The End

We finished as we started with Rita leading us down to the sea where stones from the west coast were thrown into the water and feet (and boots!) refreshed in the sea. Then a feast of fish, chips and cups of tea to celebrate.

It took Wainwright a year to complete the walk but we took a little longer. In his words 'It is a walk I recommend, not necessarily to undertake in a single journey, but in parts as place, time and weather become convenient. But as I said before, vary it to suit yourself.....'

All that remains for me to say is a great big thank you to everyone who has organised the project, led the walks, booked the weekends, driven the bus and taken part in the walks. Being a member of Bradford CHA is a pleasure and a privilege and is like gaining a new family. Long may it remain so.

I dedicate this blog to all Bradford CHA members past and present, but with special thoughts of those who have passed on but continue the journey with us in our hearts and minds.

Littlebeck to Robin Hood's Bay

Our final day found us retracing our steps over the moor and down to Littlebeck as the bus couldn't get down the steep winding road. From here we took a lovely path through the Falling Foss nature trail leading to the waterfall.

The path was surprisingly muddy in parts but made a pleasant change.

From here we crossed another area of moorland and a walk down a muddy lane (the wrong muddy lane as it happens but who cares!) before reaching Hawsker where Colin and Joan were waiting to greet us. A few of our party lingered there for refreshment but the main party could sense that the sea was almost in sight and our final destination was calling.

A quick foray through Northcliffe Caravan Park brought us to the cliff top and the North Sea. We had done it, walked from coast to coast and a couple of miles of cliff path later we arrived in Robin Hood's Bay, journey's end.

Glaisdale to Littlebeck

Well here we are nearly at the end of our journey and a weekend away with CHA in Whitby YHA was a fine way to finish. Abbey House belonged to CHA in recent years and was sold to YHA and completely refurbished recently. Parts of it date back to the 12th century but I don't think it was ghosts we could hear in the night........more like scouts!

It is set on the top of the cliff adjacent to Whitby Abbey and there are fine views from many of the rooms overlooking Whitby or the Abbey. I was in a room overlooking the car park, but that's another story! If we had been there when it was open we could have taken a free tour of the abbey, but if you follow this link you can take a virtual tour.

The walk from Glaisdale to Littlebeck passed through Grosmont where we spent some time experiencing the sights and sounds of the 1940s. Many people were dressed in uniform or period clothing and everything was there from musquash to pinnies! It was an interesting diversion and gave us all something to talk about as we made our way up the steep hill out of Grosmont and up on to the moors.

The weather was a bit misty and drizzly on the tops but very warm for the time of year and we saw sloes and damsons in abundance as we left Littlebeck on our way to Sleights station where William was waiting for us with the bus.

Blakey Ridge to Glaisdale

Another fine day and another fine walk. This time I did the 'B' walk for a change and managed to catch Steve on his very first 'B' walk!

I think he was pleasantly surprised by the pace of the walk and now knows that if you want a good chat the 'B' walk is the place to be!

This was easy walking following a former railway line and tracks across the moors with enticing distant views of the coast, our final destination.

There was a wonderful smell of honey as we made our way through the heather, still in full bloom. We finished the walk at Glaisdale with plenty of time for refreshment before meeting the coach at Beggar's Bridge.

We are now within sight of our journey's end and I'm looking forward to the weekend in October that will see it completed.

Osmotherley to Lion Inn, Blakey

Well I missed this one too as I was sitting on the beach in sunny Cornwall at the time. However thanks go to Stuart who has provided the photograph of Tripdale and a short description of the walk.

'The walk was very nice with some really good views. The weather was equally good, sunny with a fresh breeze on the tops. We did get lost halfway, some of the paths clearly marked on the map did not seem to exist. At one point Malcolm, Mick Coulson, Patrick and myself who had a map confered, and we decided to go across this valley of bracken and heather and ended up on the path we thought we were on when we set off. Anyway it all ended well. We arrived at the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge at 5.15 just right, not too early and not too late. '

Others have mentioned there was a bit of a sting in the tail as it was a steep uphill climb at the end of the walk to reach the Lion Inn.

Osmotherley to Great Broughton

Oh dear I missed it!

Thanks to Stuart for the following description of the walk

' ............it was 15 mile with 2500 foot of climbing. The walk was good though with excellent views north towards Middlesborough. Early on the weather was warm and sunny but by 1pm it had started clouding over. We then had two heavy showers with thunder and lightning, and because we were high up we could see it as it moved across the landscape. In between the showers it was warm and sunny so we were constantly putting our waterproofs on and taking them off. Both A and B parties finished at Great Broughton instead of Clay Bank Top although the A party did Clay Bank Top and then walked to Great Broughton. It was an interesting day with the weather providing the excitement. '

I'm afraid to say I stayed in bed and read the Wainwright book. I don't know if anyone saw it but he describes a sign on a gate near Beacon Hill that reads as follows

Be ye man or be ye woman

Be ye going or be ye comin'

Be ye soon or be ye late

Be ye sure to shut this gate.

I chuckled to myself as I read it and could almost hear the call of 'ga-a-a-ate' echoing round my bedroom!!

I am away on holiday for the next instalment in August so if anyone has anything to add to this one or the next one please send me an email with the details and any photos so that I can add them to the blog.

Danby Wiske to Ingleby Cross

Another beautiful day with a light breeze made very pleasant conditions for walking. The eight members of the A party set off from Danby Wiske and before very long were confronted by a couple of fields of chest high rape to be negotiated. Well done Mick for 'swimming' across the field and making a trail for us shorter folk to follow! Fortunately it wasn't in flower and the seed heads were quite soft. A week or two earlier or a week or two later and it would have been a very unpleasant experience.

For those of you who haven't realised yet (and I know there are a few out there!) you can follow links if you click on the highlighted words, to add to your enjoyment of this blog. So now you will have to go back and read it all again! Also you can add comments if you wish. Please do so as it's good to get some feedback.

The A party deviated from the main route and paid a visit to Harsley Castle. This is now used as a farm building and a very friendly farmer allowed us to look inside and to refill our water bottles.

As well as historic buildings Malcolm did his best to find us the juiciest nettles in Yorkshire but we let him off as he and Mick did a great job of finding some very obscure paths. Eventually we crossed the very busy A19 and made our way to Ingleby Cross . The walk should nave ended here but once again the only pub in the village was shut so we followed the forest track to Osmotherley where pubs, cups of tea, cakes and sandwiches were eagerly devoured by all.

Richmond to Danby Wiske

Rain was forecast for the afternoon so we left Richmond at a good pace to try and complete as much of the walk as possible without getting wet! There was a good view of Richmond Castle from the southern bank of the river Swale. The 'A' party did their first loop of the day and did a quick circuit of the castle before crossing over the river.

This was a very flat walk which made a pleasant change and passed largely through farming country. The rain duly arrived as promised at 2.00 pm but fortunately only lasted half an hour so we had time to dry off before the end of the walk. About half way through the walk we could hear the roar of traffic on the A1 and we passed underneath it before reaching Catterick.

Wainwright in his coast to coast book says 'The author made attempts to vary the 8 miles of road walking.......only to be beaten back to the tarmac by barbed wire, dykes, too friendly bovines and other obstacles'. We know how he felt! This particular group of Dexter cattle were desperate to join our party and protested loudly when we left them behind, only stopping to pose for a photograph.

The promise of the pub at Danby Wiske kept us all going but unfortunately the landlord of the White Swan was nowhere to be seen and cyclists and walkers alike were left out in the cold and wet. Just as the rain started again William arrived to save the day and we made an early return to the comforts of home. Only 60 miles to go now!

Reeth to Richmond

Another beautiful sunny day but a very chilly easterly wind kept us cool while we slowly climbed up on to Fremington Edge. I had decided to do the 'A' walk as it was only 12 miles and not too strenuous and it was a good clear day for getting good views from the top of the hill. April Fool's Day and Stuart had been drafted in at the last moment to cover for Steve's stubbed toe! Would it be a baptism of fire or a triumphant first time leading of an A walk for Stuart? Watch this space!

We had our lunch soon after reaching the highest point of the walk which gave us chance to recover from the climb. The 'A' walk was a popular choice this time for various reasons and it was good to see some new faces amongst the old hands. The walk itself was splendid with plenty of views and easy underfoot. If only they were all like this! We had a short break by another of Swaledale's scenic bridges before making our way to the village of Marske.

The path soon turned to a rough track and we made our way past fields full of gorse bushes. A glorious sight in the sunshine and a wonderful smell like coconut ice!

By this time we could see Richmond in the distance and we arrived there with plenty of time to eat, drink or walk around the castle walls before departing for home feeling invigorated and ready to face a new week.

And was it a triumph for Stuart? Well very nearly, the weather was perfect for walking, the walk was beautiful and most of us didn't get lost.............if only Stuart and Malcolm had managed to find the coach on time at the end!!!!

Keld to Reeth

Sunday morning's weather looked much more promising and the sun put in a welcome appearance. We loaded our luggage on to the coach and set off for Keld. By now the driver had become an expert at tricky bridges and we soon reached our destination. The 'A' party took to the hills again to follow the route in the book while the'B' party took a more gentle route along the valley following the river and passing through the ancient villages along the way.


We set off from Keld and took the route on the right hand side of the river which had good views of the valley ahead. Jackie our leader had offered an option of visiting Muker en route but most of the group decided not to. Those that did enjoyed a seat in the sun at lunch time and a proper toilet

We retraced our steps through the meadows down to the river again and soon arrived at Ivelet Bridge which the rest of the party had just left.
The meadows looked just like any old fields and it's amazing to think that in late May and early June they will be a sea of colour when the wild flowers bloom. We eventually caught them up at Gunnerside and left the river briefly to gain some height as we made our way to Reeth and the end of today's journey. There was just enough time for a drink in the pub or a welcome cup of tea and a scone in the Copper Kettle tea rooms. If you ever go there make sure you visit the toilet and leave plenty of time to read all the signs on the door!
We had a good journey home and it was once again a very enjoyable weekend and I can't wait for April Fool's Day and the next stage from Reeth to Richmond.

Kirkby Stephen to Keld

After a long break over winter we were all ready and eager to go again on the next stage of our coast to coast journey. We set off from Bradford on Friday evening and had a good journey to Swaledale where some stayed in the YHA at Grinton and the rest in B & Bs and pubs in Grinton and Reeth. Our driver did a spendid job of negotiating the narrow winding roads in the dark and dropped us off at Grinton Lodge. This was once a shooting lodge but is now owned by YHA and is a very comfortable place to stay with a roaring log fire in the lounge and very friendly staff.



On Saturday morning we set off for Kirkby Stephen to pick up the trail again. It took us a long time to get there in the coach as the roads are very narrow and winding and the driver had to negotiate road works, an irate lady who claimed he had damaged her step, and various very tricky bridges. It was quite a relief to get out into the fresh air again and on our way. The 'A' and 'B' walks took a similar route to the top of Nine Standards Rigg. As we gained height the mist got thicker and the wind was blowing so strongly that several people lost their footing. The weather can only be descibed as 'atmospheric' and regrettably we couldn't see the views of Cumbria behind us and Yorkshire ahead of us but if you follow the link you will get an idea of what we missed!

Ray Wilkes did a brilliant job of leading the 'B' party through the bogs and the mist and the gales down to the valley below where we completed our journey to Keld in good time. The food at the hostel was so good and the weather so unpleasant that only a handful of people made there way down to the pub. The rest stayed by the log fire chatting and playing a few games till bedtime.
So we are now half way through our journey and walking in our own beautiful county of Yorkshire. Wainwright in his Coast to Coast book says 'The attainment of Nine Standards Rigg is an occasion for celebration. This is the main watershed of the walk and the most extensive and interesting viewpoint on it.' Hmmm pity we couldn't see a thing!!