At some stages of the walk you wonder if you will ever do this day of the walk, the final fifteen miles to the end of the walk, Robin Hoods Bay. Today I would do it and you can see the map here.
Here I am with Brian before heading off to Grosmont. The paunch is still there but I have had to take in my belt two notches since I started the walk.
8:40 am was too early for the trains to run on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Most walk days I was out there by 9 am. Of course the sun gets up at 4:00 am here.
It's a 15 mile walk and the first couple of miles consist of a steep climb up the hill out of Grosmont.
That is a 1 in 3 slope and even though I am much fitter now than at the beginning of the walk in mid May, I still needed to stop at times for a short rest.
Looking back down the hill. It really is a pretty scene.
If you click on the photo to enlarge it you can see the Abbey at Whitby through the haze.
More tramping across moors.
It had rained two days before so there were still some muddy bits. Fortunately it was easy to bypass most of them. I was lucky during my walk that I had only two bad weather days. For the unlucky ones, it rains every day and they are traipsing through mud like this all the way, every day. It has to make the walk much more difficult and dangerous in parts.
Heather that had been burnt.
More muddy path.
Today's walk mostly is on or beside roads. Later in the day we drove back down this road on the return to the house.
Getting closer to the coast at Whitby. You might like to look at my blog of Whitby from last year. It's a very interesting place.
The Methodist Chapel at Littlebeck. It must have been a wowser community since there is no pub.
The walk through Littlebeck Wood is one of the highlights of the whole walk and I could see why. With the sun filtering down through the canopy of leaves it reminded me of walking through the rain forest at Binna Burra. Different vegetation of course.
Remains of an alum mine. The Littlebeck mines closed over 200 years ago and have been covered with vegetation so you don't see too much evidence of them.
The Hermitage which was carved from a single sandstone boulder.
Inside.
Parapet in front of the Hermitage which was really just a folly.
Eventually I arrived at a waterfall, Falling Foss.
The Tea Garden next to the waterfall. It was too early to stop so I continued on.
Now that has to be a well loved boat. Click on the photo to read the sign. Since it was a Sunday there were quite a few people with children running all over the place. The car park was almost full.
When I was preparing for the walk I often looked at the map and I was intrigued by the sharp V that my path would take. What would it look like when I got there? Well here it is. You climb up the path on the left and then head up the hill on the road to the right.
More moors to cross.
These moors were among the wettest and boggiest in the whole trip. At one stage there was no alternative to walking though a stretch of bog and water. My sandals and waterproof socks worked wonderfully.
A very muddy and rocky lane.
The first sign with a mileage to the Bay. My actual walking distance would be almost double the road distance because of the walk around the headland.
I met this young bloke who said he was just starting the walk to St Bees. He was doing the walk to raise money for a charity but was already wondering whether he had bitten off more than he could chew. Hopefully he realized that if an old codger like me can do it, he can do it.
I called Brian to let him know that it would soon be time to go to the Bay to pick me up. This is High Hawkser.
Finally the stroll down the hill towards the cliffs above the North Sea. I experienced a feeling of real joy as I realized that I was going to finish. No, I did not sing Beethoven's Ode to Joy. That ditty does not do justice to how I felt.
Caravan park close to the sea. The grounds were very well maintained.
A group of Aussies about to finish the walk. They had started at Littlebeck that day and had noted the lack of a pub.
The path by the cliff.
Looking north.
It is quite a spectacular coastline. Most of the path along the cliff top is easy walking but there are some steep climbs and descents. Nothing compared to Cumbria of course but enough to make it more than just a walk in the park.
The most easterly part of the walk.
First glimpse of Robin Hoods Bay.
Getting closer.
Finally the outskirts of the top half of the village.
The descent down to the lower half of the village. The guide book Stedman mentions your triumphant procession down the hill by day trippers who are oblivious to your magnificent feat. You can pick out the walkers. They are the ones with a pole.
I continued down the steep incline and eventually there was Marianne at the bottom waving to me.
The Bay Hotel which is the pub where you celebrate.
The triumphant procession.
I continued down to the beach. The tide was out so I had a bit of a walk to actually reach the sea.
Here are my feet in the water. I had done it!
Then it was back to the pub to sign my name in the book in Wainwright's Bar.
A sip of Wainwright's Beer.
Well deserved, even if I say so myself.
I was the first entry for the day. The two entries before mine were the couple from British Columbia who I had walked with from Danby Wiske to Ingleby Cross.
Paul Tinker finished. I met him at the green at Danby Wiske.
The man from Bethesda who I met on the first day made it but it looks like his wife did not finish. She had real doubts even at that early stage.
The Wyoming group finished in early June. I seem to remember the Chicago people as well.
The rest of the Wyoming group at the top.
An finally a video of the last few yards.
There will a separate blog about my overall thoughts on the walk.
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