Day 19 Grosmont to Robin Hood's Bay (28.4 Km, total ascent 820m)

Day 19 Grosmont to Robin Hood's Bay (28.4 Km, total ascent 820m)

Today was a day of varied scenery with wide views of farmland, moorland and the coast.  We walked on a very muddy and slippery woodland path through beautiful woods and across very wet and boggy moorland, finally to reach the coast north of Robin Hood's Bay in glorious sunshine for our final walk down the coast and into Robin Hood's Bay.   Here we completed the traditions of dipping our boots and throwing our pebbles from St Bees into the North Sea. Then it was over to the Wainwright Pub for a photo with the Coast to Coast sign and a celebratory drink with Bram and Sonja, a Dutch couple we first met in Patterdale.

In the evening we had a delicious meal at the Victoria Hotel and afterwards joined Bram and Sonja and Erik and Sietske for celebratory drinks back down at the Bay Hotel

Overall, we carried our packs 351Km from our first B&B in Saint Bees to our last B&B in Robin Hood's Bay and the GPS recorded a total ascent of 10,804 m or 35446 ft.  (Mt Everest is 8848m or 29029 ft high).

We are indebted to the late Alfred Wainwright for devising the Coast to Coast route and those who have gone before us and shared their experiences and advice.  Thanks also to everyone we met along the way who helped to make this such an enjoyable experience.

The route.

Farewell to Grosmont 

Walking up out of Grosmont we have distant views of farmland.

and a few sheep

We can see Whitby Abbey near the coast in the distance

More sheep watching us go by.

Elaine ….

and Gary at the High Bride Stones

A view down towards Littlebeck and the woodland we will soon be walking through.

Littlebeck

A small waterfall near Littlebeck

The Hermitage

The Hermitage of Little Beck is a folly near Falling Foss.   It was carved out of a single sandstone boulder under the instructions of a local schoolmaster named George cross (hence the initials GC) in 1790.  On top, there are two chairs also carved from rock.

Gary sitting on a rock chair at the Hermitage which dates from 1792.

We have a lovely woodland walk.  Here the path is good but mostly it is very muddy and slippery.

Falling Foss

A bridge over May Beck near Falling Foss.

We have morning tea at Falling Foss Tearooms under a watchful eye.

As we head up again we can see the Woodland we have just walked through.

We walk across more moorland and have a panoramic view of Whitby and the coast.

Elaine crossing the moor

which is very wet and boggy in parts.

Then along a muddy ditch towards Hawsker

And again we can see Whitby Abbey and the North Sea.

We pass a Shetland Pony Stud with several foals.

We reach the East Coast and the North Sea.

At the coast but not yet at our destination.

We walk southwards along the coastline 

and soon can see Robin Hood's Bay, our final destination on the walk.

We dip our feet into the ocean at the beach at Robin Hood's Bay and throw in the pebbles we have carried from St  Bees.

Robin Hood's Bay

We reach the Wainwright Bar at the Bay Hotel

and celebrate completing the Coast to Coast with Bram and Sonja who we first met at Patterdale.

Afterwards we walk back up the steep hill to Lee-Side, our B&B to check in..

And have a celebratory meal at the Victoria Hotel with a lovely view over the bay.

Day 18 Blakey Ridge to Grosmont (22.9 Km, total ascent 319 m)

Day 18 Blakey Ridge to Grosmont (22.9 Km, total ascent 319 m).

After a good breakfast at the Lion Inn we headed off across the moorland with cloudy skies and blustery cold winds.  The walking was easy going along roads and wide clear tracks.  We saw Young Franks Cross and Fat Betty.  

The route.

We had great views of Great Fryup Dale and walked along Glaidsdale High Rigg and down into Glaidsdale.   There we stopped at the newly set up Glaisdale Tearooms which is a small tearooms in a domestic garden on the route as soon as you reach Glaisdale.  We enjoyed toasted sandwiches with salad and crisps and homemade cakes – lemon drisle cake and carrot cake.

From Glaisdale we went to see Beggars Bridge following which there is a walk through the East Arncliffe Woods.  This is a lovely woodland with bluebells and the walk is only marred by the muddy slippery path, assisted with some sections paved with stone and one with sleepers.  This meant spending more time concentrating on where we stepped rather than being able to fully enjoy the lovely woodland.

We walked into Egton Bridge where the rain set in and we got our coats on just in time.  The rain was constant for the next 3km walk into Grosmont.  We checked in to the B&B and met a British couple who were spending their last night there.  We had a quick look at the train maintenance shed and England’s first railway tunnel before going to the local pub for a drink.  

The first sheep of the day.

Gary at Fat Betty.

We farewell Blakey Ridge and The Lion Inn 

Hough House on Glaisdale High Rigg

Panoramic view of Great Fryup Dale.

A farm in Great Fryup Dale.

Great Fryup Dale.

Here we can see to the North Sea

A proud sheep.

A view of the Dale with the Moor above.

Coming into Glaidsdale

Glaidsdale

A confused ram on the road.

A house in Glaidsdale

Elaine on Beggars Bridge, a packhorse bridge.

Bluebells and Daisies in East Arncliffe Woods.

Footbridge at Egton Bridge.

Steam Engine in the Maintenance Shed at Grosmont

The pub in Grosmont

Grosmont Train Station.

Steam Engine at Grosmont. 

The train tunnel at Grosmont.