The Coast to Coast Path is a 190 mile (320km) walk that spans the north of England, from St Bees on the Cumbrian coast of the Irish Sea to Robin Hood’s Bay on the coast of the North Sea, and is considered to be the most popular long-distance footpath in England.  Devised by Alfred Wainright, more than 40 years ago, it is a joining of various footpaths and byways that provides a magnificent snapshot of the natural beauty that this part of the UK has to offer.  Around two-thirds of the walk is spent in the national parks of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors, the dramatic scenery taking walkers from high fells to peaceful lakes, woodlands and bleak, bare (but eerily beautiful) moors.

Despite revisiting the question a number of times over the 15 days we took to complete the walk, I cannot for the life of me remember where the idea of walking the Coast to Coast Path came from.  I do know that preparations were taking place back in January when we were lounging around in the tropical sunshine of Port Douglas and well recall numerous long distance phone calls in an attempt to secure dog friendly accommodation along the route.  But why this particular walk, escapes me.  

We arrived in St Bees late afternoon on a grey rainy day.  The Sat Nav had directed us away from the motorway about 45 miles previously and for the last hour and a half of the journey we had been chugging along narrow country lanes with an occasional top speed of 30 mph.  It didn’t take us long to find our accommodation for the next couple of nights, as The Stonehouse Farm B&B was situated slap bang in the middle of the High Street.  The white-washed building, surrounded by a motley collection of out-houses, sheds and yards was very much a working farm although, following the devastating foot and mouth outbreak in 2001, the sheep farming had been replaced with hay farming which was delivered all over the area by a large and very speedy tractor.  We were welcomed inside by Carole and introduced to her daughter, ten dogs (six of whom were just two weeks old) and four cats.  Feeling quite at home we hauled too many bags into one of the additional buildings and set about separating items that would be accompanying us on the walk and items to be delivered to Robin Hood’s Bay where they would hopefully be waiting for us on our, also hopeful, arrival. 

A topic not discussed but undoubtedly niggling at the back of both our minds, was the fact that we had not undertaken a multi-day walk for some time, it was actually 6 years ago that we last hoiked on our rucksacks and hiked through the Spanish Pyrenees, but it was probably a bit late in the day to start doubting our abilities now, added to which Ian has been given two replacement hips since then which will, no doubt, stand him in good stead.  We were also a little concerned about Leroy’s feet as the last 10 months in Australia on hard, hot surfaces has left his front pads dry and cracked, something we have been trying to rectify with copious amounts of Vaseline.  How unprepared we are for a major hike revealed itself when it came to packing our rucksacks, as we were both having difficulty identifying essential, as opposed to absolutely non-essential, unnecessary weight, items.  In hindsight, the hair-dryer should have been replaced with my reading glasses, not purely because of the weight factor but also because the small writing in our only guide book was now only readable in the brightest of light whilst held some length away – fingers crossed we won’t need to reference it in bad weather!   And, Ian’s twelve pairs of socks – really!!  Despite the repeated shifting of items from one pile to another, we eventually had two packed, relatively organised, rucksacks as well as Leroy’s bright orange paniers weighing in at 16.4 kg, 14.6 kg and 2.5 kg.

The Coast to Coast Path is well serviced and as well as arranging for C2C Packhorse to transport our surplus luggage to Robin Hood’s Bay, we had also packed three small bags with dry dog biscuits and dehydrated mince (each weighing 5kg) which would be dropped off at strategic points along the way for Leroy.  All of these bags were collected the following morning after which, on the advice of Carole who I think was trying to get us out of the farm, we walked the first 6 miles of the Coast to Coast before looping back to St Bees.  After a quick visit to the Manor Hotel for some pub grub and a tasting of the local cask ale, we were early to bed and excited/apprehensive to get started on our attempt to walk across England.

DAY 1 – ST BEES TO ENNERDALE BRIDGE (14 miles/22.5 km)

We woke up to a perfect walking day, the sun was out and there was no wind.  Aware that today and tomorrow were going to be challenging given the uphill nature of the landscape and the mileage to be covered, we were ready to leave Stonehouse Farm at 8am and head to the official start of the C2C which was half a mile away.  Despite having practiced wearing his pack when it was purchased back in Port Douglas, Leroy is emulating a reluctant child heading off to school and is lagging behind looking most unimpressed.

Mile Zero is a C2C monument facing the Irish Sea and we arrived moments before a group of two girls and a guy who were also undertaking the walk, although unlike us, they were planning to camp with their single tent???  After the obligatory photos, we repeated our steps of the previous day which, a little frustratingly, followed the heritage coastline north for about 6 miles before turning east and heading in the right direction.  That said, the walk along the top of St. Bees sandstone cliffs and the views stretching away both ahead and behind us was a superb taste of what was to come over the next couple of weeks.

Passing through the small villages of Sandwith, Moor Row and Cleator we arrived at Blackhow Wood and our first ascent of many up to the summit of Dent Hill.  It took about an hour to reach the top from where the clear weather permitted us to see the Lakeland fells that we would soon be tackling as well as the Isle of Man and Galloway across the Sollway Firth. 

From the top it was a steep descent and another couple of hours before we reached the pretty village of Ennerdale Bridge and the Fox & Hounds pub.  

DAY 2 – ENNERDALE BRIDGE TO ROSTHWAITE (15 Miles / 24 km)

We were both feeling a bit stiff this morning but, otherwise, surprisingly ok and a quick look out of the window confirmed that the weather was again going to be perfect.  This was good news as the route today would be heading towards Sprinkling Tarn, a spot which records the highest rainfall in England, an average of 196” (over 5m) of rain a year.

The fine weather meant that we were able to walk along the preferable southern pathway of Ennerdale Water and as we approached I could hear Ian chuckling away to himself.   Who knows whether this was an indication of his enjoyment of the walk or a temporary lapse in rationale but either way he appeared to be most content.

Anyone that walks the Coast to Coast will pretty much tread the same path and whilst the weather will vary, the surrounding scenery, whether sighted or not, will remain the same.  What will differentiate one walk from another is the personal experience and for us this was largely provided by the people we encountered en-route.  Today we met a couple on holiday from the Pennines who had two spaniels and a little black terrier with them.  Expecting only to exchange a quick hello, it was unexpected that ten minutes later we were deep in conversation about ticks.  Even more surprising was our knowledge on the subject.  It turned out that the spaniels were picking up around a dozen or so ticks a day in the Lake District and the owners were spending more time than desired de-ticking.  Having been in Northern Queensland and aware of the Brown Tick which carries ehrlichiosis, a deadly dog disease, we had purchased a couple of Seresto collars which Leroy has been wearing for the last six months.  We also have him on monthly tablets of Nexgard Spectra which offers broad-spectrum protection against all parasites and the fact that, up until this point, we hadn’t given a second thought to ticks nor found any on Leroy would appear to be a big thumb’s up for these products.

Leaving the water we followed a forest track for some time before climbing up alongside Loft Beck to Grey Knotts.   The path was steep and barely discernible and our foresight to input the C2C route into Gaia GPS was probably the best decision of the trip.  Whilst there are infrequent waymarkers along the entire route, they are not always easy to spot and that is on a fine weather day.  We could only imagine what it must be like in these areas in mist, sleet and/or rain.  Whilst it was hard work hauling ourselves and our essential items in a near vertical ascent, this was soon forgotten as we finally landed atop a Cumbrian fell.  The word fell depicting a high and barren landscape feature such as a mountain or moor-covered hill and pertains to areas such as the Lake District, Scotland parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland.  Unlike a peak, once you are up on the fells there is a vast area to explore whilst maintaining higher ground and with no one else around, the feeling of isolation and freedom whilst surrounded by such natural beauty was worth every uphill step.

It felt all to soon before we were starting the long descent towards Borrowdale Valley and our destination, the Scafell Hotel in Rosthwaite Village.  Rosthwaite is one of three villages that make up this valley and with its slate-roofed, white-washed stone farm cottages is an iconic Lake District hamlet.

DAY 3 – ROSTHWAITE TO GRASMERE (9 miles / 14.5 km)

After what turned out to be the best breakfast on the C2C, due in part to the excellent kippers - a culinary delight not enjoyed for many years, we decided to take the ridge-walk alternative route to Grasmere.   The light morning mist carried quite a bit of moisture in the air which suited us well as we were going to be faced with some serious climbing in order to get up Calf Crag, Helm Crag and onto Gibson Knott.   As we now know, a crag is a steep, rugged rock or cliff as opposed to a knott which is a mountain and the highest point in a given region.

Whether choosing the low-level or ridge route, there is no avoiding the climb up Lining Crag and we were up 600m at about the same time that the sun appeared.   It was a straight-forward climb apart from the continuous tramp over ground covered with large sole-mashing stones and rock.  As you might expect, ridge walking is a seemingly never-ending trudge up ascents that are as steep as the descents and if that isn’t tiring enough throw in saturated peat bogs which have probably claimed more than the occasional boot.  But the outstanding views are enough to revive even the weariest of walkers and we were once again grateful that we were not battling against the elements and able to fully appreciate the splendour.

Ian has been a bit quiet today which could indicate some aches and pains but he is still putting one foot in front of the other and there is no denying that we are both physically exhausted having not yet found our stride.  On the plus side, Leroy was happy to have his pack put on this morning which is good news and his feet, whilst not perfect, are no worse. 

Our final descent of the day dropped us into Langcrigg Woods and along Poet’s Walk, a tranquil path amongst a variety of trees planted, in part, by many of the Lakeland Poets that so loved this area.

DAY 4 - GRASMERE TO PATTERDALE 8.5 miles (13 km)

Given that our short day yesterday had taken us over 7 hours, we were not going to be tempted by either of the two high alternative routes today and would stick with the standard C2C path.  Leroy is definitely feeling the pace and he looked most disappointed when his pack was put on and we headed out of the luxury of the hotel.  Reluctant to get going he did perk up as we climbed up to the pretty mountain lake of Grisedale Tarn, which was entirely due to the large numbers of sheep and lambs that surrounded us.

We had been climbing for over two hours and not far from the top when we were startled to hear deep voices shouting completely unintelligible words proceeded by the appearance of large, rugged men running up and down the surrounding fells.  It was then that we noticed sheepdogs running in all directions and it dawned on us that we were about to see a rounding up of hundreds of sheep.  It is hard to be accurate as the scene was chaotic, but there were at least eight men and twenty to thirty dogs and, as we watched, they did what shepherds and sheepdogs do.  It was an amazing spectacle and really did make ‘One Man and His Dog’ seem a little pathetic in comparison.

Still barely able to believe what we had just witnessed, we climbed over Grisedale Pass and were immediately confronted with the beauty of the Tarn.  The Lake District really does take your breath away and it is easy to see why visitors from all over the world continue to flock here.

The opportunity to break up the days with a pub or café stop has been a bit thin on the ground so far on the walk but as we were making our way down in the general direction of Patterdale, fellow walkers climbing towards us were telling us of coffee and cake just a bit further down.  We were a bit sceptical given our remoteness but understandably delighted when we approached the lone mountain hut to find local volunteers raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support.  Hot drinks and an extensive offering of home-baked cakes were available for any donation and we were more than happy to hand over all of our loose change in exchange for some energy-boosting sweetness, the weight of which we could carry on the inside.

DAY 5 – PATTERDALE TO SHAP (18 miles / 30 km)

Today is going to be our longest and not wanting to still be walking at 7 or 8pm we skipped breakfast in order to get going.  Poor Leroy looks exhausted but probably no more than we do and we are now motivating him with sausage rolls and pork pies.  We left quietly through the fire door of the very welcoming White Lion pub to the accompaniment of glorious bird song and the first and only rain of the entire walk.

The slow uphill climb to Kidsky Pike, the highest point on the C2C at 784m, started almost immediately and we quickly fell into our preferred climbing positions of Ian leading the way, me bringing up the rear and Leroy in between.  Leroy seems to have resigned himself to this new pastime and now plods along in single file with a determination that is providing us with quite a bit of amusement.

By late morning we reached the Pike (summit, mountain or hill with a peak) and yet again enjoyed clear 360° views across the surrounding countryside.  The earlier rain had long since stopped and we were once again enjoying England at a time when less than half the average monthly rainfall was being received.  The big descent, best navigated in parts on bottoms, delivered us to the shores of Haweshead Reservoir where we were only too relieved to stop beside one of the many streaming gills and make a cup of tea.

The stony path alongside the reservoir undulated for at least an hour and a half before reaching a patch of quiet woodland followed by flat, grassy farmland.  The relief of walking on such soft, level terrain was soon forgotten though as we quickly grasped the fact that this particular farmer, whose fields we were currently crossing, was obviously a bit disgruntled at the constant stream of walkers making their way over his land.  Consequently, he had padlocked all of his gates leaving only high styles to clamber over.  Challenging enough for us with our heavy packs but almost impossible for Leroy to get over.  Ian was left with no option other than to man-handle him over and we continued for the next three hours shoving him over, through or under far too many stiles, fences and gates.

To say we were making slow progress towards Shap would be a massive understatement as we wearily made our way from one sheep filled field to the next.  Leroy was obviously very aware of the sheep but, as a rule, had been quite good at walking through them quietly.  That was until a frisky group of sheep decided to start running which proved too much for Leroy who suddenly lunged forward and managed to break both the metal clasp on his lead and the waistband of Ian’s rucksack to which he was attached.  He charged off after one particular sheep as we watched with our hearts in our mouths.  No amount of shouting at him to stop or come back was having any effect and so it was a little astonishing when he suddenly come to a standstill about 400 yards away.  To his surprise and ours, he just didn’t have any more fuel in the tank.  We quickly grabbed him and exited the field as quickly as our sore feet would allow putting as much distance as we could between us and any irate farmer that may have been around. 

We knew our destination, the Black Bull, was at the bottom of the High St in Shap and our relief at eventually turning onto the main drag was quickly replaced with disbelief as we found ourselves at the top end of what would have to be the longest High St in the country.  It was another 30 minutes before we made it to the door of the pub where we gratefully tumbled inside.

DAY 6 – SHAP TO TEBAY (11 miles / 17 km)

Today was our first taste of the Dales National Park and we were more than ready to replace the prolonged gradients and rocky trails of the Lake District with soft grassy moorland.  This was to be a short recovery day with lunch at a café in Orton before taking a bit of detour from the official C2C path to end the day at Tebay.  Our fitness levels are slowly increasing, our packs feeling much more manageable and Leroy is beginning to look like he is enjoying himself.  Wearing tee-shirts and enjoying the warm sun we were all feeling pretty good.

We arrived at Orton just as the church bells rang out which was nice and whilst I was inside the café ordering, Ian struck up a conversation with two local men who were sat outside.  Ian had been relaying our incident with Leroy and the sheep from the previous day and it transpired that one of the men had also owned a Rotti with similar sheep chasing tendencies and despite having tried a number of different training tactics the owner had been unable to change the dog’s undesirable habits.  That is, until he ended up fostering a couple of orphaned lambs.  Apparently, the lambs had tried to suckle on the Rotti’s willie and the dog had been scared of sheep ever since!

Cheered by the news that maybe we weren’t the worst dog owners ever, the only thing left to do with our day was walk the 3 miles to Tebay, a pleasant stroll alongside a flat, quiet country road.  With no stiles to navigate and no opportunity to head in the wrong direction, it was an easy finish to a comfortable day. 

DAY 7 – TEBAY TO KIRKBY STEPHEN (12.5 miles / 20 km)

We picked up the C2C route after a couple of hours on small country lanes and followed a signpost directing us across the heather clad Ravenstonegate Moor.  This part of the trail is also a section of the Dales Way, an 80 mile walk from Ilkley Moor to Lake Windermere, a trail we had hiked over a long Easter weekend some 20 odd years ago.  We remembered that walk very well as the weather had been horrendous and we had spent the entire time struggling to remain upright whilst heading into a wall of continual horizontal sleet, up to our calves in mud.  Today, however, the Moors were presenting a very different picture as we sat with our backs against a stone wall, enjoying the morning sunshine.

Being early in the season, there didn’t seem to be too many other walkers around.  We were aware that an elderly couple with their adult daughter and dog Poppy were a way in front of us and we had crossed paths with a couple of other pairings whose itinerary seemed similar to ours.  There was also a lone mystery person that we never did see who, regardless of how early we were out walking, had already left a clear path in the damp morning grass.  Paul and Liz, were one of the pairings, a young couple from South Africa, who had come over to the UK partly for work (he was working as a lawyer but now involved with setting up crypto-currency companies) and partly to walk the C2C.  They both seemed to be extremely fit and, I guess, enjoyed a lie-in, as we mostly saw them as they overtook us at speed. 

The other pairing, Ian and Nigel, we had first encountered on day 2 when they naively followed us the wrong way down through a rock crevice, this wasn’t too much of a problem until Leroy got stage fright half way down and refused to move.  With a bit of manoeuvring, the guys managed to squeeze passed us and continued to slide down the face of the rock before reaching a point where they were able to clamber back up to the path.  We weren’t able to extract ourselves quite as quickly as it was impossible to get Leroy back up the way he had come and it was a good half hour before we were able to persuade/push him down the remaining steep rock before being able to head back up to the path.  Bumping into them again today, we learnt that Ian was a recently retired accountant who had been working for Toyota, whilst Nigel was an engineer/shop floor manager working for a company that made steel skips.  They had been friends since University and did a fair bit of walking together as, in their own words, their marathon running days were clearly over given their propensity for beer and the effect it was having on their midriffs.

The rest of the day was uneventful and we arrived in the market town of Kirkby Stephen and the King’s Arms.  Looking for a reprieve from hearty pub grub we opted for dinner at the Mango Tree, a popular curry house that had been recommended to us by about half a dozen people and are pleased to report that it did live up to its reputation.

DAY 8 – KIRKBY STEPHEN TO KELD (11.5 miles / 18 km)

The section of walk today is notable, not only because it crosses the half-way point but also because the path passes from the county of Cumbria into Yorkshire.  The guidebook has promised kinder gradients from this point on and a suggestion that it is almost all downhill to Robin Hood’s Bay.  The route also crosses the Pennines, the so-called backbone of the British Isles, where there are different routes to take depending on the weather and time of year.

The day started with a steep climb (so much for all downhill) along a tarmac lane, past a huge quarry and up to Hartley Fell where the path split into three.  The colour-coded red, blue and green routes are an attempt to stall the severe erosion of the peat bogs which is being caused by walkers and not being rectified due to lack of investment.  The notice board at the junction advised that the green (some might say easy) route be taken between Dec-Apr and we were more than happy to comply.  Peat bogs aside, walking for hours across the moors, without a soul in sight, is a peaceful experience and, with the exception of Ravenseat Farm made famous by The Yorkshire Shepherdess, we enjoyed uninterrupted moorland before arriving at Keld.

Keld sits at the head of Swaledale, the most northerly of Yorkshire’s Dales and is a tiny, very pretty hill village comprised of solid stone buildings huddled together, a public toilet and a phone box.  Apart from a couple of campsites and a B&B, Keld Lodge is the only accommodation available and so we weren’t too surprised to find Paul, Liz, Nigel and Ian already settled at the bar as we entered the Lodge.  This really is turning out to be the most splendid walk! 

DAY 9 – KELD TO REETH (11.5 miles / 18 km)

Much of today’s walk follows a path running alongside the banks of the River Swale, only leaving the river to pass through the small village of Gunnerside and to cross some moor and farmland.  Although tired, we are progressing well enough despite being overtaken, yet again, by all of our co-walkers.

It would be impossible to walk the C2C without noticing the extensive dry-stone walling used to demarcate farm and field boundaries.  It is estimated that Britain has 125,000 miles worth of these ubiquitous features, over 5,000 miles of which are to be found in the Yorkshire Dales, dating back as far as 600 years.  They blend into the environment in a way that barbed wire cannot and possess a longevity that has passed the test of time due to the fact that they move and give with the elements.  A rich habitat for a whole host of flora and fauna such as mice, voles, stoats, hedgehogs, bats and toads, dry-stone walling has no doubt had its heyday but what a beautiful thing it is.

Reeth is the capital of Swaledale and was used as a location for many episodes of the 1980s Yorkshire TV saga All Creatures Great and Small.  At its centre is the village green, surrounded by tearooms and pubs, all overlooked by the Burgoyne Hotel, our destination for the night.

DAY 10 – REETH – BROMPTON-ON-SWALE (14 miles / 21.5 km)

At this point in the walk most walkers would probably have Richmond in their sights for an overnight stop but given that would make tomorrow a whopping 22 miles (34 km), we would only be stopping in Richmond for coffee and cake before continuing on to Brompton-On-Swale, thereby reducing tomorrow’s distance by 6 miles.

It is another perfect day as we leave Reeth to cross Arkle Beck before passing through pastureland and on to Steps Wood.  The path through the wood known as Nuns’ Steps is constructed with 375 steps, so-called because of the nuns that are said to have laid them as a walkway to Marrick Priory.  It is always nice to walk through woodland and despite the steepness of the steps (uphill of course), today was no exception. 

During the 18th and 19th centuries, this area of Yorkshire was at the centre of British lead-mining, at a time when Britain was producing over half the world’s lead. As a result, many in the area prospered until mines opening in South America produced cheaper imports and sent many British mines into bankruptcy.  There are many relics i.e. rusting machinery left over from this era as well as the remains of peat houses and smelting mills and even 150 years on, waste lands of scree and stone continue to scar the landscape.

Arriving into Richmond we were once again struck by how dog friendly Britain has become.  Dogs are welcomed into most cafes, pubs, supermarkets and anywhere else you think they might like to go.  Keen to tuck into the afore-mentioned coffee and cake and not wanting Leroy to feel excluded from such treats, we purchased a huge piece of skirt beef from the local butcher which disappeared at exactly the speed you would expect.

Leaving Richmond, the final 6 miles of the day were no hardship at all.  The sun was shining as we once again strolled alongside the Swale and we arrived at St. Giles farmhouse in what seemed like no time at all.  As we walked up the drive we were met by three friendly dogs and Rosie, daughter of Jane who was hosting us for the night.  We were ushered into the large farmhouse where freshly baked lemon drizzle cake was waiting for us and over which we learned that Jane had led a rather interesting life which included working as an au-pair to the Rainiers and other high-profile families as well as cooking for the likes of Captain Mark Phillips, Liberace and Elle MacPherson.  She had kindly agreed to provide us with a three-course vegetarian meal, along with wine and beer which was, of course, delicious. 

DAY 11 – BROMPTON-ON-SWALE TO INGLEBY CROSS (18 miles / 30 km)

Regardless of the head start we had given ourselves, today was still going to be a challenge and with this in mind we left at 7.30 am knowing that we had a long day ahead of us. 

Up until now we had been surrounded by sheep and, being spring time, the cutest of lambs but as we approached the Vale of Mowbray the sheep disappeared and we were walking through fields of cows and horses.

Entering one particular area of farmland we found ourselves in a field with a number of large cows and quite a few new-born calves.  The calves seemed particularly interested in Leroy and were intent of getting as close as possible in order to check him out.  Although a bit disconcerted, we weren’t overly concerned and progressed along the hedged side of the field waving our walking poles around which kept the calves and now also their mothers at a distance we could cope with.  We were relieved to spot our exit stile and hurriedly threw Leroy over before clambering over ourselves.  Oh crap, we were now in a field full of 10 month old youngsters who had just that morning been let out of the barn for the first time – obviously we didn’t know this at the time.  This bunch were not quite so easy to deter and all 40 or so of them, were rushing in our direction.  We weren’t able to see a stile out of the field but there was a large double gate over on the far side which looked like an option and to this we headed with alacrity.  Ian was leading the way with Leroy hot on his heels whilst I was bringing up the rear with arms and poles stretched out doing my best to keep the cows behind us.  By the time we were almost at the gate the speed at which we were all progressing across the field was really quite impressive and had we been able to get through the gate all would have been well.  Unfortunately, the gate which was set back from the fence, was bolted closed and we now found ourselves in a 3 x 2 m area with the gate behind us, fencing on either side and the cows crowding forward through the open fourth side.  Being in such close proximity to them, I was, on the one hand, impressed at how healthy they all appeared to be but on the other was struggling to stop them pushing past me to get to Leroy.  A quick glance at Ian confirmed that he was not so impressed with the general well-being of Yorkshire’s cows as he looked distinctly uncomfortable whilst trying to undo the bolts on the gate.  Not a moment too soon, the farmer’s daughter appeared in shorts and wellies accompanied by three sheepdogs.  Within moments, the dogs had moved the cows to the far end of the field and we were pointed in the correct direction to the stile in the corner.  Although apologising for not having got to us sooner, I suspect there might have been an ulterior motive in delaying our rescue as she was studying for exams and was, no doubt, in need of some light entertainment.

Once again, Nigel and Ian overtook us and we compared cow stories before striding out over the remaining half of the Vale.  Our last challenge of the day was crossing the four lanes of the A19 but making good use of a handily-placed central reservation we were soon walking towards the Bluebell Inn at Ingleby Cross.

DAY 12 – INGLEBY CROSS TO CLAY BANK TOP (11.5 miles / 18 km)

After the long mileage yesterday, we were giving ourselves a bit of a break today and rather than walk all the way to Blakey Ridge we were only going as far as Clay Bank Top where we had arranged for Wolfgang from the Buck Inn, Chop Gate to pick us up. 

Apart from being a bit foot sore, we are all in good spirits and the continuing fine weather is a bonus as today would see us up onto the North York Moors National Park.   A miserable, rain-soaked trudge, with all views obscured by a bone-chilling mist is hardly going to be anyone’s idea of a fun day.

As ever, we had barely left the pub before we were climbing, this time up through Arncliffe Wood and it wasn’t long before we joined the Cleveland Way, a trail that stretches over 100 miles from Helmsley on the southern edge of the North York Moors NP to Filey on the east coast.  As we left the wood to emerge onto the heather-clad Scarth Wood Moor, we could see Nigel and Ian in the distance in front of us which meant that, for once, we were going to avoid the embarrassment of being overtaken.  The day was getting better and better.

With fitness levels probably as good as they were ever going to get, we opted to take the more challenging route over the roller-coaster ups and downs that would eventually deliver us to Clay Bank Top.  As promised, Wolfgang was waiting to collect us and also a couple of Dutch guys (father and son) who were walking the Cleveland Way in memory of their parents/grandparents who had completed the walk some years earlier.  Bert and Walter arrived 10 minutes after us and we all piled into the car for the short drive to the Inn.  Wolfgang turned out to be an exceptional German landlord and if we hadn’t known better would have believed ourselves to be deep in the Black Forest surrounded by 8” sausages and steins of beer.  Everyone except us was talking in German and the whole experience was a bit surreal.

DAY 13 – CLAY BANK TOP GATE TO BLAKEY RIDGE (9.5 miles / 15.5 km)

With all of us re-packed into the car, Wolfgang took us back up to Clay Bank to continue where we had left off the previous day.  For us on the C2C path we were faced with the penultimate climb of the walk up onto the top of Urra Moor from where the path was vehicle width and more or less flat all the way to Blakey Ridge. 

The weather had now turned cooler and the wind was biting as we hiked over what claims to be the world’s largest expanse of heather.  The going was easy and not wanting to stop in the cold we made good progress.  Leroy has finally come to the party and is marching along very much part of the team.

It was a little after midday that we reached the isolated Lion Inn, sitting on the highest point of the Moors with commanding views over the surrounding valleys.  Our early arrival meant a whole afternoon stretching ahead of us to make the most of this 16th century free house and, stepping inside, the heat from the open fires surrounded us like a warm blanket as we took in the dark time-worn beams and maze-like interior that didn’t look too far removed from how it must have looked nearly 500 years ago.

DAY 14 – BLAKEY RIDGE TO GROSMONT (13.5 miles / 22 km)

Today really was all downhill, and after a few hours of Moor walking we were strolling down the Esk Valley amongst the most gentle, rolling countryside dotted with quaint picture-perfect villages.  The small village of Egton is especially charming and we stopped for lunch at the Postgate Inn aka ‘The Black Dog’ in the British TV series Heartbeat.  An easy walk along the River Esk and under the railway took us into Grosmont.

Grosmont is a grittier version of village life, it’s main feature that of the railway crossing centrally placed on the high street.  This is no ordinary railway, however, as it is the North York Moors Railway which runs across the moors and is manned entirely by volunteers.  There are four stations along the moorland track one of which is Goathland which served as the original Hogsmeade station in one of the Harry Potter movies.  Grosmont is at the end of the line and the station is 1952 themed with each volunteer dressed accordingly.  The railway has a fleet of steam and heritage diesel trains that you can ride across 24 miles of National Park countryside whilst experiencing a taste of a bygone era. 

DAY 15 – GROSMONT TO ROBIN HOOD’S BAY (15.5 miles / 25 km)

The Station Tavern overlooked the station and staying just one night it was a novelty listening to the steam trains as they continually arrived and departed.  This was our last day and we were excited to know that barring some major catastrophe we would soon have completed this most incredible of walks.  We were feeling pretty pleased with ourselves until, chatting to the landlord over breakfast, he mentioned that he had completed the C2C five times, one time turning round at Robin Hood’s Bay and heading straight back to St Bees.  Turns out he was a former member of the Paratroopers, oh - and the novelty of the steam engines had well and truly worn off. 

Heading back up onto the Moors for our final stretch, an elderly chap sporting a bright pink beanie ran towards us.  Jogging on the spot he informed us that he had completed the C2C just five weeks earlier in a time of 72 hours which, good by any standards, was even more so given he was 67 years old.  Somewhat deflated at being surrounded by such super-humans we continued on our way with a firm resolve not to engage in conversation with anyone else.   

There is an element of sadness when finishing a multi-day walk but this final day had a few treats in store.  Descending from the Moors we found ourselves in the delightful Little Beck Wood, a stunning 65 acres of woodland and the 20 metre Falling Foss, just behind which was the Falling Foss Tea Gardens which were as cute as their name suggests.  Suitably refreshed, we followed a quiet road onto a final stretch of moorland before arriving at the small town of Hawkser where a signpost indicated Robin Hood’s Bay was just 3.5 miles away.  Obviously, we weren’t going to take this direct route but it was difficult to be impatient as we finished the walk as we had started, following the clifftops of the North Sea and down into Robin Hood’s Bay.

It would be hard to find a more perfect place to finish such a walk than this quaint, cosy little fishing village reputed to have the best crab grounds in the north of England.  Staying in the old part of town, a muddle of terraced cottages arranged haphazardly around a single steep narrow road amid numerous, cobbled inter-connecting alleyways, we found the Bay Hotel perched right on the dock.  There was nothing left to do other than sign the book recording our success and order a celebratory drink at Wainwright’s Bar.