Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Riding through the Glen!

The final day....

Started with more trains. Became a tough slog on foot. Great to have a support crew. Yummy Cream Tea at Falling Foss

A need for a "pick me up half" at the Hare & Hounds. Bloody Wainwright for not making a route in a straight line! Nice sea views. 

Thank goodness - we've only gone and ruddy-well done it! Bloody Bay Hotel for not having the Wainwright Bar open! Fond farewells to fellow coast to coasters! Yummy fish & chips. Wobbly walk along the beach to bed at Boggle Hole!

Super glad we've finished the trek for Big Bad Babs, it would have been nice to do the whole thing on foot, but very pleased to have crossed the whole of England under my own steam!

Steaming ahead...

This morning, I donned my walking boots as we left the Royal Oak in Gillamoor. Kathy drove Robert, Urs and I up to The Lion Inn at Blakey to carry on with the walk to Grosmont. It was our penultimate day.

It was lovely to actually get a chance to walk through the heather and across the grouse moor; where we came across some beaters pushing the game towards the butts further up the hill. We had a long walk across Glaisdale Moor and were very delighted to meet up with Kathy at the pub in Carr End for lunch.

We then had a nice walk through the gladed Esk Valley. Across several fords that were as a try as a bone, but we did get to walk across some stepping stones.

It was all excitement as we headed towards Grosmont as we passed a crowd of people heading across to the Grosmont Beer & Music festival. Then in Grosmont itself we got a real show with the steam trains!

Urs and I stayed in the Geall Gallery where they cooked us a lovely meal that topped of our night. An early one again, all this walking malarkey is hard work!!!

Osmothering!!

Basil Fawlty waved us off from the pub in the morning. I was still on the bike and Urs was looking forward to another short walk on her own.

It wasn't the most exciting of walks or countryside. There were more rolling hills to attempt to cycle up. At last we're in the third national park!!!

Osmotherley was a welcome sight, especially the three pubs!

The franchised youth hostel was a disappointment, so we spent a good few hours in the village picking up post cards and having a perfect coffee.

It was an early night as we had a long day ahead!

Less is moor (pun intended!)

Urs hot footed it out of the YHA at 7.15am off up and over the north Yorkshire moors which were looking resplendent covered in purple heather.  The first half of Wainwright's route went along the northernmost ridge of the moors offering some great views and a first glimpse of the North Sea.   Urs tramped for over 20 miles on her own today with only the red grouse to speak to, thank goodness that the Lion Inn at Blakey finally came into view offering a cold beer and comfy seat and a chance to catch up with some fellow coast to coasters.

I meanwhile was off on the bike again...

I left about an hour later, taking a controversial footpath straight up to the Cleveland Way. I mainly walked this bit as it was so steep I felt like I was trying to push a bike up a mountain (wait a minute, I pretty much was). Once on the Cleveland Way it was nice to be able to cycle along the moor off road.  I passed a phenomenal amount of sheep and a ranger in a Landrover fixing a dry-stone wall. A bit like Urs, I spent most of the day without seeing a human soul.

I dropped down off the moorland and had a bit of a dilemma, stick to crazy off roading along unknown bridle paths or attempt the unknown country roads. Luckily I bumped into another cyclist who advised me to use the off pisting routes.  The local roads are a notorious speed route fir motor bikers and she was certain my bike would stand up to the bridlepaths - my fitness levels on the other hand may not!! 

Anyway, after much blood, sweat and mud (instead of tears) I managed 38 miles of off roading - I must have walked about 4 of them. I was very relieved to see the village of Gilamoor and the pub that was to be tonight's accommodation. As Issy Sanderson only lives "round the corner" she popped over the 40 miles for a catch up and provided a taxi service for Urs from the Lion Inn to Gillamoor. So a huge thanks to Issy for that one.

My Uncle Robert & Auntie Kathy turned up to join us for dinner and the next two days of the trek.

My drink for this evening will be a famous grouse please!

Passing over the A1...

We decided on a curry last night, which gave us the energy to say goodbye to Tim and head off to Danby Wiske. Wainwright is quite damning with this section of the walk due to the roads and the lack of kind hospitality; but luckily the hospitality element has changed since 1972.

We set off from Richmond, after a breakfast that included fried bread - fried bread! Not had that in at least 10 years!! But before we'd even reached the market place my foot was not standing up to the day's walk. We made the definitive decision that I should bike the next section to give my foot some more time. Urs was very happy to have a little pootle on her todd.

I found a very nice cycle path through Catterick, which went passed all the barracks and Help for Heroes Recovery Centre. It was a stark contrast to all the countryside of the passed week.

We met up at the Farmer's Arms in Catterick for our pasty pack lunch (race day tomorrow, sad we missed the opportunity to place a bet). Urs set off at a fine lick and I had another lime and soda in the pub. I then passed Urs again, as it was a day of walking along the farming lanes of Yorkshire. The farming geek in me was excited to see some silaging.

We had a nice day chatting with fellow coast to coasters as everyone staying in the village seemed to come to our Inn, just working out our detour for the Osmotherley YHA tomorrow.

Day 9 - trekking in various senses of the word.

Today was the 101th (stet) Reeth Agricultural Show. After hearing about the death threats regarding the entries for the ginger bread competition, it sounded like it was going to be a proper village affair. We're sad not to have got a chance to go along. We said goodbye to Elizabeth, John & Anne.

My foot is super sore, so I decided to take a slight deviation in an attempt to give it a bit of light relief. The friendly people at the Dale Bike Centre rented me a mountain bike so that I could cycle to Richmond, where they will kindly pick it up tomorrow. Urs & Tim took on the power walk challenge and completed the 10 mile section of the walk in 4 hours.

My cycle route, was by no mean easy, I can see why the Tour de France are thinking of setting a stage here next year. I attempted to cycle up a hill that had three gradient chevrons on the map!! Needless to say at two points I had to get off and push. I headed off road across some bridle paths for the full experience. I met Tim & Urs along the route and we then had a race to see who could get to the Buck Hotel first... 

The winners were Tim & Urs, as I sneaked off to Mountain Warehouse for some emergency walking provisions. We're looking forward to exploring the bright lights of Richmond this evening before Tim leaves us and it's back to just Urs & I for a few sections.

A stroll along the Swale

After a "romantic" night in the most remote of our B&Bs, that involved beef chilli, rhubarb trifle and log fires we had a bumpy lift up the drive in the owner's Landrover so we could start our day at Keld. Elizabeth was still with us and we met Auntie Anne & John by the pub before we headed off.

It was a beautiful misty morning when we left, that slowly burned off, giving us some great views along the river. The Swale is such a colour, the peat and iron deposits making it take on an almost pink colour in the sun and that of a fine Yorkshire Ale when the sun pops behind a cloud.

We stopped at Gunnerside for lunch. We were hopping to get a nice drink in the pub, but sadly like so many country establishments it has closed. The main challenge of the day was the number of stone wall styles we had to cross, we decided that Yorkshire walking is not for people larger than a size 6!

We stopped my Isles Bridge for a bit of a feet dip in the river. Elizabeth cunningly produced a small bottle of fizz from her bag so that we could have a little toast to my mum, dad and step-dad.

We turned up in Reeth about 5.30ish having done 14 miles. Anne's longest walk to date.  The Dales Bike centre were very welcome and we got a little excited that we had wi-fi signal. We had a grand dinner in the Grinton Bridge, where we learnt some great Cumbrian definitions. All in all a great morale boost for me and Urs.