Coast 2 Coast Day 8 - Reeth to Richmond

We had a lovely meal at the Buck Hotel last night and wandered back down to the B&B at the bottom of the village. A good nights sleep and a nice breakfast with Bev and Eric, a Canadian couple of C2Cers we had met previously who were rather jealous of our day off in Richmond! We also bumped into Steve again in the shop next door. He was doing well and was due to push on to Catterick where he was meeting his wife.
Although it was a relatively easy day of 10 miles we were on the trail by 9.00 am as the weather was due to be wet by the afternoon. We followed the group of lads who were camping at Keld out of the village but where they had obviously decided to take the road to Richmond we took the correct path (for once!) and followed the track up to Marrick Priory. All but the tower o the priory was torn down by Henry the 8th and it has now been extended and renovated to create an outdoors centre. We continued on through Marrick and - whilst tempted - ignored the numerous and at times unsubtle signs for tea and scones at Nun Cote Nook as we were keeping a weather eye over the valley which was looking a little grey!
The walking was through meadowland and much drier than we experienced yesterday. We emerged from the fields just below Marske which is a lovely, if slightly posh looking, village. We soon rejoined the paths again and passed through more meadows on the way up to Applegarth Scar. This is a large tear in the landscape - like a Stanage Edge with trees - and we followed the footpath along the base contouring the river Swale through the Applegarth Farms and on into Richmond.
Richmond is lovely. We arrived in a very timely 4 hours having now clicked up 113.5 miles since our start last Saturday. We found our Hotel - The Black Lion - as we had decided that we had both deserved a pint!
My parents - Tony and Chris - had travelled up the previous day and met us in the bar having spent the morning in Hawes.
After a soak in the bath and a change we had an enjoyable walk around the town as visited the castle. The views from the top of the keep are amazing and you can see all the way to the start of the Yorkshire Moors (don't have to worry about that until Monday!). We also managed to find a copy of the Coast 2 Coast book recommended by Nick at Keld Lodge. We came back and sorted some washing and we just having a drink before dinner when Bill and Susan - the Californian couple walked though the door. It was really nice as they are travelling on tomorrow so won't see them again and they have been great fun over the last week. We swapped addresses so hopefully we will keep in touch. Dinner was chinese tonight - a welcome change from pub grub and an early night is called for. Looking forward to a lie in tomorrow and a leisurely breakfast. Not sure what we're up to tomorrow but we'll bore you with it if you're interested.
That's all for now,
Night Night!
Matt & Dawn

Coast 2 Coast Day 7 - Keld to Reeth

Keld Lodge is a lovely place! Breakfast was a buffet affair so you could eat as much or as little as you wanted which was a bit of a relief having had enormous full cooked breakfasts thrust in front of you every morning. (everyone seems to fill your plate no matter what you order; my scrambled eggs portion must have been about six eggs the other day!).
There are two route options from Keld. Both pass through the tiny village itself which is lovely, if small. The high route goes over the fells and you get to see some of the architecture from the old lead mining industry. We chose the the lower alternative through the Swaledale valley which is really pretty. We got caught in a huge rain shower at one point. We were drowned before we managed to get waterproof trouser on it came along so quickly. We diverted off to Muker via a flagstoned path and had a cup of tea and lemon drizzle cake (served with lemon cheese) at the tea shop and steamed slightly while we dried out. The path we planned to take seems to have been blocked off (did say hello to a nice old lady trying to find it though!) so we followed the road a short way before rejoining the footpath a bit further downstream. Here the path drifts away from the river and passes through some meadows with lots of spring flowers.
At Low Row just after Isle Bridge the. river has been artificially diverted via a large embankment. The first section of path follows a brick wall which you literally walk along the top of. You are quite easily 8' high at one point with the river close on one side and the meadow below you on the other. If this was a Hertford Night Hike route Uggi would have kittens! (Actually, he would probably order 2km of orange barrier fencing!).
The path follows the river quite closely and at one point the volume of rain demonstrated its power as the embankment had been washed away. This was diverted by two huge step ladders and a walk into the field!
We had a lunch stop in Healaugh and then it was only 2.5 km down into Reeth. In all we walked around 20km today and as it wasn't quite so hilly we averaged around 5km an hour. Amazing what a bit of weather does to push you on!
Reeth is a lovely village with several pubs to choose from for a meal. We enjoyed an ice cream whilst sitting on the green enjoying both sun and them rain in the time it took to eat them!
The outdoor shop had to be visited a s it has a brilliant map room with the coast to coast route on the walls and Perspex over them. Walkers are invited to write comments over the map relating to their experiences - what a brilliant idea! Funnily enough the Haweswater reservoir section was not positive - "a long slog" sums it up pretty well!
We arrived at the B&B to tea and cake and a double ended bath! We seem to have suffered two power cuts since arriving but it all adds to the fun!
Must be about time to go and see which one of the pubs seems the best. Perhaps we'll sample a pint in each. We'll let you know how we get on.
For the record, legs are a bit achy for the pair of us and the feet are holding up well despite the wet conditions. No blisters for me and Dawn has only had a couple of wear points on her toes which have been fended off early.
Looking forward to Richmond tomorrow and a day off on Sunday. That will be 8 days of walking in every condition other than sleet or snow!
More soon,
Matt & Dawn x

Farewell to Cumbria and hello to half way!

Many of our fellow Coast to Coasters had already decided to tale the road route from Kirkby Stephen to Keld. Despite rumours of huge areas of bogs and bad weather we decided to go for the Nine Standards Rig option and followed the track up to the moor. We soon met up with Janice and Mike, the couple we walked with yesterday, who had decided to do the same. The standards were shrouded in mist and just gave us a cheeky glimpse to let us know we were headed in the right direction. Suddenly they appeared out of the mist and, whilst not being as large as you would expect, they are certainly an interesting visit. Goodness knows what they are for! It was a compass bearing to find the next path, slightly awkward as they seem to change the paths each year as well as each season to help with erosion and none of them are on the OS maps!
We found the path OK and navigated ourselves around the wettest sections down to the road. The official route takes another path over the moors but we decided to stick to the road and followed it down to Keld. The weather was a mixture of thick cloud on the hills and light showers all day, and quite warm again.
We arrived at Keld Lodge to a fantastic welcome, our American friends Bill and Susan had already made it (having taken the road!) and we joined them for tea and cake in the lounge. The rooms are great and the drying room is the best I have ever seen - cue a load of washing!
We had a nice couple of pints of black sheep before dinner swapping stories with other C2Cers, had a lovely meal, and now having a wee Bowmore malt whilst writing this.
Tomorrow is a relatively easy day of 11 miles and we have decided to follow the valley route rather than the mines route as the weather looks rather inclement (to say the least!). They also have a number of pubs and teas shops along the route!
Halfway through already. Still a long way to go and we both have a few aches here and there but the whole experience is amazing. Not just the countryside but we have met such an amazing variety of people and made new friends along the way.
Must go and be sociable now, everyone else is out from dinner and they're going to think we're anti-social!
Hopefully more tomorrow - Reeth seems quite big so hopefully will have a phone signal if the B&B hasn't heard of WiFi!
M&D x

Coast to Coast Day 5 - Shap to Kirkby Stephen

Another long day ahead and a decidedly murky outlook back towards the hills hiding Patterdale from the previous day. A good stay and an excellent breakfast at The Greyhound set us up well. Being at the south end of the town we were slightly off route but a convenient footpath cut across the fields to the footbridge over the M6 and back on course. Sadly the footpath was knee high in wet grass and the decision to we're lightweight boots was proved to be a bad one - wet feet before the end of the first mile! We had met up with Mike and Janet and walked with them all day. By the end father first moorland section we also teamed up with Ian, a Policeman from Kent who deals with safeguarding issues (including pressure ulcers at times) and who is also a GSL - we had plenty to talk about! Navigation was a little interesting as the mist was very heavy but thankfully the landmarks were good. We skirted Orton and Raisbeck and once we had crossed Ravenstonedale Moor we decided to go off-piste and followed the old railway line. This soon crosses the Smaledalegill viaduct which was at threat of demolition in the 1980s. British Rail declared it unsafe and applied to demolish it but local uproar ensued. Funds were raised for its refurbishment and it is a stunning Victorian piece of engineering that makes crossing the valley much easier! The first section of railway line is very well maintained and is well known as a location for rare flowers and butterflys. It gradually deteriorates into a muddy track before ending in a dead end at a nature reserve just short of the town. This wasn't the plan! Luckily a short backtrack and a bit of road work saw us in Kirkby Stephen around 5.00pm. A long day seeing as we set off at 8.30am! The guest house is great - highly recommend The Jolly Farmers - and Dawn was very impressed and relieved to find a bath in the room! We wandered into town and although fully booked we were invited to join Will and Peter - fellow coast to coasters who we had met previously - and share a table at The Old Forge - fantastic food and great value. Will is a property developer in Harrogate and Peter - Wills Uncle - spends his time between Austraiia and the UK. They are motoring along, accompanied by faithful dog Bramble, and are planning to get to Reeth tomorrow. That's another 23 miles! We'll be happy with a shorter day to Keld tomorrow. A relatively easy 12.75 miles depending on whether we go to see the nine standards on Nine Standards Rig. The forecast tomorrow is light rain in the morning and heavy rain in the afternoon - what joy! I hope we do get a better visibility day tomorrow as the nine standards look well worth the visit. We bumped into the Californinan couple earlier who met a someone who had just finished the walk. Last week the water was thigh deep in places apparently so we'll have to see! Off to bed now as we are hoping to get an early start and get to Keld before the worst of the weather comes in. I wonder if we'll see the sun at all this trip?

Farewell to the Lake District!

What a long day today has been. We left Patterdale this morning and it looked like it was going to be a really hot day. Turned out it was going to be a humid one!
We walked into the village and were just about to walk into the shop when we almost bumped in to Mike and Brian! We walked to route together again enjoying the company.
The route to start with is a steep uphill to Boarddale Hause at 390m, it then traverses Angle Tarn and there is a boggy ridge around The Knott at 739m before a lovely ridge walk up to Kidsty Pike at 780m - the highest point on the Coast to Coast.
All of that hard earned hight is lost in a steep downhill section of only 2km.
It follows the ridge right down to the side of Haweswater. The path along this reservoir is horribly long and with the humidity and showers seemed to last forever. Just after Burnbanks we waved goodbye to Mike and Brian as they had digs in Bampron for the night.
We trudged on to Shap for another couple of hours of wet fields. The terrain had changed by now and rolling grass fields were the norm rather cragy dales. At Rosgill Dawn was struggling and we took to the road rather than another boggy footpath. Sadly the Greyhound Inn is at the far end of the village - another 1500m! Still, good food and Steve from the previous day walked all the way down to join us for a beer and we've been talking to him and "The Californian Couple" - hence the late (and rather brief) blog!
Long day again tomorrow - 20 miles to Kirkby Stephen - and the forecast is not great! Oh well, it's just a bit of weather!

Goodness me - already day three!

A media blackout has curtailed planned updates!
Ennerdale to Rosthwaite was a soggy day of 25km involving some paddling around the edge of Ennerdale Water.
Today was a lovely walk from Rosthwaite to Patterdale, missing some C2Cers stopping point of Grasmere. ("You're going all the way to Patterdale? Etc Etc). It was a long way - 26km with two 600m ascents and quite warm and humid. I managed to drink all 3ltrs from my water bottle as well as a pint at lunchtime and a lucozade sport!
A nice meal at the local pub and a few pints exchanging stories ("you came all the way from Rosthwaite today? Etc Etc!).
Now gone 11.00 and another long day tomorrow. We're heading to Shap and leaving the lovely lake district.
I'll catch up with all the stories at the inn when we get there - assuming there's a signal!
We have also caught up on emails today and were stunned and overwhelmed that we are at around £600 on the fundraisers site. Thank you so much.

Matt and Dawn x

Coast 2 Coast Day 1 (Short version!)

Only a short one today as I've stolen the wi-fi connection at the pub as no signal at the B&B!
Brilliant first day despite a rather soggy afternoon. Bumped into a brilliant couple of guys - Mike and Brian; ex-neighbours who meet up every year to do a long distance path. Ended up walking the whole route and having dinner with them!
The weather closed in a little early and the summit of Dent was down to 30m visibility. So much for seeing Pillar and Scafell!
Nannycatch beck was seriously overflowing and we literally paddled our way up the valley but made it safely to Ennerdale. B&B fine and a great meal at a community run village pub. Can heartily recommend the Fox an Hounds!
More news when we get a better signal! (4 networks to choose from and no joy! Ennerdale Bridge is the ultimate escapist holiday destination!).

Update soon!

Matt & Dawn x

Coast 2 Coast day 0

We had a restless night last night; no cat to disturb us and maybe a little bit excited about what lay ahead of us.
We woke early this morning and Tony arrived promptly and dropped us at Welwyn Garden City Station. The fast train to Kings Cross was on time and we were soon hurtling towards London. Rather than mess about on the tube we walked down Euston Road and made our way to the station.
Having bought a paper and the compulsory walking magazines for the journey a lucky spot by Dawn found us in the Virgin Trains 1st Class lounge!
A slightly surly look from the man on the door but we were soon enjoying coffee and pastries away from the hustle and bustle.
We found the train and had just settled into our seats when the ticket inspector came along and asked if we were coast to coasters! (Can't think how he could have guessed!).
I sincerely recommend shopping around for cheap 1st class tickets! Coffee was served almost immediately and the breakfast grill was very good (9 Ugs!) it would have been 10 but the bacon was slightly over cooked.
Lunch was good too! Coronation chicken, crisps, choc cake thing and washed down with Old Speckled Hen!
I was sure that the recorded train announcements changed from a London sounding bloke to a northern sounding lass as we progressed north. We were just wondering whether, if we stayed on the train as far as glasgow, the accent would change accordingly and almost burst out laughing when the next announcement was in a thick Scottish accent!
We had to leave the luxury of 1st class at Carlisle and caught the local train towards Whitehaven and Barrow-in-Furness, obviously hopping off at St. Bees. In better weather this journey would be spectacular as it travels right next to the sea. Today it was decidedly grey and the rain was lashing against the windows. Top half waterproofs donned, we walked the half mile or so towards the beach and our lodgings for the night - West Coast B&B - arriving rather soggy! The room wasn't quite ready as "the train doesn't normally get in until 4.30!". Not to worry, we say whilst sitting in the lounge hearing about the owners dogs, (one of which has a nasty ulcer) and her lovely new steam iron!
The room is basic but clean; we sorted our kit and the got rather wet walking back into St. Bees for something to eat. Dinner was at Queens in St. Bees (9 Ugs and a very reasonable £7.95 a head) and we have retired early as we have over 22km to walk tomorrow and it's going to be a wet day! Dawn checked the weather forecast and there are currently 23 flood warnings in force in the north west at present!

It's not really relevant tonight but future blogs will have a little section of headings for those of you who can't be bothered to wade through my waffling!

Weather - Wet
Blister Count - None!
Distance covered (day) - Lots but the train doesn't count!
Height gained -
Distance covered (total) -
Type of terrain covered -
High points - 1st class travel
Low points - Soggy arrival
Wainwrights - none
Accommodation - not bad, basic but functional.

That's all for now, thanks for looking; more tomorrow!


Matt & Dawn x


Published by Matt - 8.30pm. St. Bees

We're on our way!

A remarkably stress-free journey to London this morning and currently sat on the Virgin train to Carlisle.
I seriously recommend shopping around and getting cheap First class tickets as the lounge at Euston and the experience so far is very nice! (you get breakfast and free drinks!) :-)

More sensible blog later on, just excited that we're finally in our way after weeks and weeks of planning and expectation.

Matt - 10.00ish - Seat J12 on a Virgin Pendolino

Not long now

Well, all the packing is virtually done. Not long now. Am so excited but also slightly apprehensive about the challenge ahead.

Dawn

2 Sleeps to go!

Only two more nights at home and we'll be heading for the station to travel up to St. Bees.
Just stopped for a food break but need to get moving as the bed is covered with everything from base layers to rucksacks and map cases to mars bars!
I do have a very suitable beer to accompany my packing though - a pint of Wainwrights!

Great weekend warm up!

Returned late last night after a fantastic C2C warm up.
We tackled the Fairfield Horseshoe on Saturday, bagging 8 Wainwrights in the process, and encountered maximum 30m visibility around the summit due to the low cloud (so much for 80% chance of cloud free summits!).
Sunday was a more leisurely day as the weather changed slightly for the worse so we swapped things over. A gentle potter round Ambleside was followed by a long haul up Red Screes. We were rewarded by the most amazing 360' panorama (and the fully clear of cloud site of Fairfield!).
Monday brought fantastic weather and the tent was down and cleared early and we found a parking space near the pub below Blencathra. A bit of a struggle up the hill on the heat but we made it up to the tarn in good time and stopped for a tea break before proceeding on up Sharp Edge. What an experience! Very glad we didn't attempt it in the wind of Sunday!
We made it to the summit after a couple of interesting points - the rock has worn slippery smooth in a lot of places - but the views were fantastic. We had a leisurely lunch at the summit talking to the least of the group of school kids that had followed us up most of the way and planning which Wainwrights to conquer next.
A lot of those will be in a few weeks time when we're back here for C2C.
Others in the list are too numerous to mention! :-)

Lake District in the morning!

It's the Jubilee Weekend and we're off to the Lakes in the morning for a Coast to Coast warm up.
Fairfield Horseshoe and Blencathra via Sharp Edge are on the cards.
Fingers crossed for good weather!

Matt - 01/06/12