C to C (Cause to Celebrate) by John Ryder Snr

C to C (Cause to Celebrate)

by John Ryder Snr

We’re three generations of Ryders

As close as butter on toast

We’re walking the width of England

We’re walking the Coast to Coast

For 15 days we lace wet boots

Heave rucksacks on our backs

We stride off proudly into the sun

Down dale and mountain tracks

It’s 200 miles from St Bees Head

To the Bay of Robin Hood

A deeply daunting test of grit

Through moor and mist and mud

Off we set from Lulu’s pub

T’ward sylvan fell and mere

The Lakes in all their glory

(And pints of Theakston’s beer)

Derwood’s at the heart of things

With her wise and witty blog

A memorable memento

Of this beautiful, arduous slog

Ryder Jnr sets a searing pace

‘No coffee breaks or rest’

‘Onward Derwood,’ comes the cry

Tough days of trial and test

I myself prop up the rear

My glory days long gone

Content myself with rate sedate

My mantle passed to my son, John

But Jumping Jack is full of beans

He bounces down the track

O for the wings of youth again

I wish I had mine back

Ennerdale is our first aim

It’s really not that far

Just 15 miles of blood and sweat

It’s easy in a car!

Stonetwaite is our next goal

A hot and sunny day

Tough terrain tears at our feet

For roof and rest we pray.

An answer to our prayer is found

The Vicarage snug and cool

A sanctuary and a shelter

A post-Arcadian jewel

With lingering looks at Lakeland

We rest awhile at Shap

Dad and Jack win games of pool

I’m not a happy chap!

A blistering pace becomes the norm

And Pat and Meg fall prey

Four feet alike in their joint grief
Soul sisters you might say

Our next stop is the Pennine Peaks

Our country’s splendid spine

A brazen backbone of rusted iron

Peat bogs of dark red wine

Strange structures reach up to the sky

The cairns of Standards Nine

Their unclear meaning is their charm

An heritage proud and fine

Now Yorkshire looms up thro’ the mist

Where Jack and Pat were born

Splendid isolation is all around

With Swaledale sheep forlorn

Shy Yorkshire Dales reveal their charms

Our senses to enthrall

Exquisite verdant tapestry

For creatures great and small

A rest day next in Richmond town

Fleshpots lust and sin

Alas it did not happen,

None of them were in!

North York Moors now rear their heads

Last barrier on our quest

50 miles of terrain and tor

Then downhill all the rest

At Grosmont station we call a halt

We’re running out of steam

But Hogwarts’ train fans our fading flame

And reignites our dream

Hooray! We’ve reached our Bay of Dreams

Worn out but joyful too

We’ve gained our goal of C to C

A disheveled, triumphant crew

So, raise your glasses, one and all

One final heartfelt toast

Our glorious trek has reached its end

We’ve done the Coast to Coast

Day 15: Glaisdale to Robin Hood's Bay

6 sets of tired feet set out from the bottom of Glaisdale to complete the final stage of the Coast to Coast to Robin Hood's Bay.

The overnight rain had not quite passed as we set off in full waterproof gear, past the famous 'Beggar's Bridge' but by the time we were passing through the beautiful village of Egton Bridge, it had dried up and the sun was cheering our spirits.

Stepping stones at Egton Bridge

Passing between Egton Bridge and Grosmont, we could hear the nostalgic sound of a steam train hooting. Having read about the use of the local steam locomotive for a famous film (probably more than one, actually), and knowing we had to pass by the railway station, we speeded up in an attempt to see it, only to discover we'd missed it by 10 minutes.  Alas, what we could hear was it disappearing into the distance!

Then we discovered the timetable. Who doesn't love an old steam train anyway? We paused (far to early during the walk, and for far too long) in Grosmont to see the Hogwarts Express engine couple to the carriages and then depart for Platform 9 3/4 (or for you sticklers for facts, the North York Moors Railway's steam train depart for Pickering).

Here's where Wainwright's 'updated' version of the walk began to let us down.  For 170 miles or so, John had followed AW's maps and written descriptions of the walk, word for word with the occasional confirmation from the Coast to Coast Path by Henry Stedman.

On leaving Grosmont, AW's instructions were vague at best.  John does have a rather stubborn fondness for AW despite the fact that his original words were written over 40 years ago, and his updater appears to have not actually updated very much.  For that reason we did not follow Stedman's words, and got slightly off track. It was quickly noticed and put right.  Phew.

Once we found our way, a 1:3 climb up Sleights Moor brought views of the sea - hooray!

'Yes, yes, there it is, between the land and the sky'. 

Day 15 was very undulating, passing across moors and through woods.

Falling Foss

We passed a 20 foot waterfall called Falling Foss (and quickly passed Falling Foss Tea Garden - no time to stop, we have to get to Robin Hood's Bay before nightfall!)  - it was beautiful. I particularly enjoyed Little Beck Wood, which reminded me of some of the glens in the Isle of Man.

Lone tree - our last real clue from Wainwright that we were on the right path

It went a bit pear-shaped once we were heading into the last stretch: Graystone Hills are not really hills, they are moors with indistinct paths across.  Wainwrights instructions were vague, Stedmans' also 'keep Northeast then North'  - how long Northeast, and then how long north?' We looked for waymarkers and couldn't find any, the signposts and gates did not appear. We found our way (trespassed, I suspect) out through a farmer's gate, managed to find ourselves on the A171 (not fun) and followed it in Northeast until we found a B road.

Hallelujah

Here we abandoned all of the options in the book, followed my GPS on my phone on roads all the way into Robin Hood's Bay.  Forgoing the 'clifftop' entry we expected, and having missed the chance to cut 5 miles from the final day, we limped in having completed 19.5 miles.

Leeside B&B is on the top road. Obviously the official finish is down at the sea.  On the way down into Robin Hood's Bay we were all in agreement; we'll save the final 'foot in the sea' moment for Saturday morning.  It won't matter, it's quite late now and dinner is at 8:00 at the Wayfarer's Bistro up this hill, near the B&B.

Our final descent!

Once we arrived, Doobs looked a bit forlorn at the thought of not getting closure on the same day. He's a poetic sort, and was going to go on his own. I agreed with him, so we dumped rucksacks, changed shoes and hobbled down to the sea - only to find the tide was in, and the slipway was dangerous.  Couldn't even get close enough to touch it.

Extreme danger...

Ah well, there's a sign we can sit in front of to get our photo taken - covered in scaffolding and wretched people sitting in front of it.

without scaffolding...

...and with!

OK then, you're meant to get a pint of Wainwright's beer in Wainwright's Bar at The Bay pub. 'Changing the barrel. Sorry, mate - Wainwright's off.'  (Yes, he often is, but you didn't mean that did you?)

more scaffolding - it ruins pictures! 

We did that.

For Stacey

Bugger.

Still, we did it.

In 15 days of walking, here's what we did:

Not bad, eh?

Wayfarer's Bistro served us the most magnificent meal - we had monkfish medallions and king prawns in chilli, lime and coconut,  Sea Trout with parma ham wrapped asparagus, there was a perfectly cooked steak and a cod steak with chorizo. Highly recommended.

Leeside B& B is a delightful place to finish: comfortable with spacious rooms, Clare could not be a more helpful host and we are looking forward to spending the day in Robin Hood's Bay before our lift back to our car.

Day 14: Clay Bank Top to Glaisdale

A long, beautiful but exhausting day.

We all managed to resist the ‘Walker’s Porridge’ at the Wainstones Hotel in Great Broughton.  Walker’s porridge is ‘The same as normal porridge, but with a shot of Drambuie on the side to give you a kick start”.  Erm…. with 19 miles to walk, I think we’d better not. Although, considering how I felt by the end of the day, perhaps I should have taken it.

Megan discovered that her little toe was about to fall off when she tried to put her boot on – it was very swollen with blisters top and bottom. Sherpa Van kindly agreed to take her to Glaisdale along with our luggage. I don’t think she’s ever travelled as excess baggage before, but she has now.  I think it was the right decision. 19 miles (after the accumulated mileage over the past 13 walking days) would probably have ensured she couldn’t walk the last triumphant day into Robin Hoods Bay with us – we’re trying to ensure that she can.

Today’s views were far-reaching, but became monotonous towards the end as it was flat paths across moorland once we had reached our maximum height.

We saw many grouse, amusing because they would just pop up out of the heather – you’d see one grouse, two more – then suddenly there were seven or eight of them.

May I help you? 

Adorable. We debated for some time over the collective noun for grouse, covey was suggested. My dictionary agrees it is used for small birds, especially partridge.  So - a covey of grouse?

A covey of grouse

We stopped at Blakey Moor for a drink (and some of us had chips) - this was our half-way point of the day - 9.5 miles. Ugh. 

I can see the pub from here

 It was a long slog down the hill to Glaisdale, and then another long slog out of the village to the Arncliffe Arms, where we were staying. 

As you may have guessed from the time stamp of this blog post, I was just too exhausted to write the whole thing on Day 14. I was further hindered by Arncliffe Arms' internet.  It was a bit sketchy ( a bit Zambian to be honest) so uploading pictures was almost impossible.  

Here they are now, and you'll have to read the next one to find out if we all made it to Robin Hood's Bay! 

Day 13: Ingleby Cross to Clay Bank Top

What a glorious day! The difference between the last stage and today was phenomenal.  Yesterday's walk ended with a mad dash across a busy highway; today started out almost immediately walking a beautiful track through woods, easy underfoot with lots to look at.  Apparently in Spring it would be resplendent with bluebells.  But in Summer it was still pretty and a welcome change from the fields and muddy paths of the previous two days. 

Wooded track

Reminds me of Maine!

Jack's favourite trees

A surprise view

I enjoyed every minute of the day, even the up- and downhill bits.  The knee was much better, as was Megan's.  I had the most ridiculous bandage on, looked like I had perhaps had a replacement limb attached, but it did the trick so I don't care what it looks like!

The variety of terrain, views and even weather held our interest, not like the Vale of Mowbray at all.

"The hills are alive...." 

The North York Moors

We walked all the way to the hills on the horizon -
The 'bump' is Roseberry Topping or as Wainwright calls it, a miniature Matterhorn

Another postbox!

Old Railway Carriage

Their fence is not very effective

Perhaps I should explain my obsession with postboxes.  Living in Zambia, post was something of a mystery.  There was no residential postal service so we could not receive mail at our house;  any communication with friends and family was all done via email.

I tried sending a couple of letters through Zampost, but the woman serving me was so vague, and the price so cheap I was sure they would never arrive.  I'm still not sure they ever did.  There was a company that would coordinate with a warehouse in the UK and another one in the USA to enable customers to shop with Amazon, etc, but we lost so many items that I gave up.    

When I moved to the UK at the age of 7 years, the local postbox (and Mr Postman delivering to our house twice a day) saved my sanity.  My sister and I must have sent and received hundreds of letters over the years - on hearing the post dropping through the letterbox, I would wonder, 'Is there anything for me?'  It was so exciting. 

The maintenance of rural location of postboxes across England (literally) has warmed my heart - as long as you have stamps at home, you can walk to your local postbox and send a letter or card.  Old fashioned and traditional, perhaps - but I love them.  Hence, all the pictures of postboxes.  (I have not included all of them!) 

We had some terrific views for a good section of our walk of paragliders flying above the Moors, in the direction we were walking.  When we got to Carlton Moor, we found a number of guys with paragliders at the top, waiting for their turn to catch the thermals.  Doobs nearly got caught up in one as the wind unfortunately changed direction slightly as the paraglider was about to take off. Not sure what he'd have done if they guy had taken of with Doobs tangled in the fabric - he's maintained ever since his trip to New Zealand that he'll never fly again.

Watch out Doobs!

Awesome views

On the top of Cringle End 

Looking back at Cringle End

Wain Stones on Hasty Bank

Looking through boulders at Wain Stones

Pat and Doobs

Some nutter

Stats don't lie: today we climbed more than on any other day of this walk, even in the Lake District area.  2846 ft of elevation was gained today, the 2nd top day for climbing was Patterdale to Shap.  It was tough - almost 13.5 miles; the next two days will be longer, each around 19 miles. Oh deary deary me. 

Showing elevation gain

No wonder we are exhausted - up, down, up, down!