The final day 13 - Glaisdale to Robin Hoods Bay - was a microcosm of the whole experience for me. Gill has just posted the detail of the walk, but in summary:
Distance: a whopping 20 1/2 miles, including the final triumphant stroll down to RHB harbour after dropping our rucksacks off at the B&B. Can you imagine how good that felt...a bit like a Weightwatcher going to the shops for a chocolate bar after losing a couple of stone in two weeks?
Elapsed time: 9 1/4 hours. We wanted to savour the final stretch. Good weather. Beautifully varied scenery, from the pastoral splendour of Glaisdale and Egton Bridge to the more workmanlike Grosmont, the meandering Littlebeck Woods and enchanting tearooms by Foss Falls, to the final soggy moorland bog-hopping and the cleansing clifftop ozone above the wildly energetic North Sea....we smelt the metaphorical coffee and roses every inch of the the way.
Calories expended: 1,919
Calories consumed: somewhat in excess of 1,919...what with a huge breckie at Red House Farm, tuna buttie and indulgent hot chocolate with flake, accompanied by compulsory scone, cream & jam at Foss Falls, Snickers bar to wash down the last knockings of sloe gin from Gill's hip-flask at the contemplative High Hawsker clifftops. And then celebratory ales in the Wainwright bar at the Bay Hotel in RHB...followed by more ales and fish & chips with Dutch C2Cers Huub & Nelleke. But after 193 miles and 2 weeks of walking across this sceptred isle....WTF!
How so a microcosm today? Dry sunny weather for a long day's hike through such varied scenery meant a joyful end to our C2C experience. It shifted my C2Cometer towards the finishing with regret side of the scale...howling winds and driving rain of the previous North York Moors day might have nudged it decisively in the finishing with relief direction. The weather does make a difference to your emotional barometer.
We suffered terrible weather and exceptionally challenging walking conditions on occasions in the Lake District, the Dales and the North York Moors. But then we also lucked out for the majority of the time. Would we have enjoyed it more in perfect weather? Probably. Did the bad days add to the overall experience? Absolutely...approaching Grizedale Tarn in the middle of a Lakeland tempest, and almost missing the Lion Inn in the murk and drenching drizzle of the North York Moors, will linger long in the memory.
How did it compare with Kilimanjaro? Strangely, it may well have been a tougher challenge. The relentlessness of walking decent distances every day for 2 weeks, regardless of climatic or health conditions and with no margin for error (you HAVE to reach the next bed!) was as much a mental challenge as a physical one. Kili was really all about the ascent and the final 24-36 hours.
Highlights: the people we met along the way, those doing the C2C and also the B&B hosts; the remoteness and breathtaking splendour of our lakes, dales and moors; camaraderie of our group, particularly in adversity; the curry in Kirkby Stephen as a kill or cure approach for my digestive problem (it cured); the rest day in Richmond; the hidden valley below Smardale Fell, with a disused railway cottage and small stone bridge running alongside the old railway line conjuring up images of a more industrial past.
Lowlights: the aforementioned digestive problems I endured in the first few days; dodgy showers after a full day yomp in cold wet weather; relentless cold and damp on the North York Moors, from Urra to Glaisdale.
Huge thanks to Gill for her inspiration and organisation of the whole C2C experience (even if motivated partly by Kili revenge); to Simon for his endless good humour, coffee culture and even keel; to Fiona for motivating us to get to the end, and for a very welcome celebratory meal last night; to Ali, Simon W, Ian, Jan, Carol and Steve for their cameo appearances; to Elaine for joining us on the Richmond rest day; and to all those supporters via this blog...both those who posted messages and those who simply lurked. And of course to Packhorse, without whom our rucksacks would have been a whole lot heavier.
Final thought for the C2C: the further one goes the less one knows....
Hat's off to a hugely impressive effort in adverse conditions!
ReplyDeleteCheers, Mark & Cia