We're home already! But what a way to spend a fortnight.We woke up this morning to find that mist was once more shrouding the sea but there was a hint of sunshine trying to burn through.
Having packed our bags we had breakfast before wandering down the hill to say cheerio to the sea before heading home. All of the shops in Robin Hoods Bay open at a very civilsed 10:30ish so any further shopping for momentoes was curtailed! We trudged back up hill (strange how they don't seem to be such a problem anymore!) met Trudy and Tuppence at the hotel, loaded up the luggage and headed for home.
We found that only a short distance inland it was blue sky and sunshine; unlike the weather we were heading to at home it turned out!
All the bags are now emptied, the washing machine is going ninety to the dozen and we are both a little sad that the adventure is now over with the realisation of what we have done still sinking in.
The highlight of the walk has got to be the many people that we have met along the way; both fellow Coast to Coasters and also the many other people we have met.
The Lake District was our favourite section funnily enough, the long day between Rosthwaite and Patterdale with its two 600m passes a particular challenge (It was termed "The Madonna Section" by Mike). We didn't manage to pay our respects to AW on Haystacks or climb St. Sunday Crag but we will certainly return in the near future and rectify that!
The long day climbing from Patterdale to Kidsty Pike, the highest point on the route, was lovely, although the walk along Hawswater and the remaining trudge to Shap seemed to go on forever. Swaledale was lovely too, the views back over the Vale of Mowbray from the Cleveland Way, the odd section of Moor that we managed to see when the visibility allowed us, Rosthwaite and Stonethwaite, there are so many good parts. AW certainly did a good job when he planned where his Coast to Coast route should go.
If there has to be a low point to chose we would probably say the weather which at times was biblically wet. The first day saw rain and 20m visibility climbing over Dent and Nannycatch was litterally awash. Managing to blaze a trail along the flooded path was both a high point and a low point. The rain stuck with us most of the fortnight but we did have a few days where it stopped long enough for the sun to almost appear and one where it didn't rain at all.
Averaging 15 miles a day has certainly toned us up nicely. I have lost about half a stone despite managing a full cooked breakfast every morning, sampling an awful lot of beer, and eating out every evening! Although Dawn hasn't lost weight she is happy in the knowledge that a number of her clothes don't fit any more! If you want to shape up - walk 200 miles!
The Coast to Coast is an amazing experience. Unlike some others we don't have the urge to do it again just yet but would definately re-visit certain areas. We would certainly not dismiss the idea of walking other long distance paths so watch this space! We highly recommend the Sherpa Van project that moves your baggage on for you. (Hats off to the likes of Steve and Ian who carried everything with them!). We also recommend doing your homework; as well as Wainwrights book we also used the Trailblazer guide by Henry Stedman. There are numerous websites too. We took the Harvey 1:40,000 strip maps which show the route and also decided to take 1:25,000 OS maps of the whole route. A bit expensive perhaps but they proved invaluable in some places, as did the GPS units - Dawn has now completely fallen in love with hers again! We took a day off in Richmond which gave us a chance to do some washing and chill out for a day. In hindsight we did rush through the first few days. Although it adds to the cost with additional accomodation splitting the longer sections does allow you to get in a bit earlier to explore or to enjoy the route during the day a bit more rather than worrying about rushing on to complete a long section before it gets too late. Also, take a notepad and pen or some business cards as you will definately meet people you want to keep in touch with.
If you are thinking about it - do it! It's not your average holiday and certainly not the cheapest depending where you stay but as a life experience it's great.
Once I have sorted the photos I will upload them to Flikr and Facebook and post the links on here in one last blog. Thank you for reading, your interest and your support. At present we have raised nearly £1000 including Gift Aid and it isn't too late to help us make it:
www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/dawnandmatt
Thanks again,
Matt & Dawn
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