

Day 15 - Oaktree Hill to Lord Stones

We get off to our earliest start ever - 8:20am.  Why?  Because we need to walk 25km to a camp ground that we are told closes at 5:00pm.  Another day in rain.  Well, lets be honest.  Not so much rain as drizzle; heavy drizzle though.  In Richmond Fiona purchased a product to waterproof her boots, and it is having no affect at all.  We climb up into a set of low hills in the mist, then set out across heather clad moors.  

It's lovely, but damn damp.  

Apparently if it was clear we would be able to see the North Sea, but all that we can see is a sea of heather.

Fact for the day - As a result of freak atmopsheric conditions, the North Yorkshire moors are one of the few place in the world where you can see the curviture of the earth.

We camp for the night at Lord Stones Camp Ground, and cook for ourselves on our camp stove.  As a result of another day in soaking boots, Fiona is very cold, so crawls into bed at 6:00pm and refuses to get out of her sleeping bag until after 7:45am.

Distance walked today: 25km