North York Moors Finish

(Read December 2,5, and 9 posts for parts 1-3 of this tale of two friends walking across Northern England.)
Day 5 Walk, Masham to Helmsley--by now all of the wayfarers are confident that we will finish the over 80 mile coast to coast walk that we began four days ago at Newby Bridge on the western coast of England on the Irish Sea side. We have about 30 miles to go over the next two days to reach our finish,the town of Whitby on the North Sea. We have crossed the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks and begin Day 5 on the Cleveland Way, a major walking path across the North York Moors. Throughout the morning's walk we climbed higher on the moors, walking through heather and seeing the occasional ancient standing stone.


Feet Waterloo--at this point on the walk getting my feet ready for the day's miles was quite a production because the soles of my feet were covered with blood blisters and several toenails were loose. The morning drill involved strategically placed band-aids, sheep's wool(collected the day before)cradles for toes and heels, and (male readers may blush at this point) wrapping all this on with panti-liners--what great multi-tasking inventions! Then the socks and boots went on. . .I tried not to complain, but one of the wayfarers was a tough old doctor who'd been watching me struggle. He alerted Dave, our walk leader, who insisted on having a look at my damaged "stubs" when we met the van for morning break. Before taking my boot off I warned him that he'd probably never seen what he was about to see. To his credit, he didn't flinch (he did confess at the farewell dinner that the sight of my poor feet took his breath away!).

Sally, my walking buddy, and I had made a pact that we were going to walk the full distance, no van hops for these two toughies. However, like a true friend she insisted on cutting out the last five miles of the walk day and riding the van into Helmsley where we were spending the night. Besides, we had gone through village after village and not been able to look in any of the intriguing little shops. So, after lunch, we hopped in the van with orders from the other walkers to search out a supply of foot bandages for the last day's walk.

Helmsley is a cheerful, bustling market town with red-tiled roofs and red-trimmed storefronts. Our inn was just off the town square so we could watch local farmers and tradesmen set up for the week-end market on the town square. We checked out several walking shops, purchasing a variety of bandages and plasters to pass out to the wayfarers when we met them for pre-dinner drinks back at the inn. We also met several great dogs, choosing this fellow and his two buddies for our Dogs of the Day photo. We were told that it would be okay to pet the black one, but should steer clear of the lap dog! We heeded his warning. . .




Walk Day 6, North Sea Finish -- from Helmsley we had a short bus ride to start one of the trip's highpoints. At Pickering Station we climb aboard the steam-hauled Moors Railway, aka Harry Potter's Hogwart Express, for a ride across the wild Flyingdales Moor. (Sally! Sally! Sally! How your standards have gone down. When you started this adventure, it was with shirt tails tucked in and now there's not one, but two, tails hanging out.)

By mid-day we leave the train at Grosmont and hike to the isolated village of Aislaby for our last pub lunch together. This time it had to be the best fish and chips in the north. Looking at this group, I think you can see how excited and happy we are to be this close to the finish. We walked for many reasons: to celebrate friendship, victory over breast cancer, retirement, life in a new country, work assignment, and to challenge old age. Before the day is over we all will accomplish our goal. After lunch we are all very quiet, lost in our own thoughts of what this day means to each of us individually. From the village of Eskdale we follow the Esk Valley until we get our first glimpse of the North Sea!


Dave kept the pace pretty intense as we cross the harbor bridge and walk through the seaside town of Whitby.
The town is interesting--full of vacationers, interesting shops and amusements, but we do not stop walking until we reach our finish point--the North Sea. We repeat the boot dipping ceremony in the North Sea as we did at the Irish Sea six days earlier. Coast to Coast--over 80 miles--we made it! We then raised a glass of champagne to celebrate each other.

After our happy dance on the sand, Dave, true to form, starts us walking again to nearby Dunsley Hall where we will spend our last night of the walk. At the Farewell Dinner we each receive our Finisher's Patch and some good natured words of praise from Dave. And, I can't forget--there was a Dog a Day--a handsome yellow lab who kept sneaking in the dining room from the terrace to get a pat and piece of cheese. Regretfully I didn't have my camera. . .







In our room after dinner, I lay awake. In July in northern England there is very little deep night. The sky is still streaked at midnight and the sheep begin calling outside our window at 4:30 a.m. I am glad to be heading home in the morning, but will treasure the memories of six days walking the English countryside with my good friend for many years to come.

Yorkshire Dales Walk

(Read December 2 and 5 posts for Parts 1 and 2 of this tale of two friends walking across Northern England.)

Day 2 Walk, Leaving Lake Windermere -- from our overnight lodging near Grasmere we followed the shoreline of Lake Windermere for much of the morning with rain threatening. By mid-morning Dave, our walk leader, called a tea break in the lakeside town of Ambleside. How long before the Wayfarers learned? This stop was the first of many tricks Dave would play on us. Any kind of treat like shopping, tea break or ice cream parlour stops meant that we would soon be huffing up a mountain or slogging through bogs and streams. Immediately after tea, Dave fulfilled his evil plan by leading us out of Ambleside and up the Cumbria Mountains in the rain.


When we crested the mountain we had our last views of Lake Windermere and walked on toward the village of Troutbeck. Just outside the village we stoppped at this little jewel of a church, Jesus Church Troutbeck, known for its beautiful stained glass windows. About this time we began seeing our first "free range" sheep which meant that we were getting closer to the Yorkshire Dales farmland. At Troutbeck Church I was amused to see sheep "trying out" the resting places in the church yard.












By mid-afternoon we stopped for our customary pub lunch at Mortal Man Pub in Troutbeck Village. The pub sign read: "O Mortal Man that lives by bread, What is it makes thy nose so red? Thou silly fool that look'st so pale, tis drinking Sally Birkett's ale." The Wayfarers enjoyed some of Sally Birkett's ale and a rest while looking out over the rolling farmland.


We end Day 2 of the walk in Crook on the eastern border of the Lake District.


Days 3 and 4 Walk, Yorkshire Dales--we are definitely in the countryside made famous by the Yorkshire Dales vet, James Herriot of All Creatures Great and Small fame. Walkers are permitted to pass through farmers' fields of grain or sheep pastureland. However, there are rules to follow. The last walker to go through a gate must be sure it's closed. If there's no gate, you climb over fences and the dry stone walls using stiles of all varieties--stone,wood,
ladder,kissing(a double style that ensures close encounters). Once in the field, walkers are expected to keep to the paths by the fence. And just in case you forgot, watch out for a multi-tasking border collie to warn you to mind your manners.


Sheep's Wool and Sore Feet--by Day 3 several of us were walking on feet that hurt despite all the blister remedies that Dave and Bill, our walk manager, had to offer. I no longer had Happy Feet.The combination of climbing up and down rocky hills and walking for long distances had turned my feet into a mass of blood blisters from heel to toe--up hill your heels got it, down the toes. At stops we lost interest in drinks and snacks, instead comparing the sad condition of our feet. That's when the sheep became important. As we walked across the sheep pasture, several of us started collecting wool to pad our boots the next day. It wasn't a cure for sore feet, but at least made walking another day more bearable.

At the end of Day 4 we had a wonderful surprise waiting. We followed the banks of the River Ure, tired and dispirited after a hard day of walking in the rain and wind. Dave kept building our anticipation that something good was going to happen. Boy, he delivered as always. We came off the river path near the town of Masham onto a vast parkland to find this castle at Swinton Park waiting for us! Our rooms were totally luxurious. In fact, someone from our group said that her bath was large enough to fit a small 3rd world county in it-not much of an overstatement. At any rate, it was just what we needed to restore body and spirit for the final push to the North Sea in the final two days of walking.



WALK CONCLUSION--NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS TO NORTH SEA, POSTED MONDAY, DEC. 10

Lake District Walk

(Read December 2 post for Part 1 of the tale of two friends walking across Northern England.)
Day 1 Walk--early in the morning the Coast to Coast Wayfarers leave the Swan Hotel in Newby Bridge for a short hike to an inlet where we ceremoniously dip our boots in the Irish Sea to mark the eastern beginning of our walk through the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire Moors National Parks. In six days we hoped to walk 85 miles to finish the trek in Whitby on the North Sea.

Already, as we left the sea and began to climb the first mountain,I decided that to finish the walk I would have to attack it in stages. I would walk to our mid-day stop and then set another goal. Dave, our walk leader,(kneeling, blue sweater)very wisely didn't reveal that we would cover 16 rough, hilly miles the first day. The walkers began to sort themselves out--the competitive lead dogs, the sociable middle group and the rear guard--my position for most of the walk. Sally, my walk buddy, was a stronger trekker than I, so we didn't spend a lot of trail time together. That was probably a good thing because in a couple of days she was asking "Exactly when does the vacation part of this trip begin?" or "Who's big idea was this?"

Foot Triage--this photo is of our first break. Bill, the walk manager, met us twice a day at accessible points with the supply van. We began cheering on seeing the white van with Bill's smiling delivery of drinks,(barley lemonade-yum!) snacks and Compeeds! As you can see, many were already having foot problems from shoes or boots that weren't properly broken in. So, Dave and Bill began their ritual feet inspections and dispensing Compeeds, English industrial quality blister patches. At this point I'm feeling smug about my happy feet, but in a couple of days it gets ugly!


By mid-day we reached Beacon Tarn(lake). In the distance we could see the "Old Man", a craggy outcropping towering over Lake Conistan. Dave gave us a mini geological lecture about how over 400 million years ago the Lake District hills and valleys were formed from smooth Silurian rocks, providing the softer wooded landscapes of Conistan and Windermere. Glaciers following the Ice Age scraped through the valleys forming huge bowls for the lakes. Frankly, we feigned interest, but our honest reaction was "Yeh, yeh, yeh--whatever." We were just grateful for a chance to sit down by the lakeside and rest our feet! That is, except for some of the lead dogs who actually took notes. . .

Dog a Day--in the village of Conistan on Conistan Waters we stopped at a local pub for a traditional pub lunch. The Ploughman was a hefty serving of bread, cheese and ham spiced up with a relish called Branston pickle--very good, but I have no idea what made it brown. We met these two pub dogs, one inside waiting for his person to finish a drink and the other out on the patio with us, hoping to share the hearty ploughman.

Fueled by lunch, petting the pub dogs, and a bit of rest, we headed back up the mountain. We climbed a natural rock quarry--should have listened to Dave's geology lecture--and walked through a deep, quiet almost primal forest. Once through the forest we looked down at Little Langdale, a valley that has some of the most dramatic scenery we'll see along the entire walk.We curve down the Langdale Pike into surrounding farmland for the last leg of this first day of walking.


The Concierge--our first night on the route was spent at Skelwirth Bridge Hotel near Grasmere. The 17th century inn was charming with its beautiful gardens and comfortable rooms. However, all of us were captivated by The Conceirge, this beautiful black lab who greeted arriving guests with tourist information and peppermints from his spot under the table. The following morning Sally and I spotted him from our window coming across the carpark with a leash in his mouth--ready for his walkies before getting on about his work. The only thing that would have made us happier with this place would have been to have The Concierge sleep in our room that night. Instead, we leave Skelwirth and start Day 2 of our walk.

TO BE CONTINUED--See Dec. 7 post for Yorkshire Dales Walk.

Coast to Coast Dogs

It was decided. In July 2003 my good friend Sally and I paid the fees and made travel plans for the most physically and mentally challenging adventure either of us had ever attempted. We were going to walk 85 miles coast to coast across northern England from the Irish to North Seas. We would walk through three national parks: Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, and North Yorkshire Moors. It would take six days of walking, averaging 12-15 miles per day, to complete the route through hills, dales, and moorlands made famous by the likes of Wordsworth, James Herriot, and the Bronte sisters.

Joining Up--the wayfarers flew from Philadelphia to Manchester, England. From the Manchester airport we bumbled our way to the BritRail station and completed a tag team effort to find our train stop--and figure out the right side of the station to be on to travel to Windermere where we would meet up with our walking group. We were delighted with this little comfort center for dogs at the rail station. It reads: "This facility is for use by our four legged friends. Please quench your thirst with our best wishes. Virgin Trans" A big downside to travel is that you miss your animals so much. Sally and I both left several much loved dogs at home. From a previous trip to England, I figured our chances of meeting some dogs along our walking path would be pretty good since it seemed that the English love dogs and cats a lot. From coast to coast we were successful--look for the "Dog a Day" photos throughout this tale.

Newby Bridge and Windermere--we had a day to recuperate at the Swan Hotel in Newby Bridge, within walking distance of the Irish Sea,the starting point of our trip. On arrival, we explored the village and hotel grounds to get our internal clocks adjusted to local time. And voila! We meet our first Dog a Day. Sam, the Staffordshire terrier, lived with his owner on a boat tied up on the waterway running in front of the Swan Hotel. Now tell me, is this a face to fear?"


On our second day at Newby Bridge we explored Bowness-on-Windermere lovely small town on Lake Windermere that catered to tourists,including hikers because this area was the start of several walks around the Lake District and beyond. We had a great day wandering through all the shops and looking for arts and crafts of the region. And of course we had to stop in one of the outside cafes for tea and scones with cream and strawberries. While we sat there people watching, we spotted this fellow patiently waiting outside the OXFAM for his owner to finish shopping.

After a leisurely day in Windermere we finally meet our Wayfarer Tour Leaders Dave, Bill, and Alan and the ten other people on the tour at a Welcome Dinner and Introduction back in Newby Bridge. We came from all over the U.S. and France for this challenge. We would not be strangers for long because we would be partners in keeping up with our leaders as we covered the 85 miles to our goal--the North Sea. Early the next day we would begin our walk with a ceremonial dipping of our boots in the Irish Sea. . .

Part 2--Newby Bridge to East Witton posted on 12-5-07