Gates

Day 3: Reeth to Richmond

Erica: Today's hike took us out of Swaledale and over the hills, through little stone villages, among sheep and cows, and across high hayfields full of clover and buttercups.  There were a few small incidents: stinging nettles, cow pies, freshly manured fields and treacherous stiles over the drystone walls.  And getting lost. And lost again.  Much of our day today was: we walk through a wide field. A tiny gate across an 8 inch gap in the wall opens to the next field and we peer ahead to spot the tiny gate on the far side. Which opens to the next field, which we hope is the right field....

Our guidebook is the excellent "Coast to Coast Path" by Henry Stedman, who provides hand-drawn maps and quirky comments for every step. When your feet are starting to hurt, it's nice to know about raspberries or martyr's graves along the roadside, or the exact location of a bench. Even though we kept him always at hand, we still had a few extra wanders the wrong way down country lanes.

After squeezing through so many tiny gates it was nice to find one we could just walk around!

We're starting to get into the physical and mental rhythm of the walk. Our legs are getting stronger and the miles are going faster. The stories we tell ramble along with our path. I think Sarah's are getting more outlandish, filled with amorous aristrocrats and rodeo queens. I try to keep pace by singing Janis Joplin and Scottish drinking songs. 



Alas, today also brought us our first official blister. I won't tell you whose it is. It's not as bad as it looks- I just have an affinity for rebuilding tender feet with large amounts of white adhesive tape.  Nick gave me three rolls as a going-away present, so we're ready for anything!

 


At the end of the day we walked into Richmond, the largest town on the entire Coast to Coast. It a very nice town, with a pretty church, an impressive castle and a busy market square.  After tiny towns like Keld and Marske, it seems full of people, noise and traffic and is a little off-putting. We did, however, have a very nice dinner which did not involve dubious attempts at vegetarian fare by pub cooks who would really prefer that you just had the sausages and chips.

Tomorrow is a partial rest day. The path leads from Richmond though some industrial neighborhoods and under the A-1 highway. We'll cut our miles back by taking a bus through that bit and walk through more countryside to our next town, Danby Whiske (don't you love the name? Neither of us know what a Whiske is). The weather report says rain, so wish us luck staying warm and dry!

Sisters: 40 miles,  Blisters: 1.5

Thank you to everyone who is following us across England! Generous donations to the Lyons Library have been coming in from our community, friends and family and even people we've met along the way. You walk with us every step!

Bah!