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!

Remote and wild Swaledale

Sarah:  The day began with rain squalls from the North and the wind battering at our backs - this lasted all morning!



Blown down trees blocked our path a couple of times as we threaded our way on a river side path from Keld to Muker,  a tiny York stone village with 3 pubs, a 10' x  8' village shop  and stone houses with roses round the door - really!

The Muker church show Jesus as a shepherd, of course,
and with the local breed of sheep in his flock

Although the wind whipped our hair and tore at our backs, the day ended gloriously striding out high up above  Swaledale. Tonight we are in Reeth, a 17th C town with a 5 acre village green basking in evening sun.  Next stop - a local pub for cider and supper!

This packhorse bridge over the River Swale is only 7 feet wide! 

Sisters 26 miles; Blisters  0

Bog Blog

Our first day on the trail!

The hike out of Kirkby Stephen over the hills to the almost-town of Keld is known as one of the biggest slogs on the Coast-to-Coast trail. We tackled and conquered it- our Colorado lungs helped a lot.  So did the big English breakfast (I did regret the smoked kippered herring). The top of climb is marked by huge cairns at Nine Standards Rigg and a terrific view across the valleys and distant hills. And that's also where the wind started.

Sheep before being slurped into the bog

It was grey and cold, but we dodged the rain. We walked on soft, springy peat, and then on soft, sodden peat, Some other hikers told us that we were really lucky- the bogs were are dry as they'd ever seen. This meant that at times we were not actually in ankle-deep mud. I did sink a hiking pole a good foot into the bog, and was happy that it wasn't my leg doing down to the knee in cold black water. They talk about sheep disappearing into the bog, and I'll believe it.





We hiked through bogs and mud for most of the day and eventually descended into the top of the Swaledale Valley. There we found one of the great joys of hiking in England- scones, cream and jam and a cup of tea served at a farm right on the trail.

Our last miles were a gradual drop down a beautiful green valley. We descended into relative civilization with grey stone barns, flocks of sheep and even a road. About 12 miles from Kirby Stephen we arrived at the Keld Lodge for a hot shower and a glass of hard cider (another joy of England). We send our love (from the pub) to everyone in Lyons!   Sisters: 14, Blisters: 0

At the edge of the moors

Planes, taxis and trains...   Our flight to London went fine and we were met at the airport by Sarah's biggest fans, her children Amy & Ben.

They took excellent care of us  and we enjoyed a stroll around their London neighborhood, a celebratory family feast, and then a long sleep.

Grandchildren Roo and Olive kept us laughing and I was honored to be asked to read  "Owl Babies" for bedtime (librarians and parents- we all know this one). It's been a very long time since I read it, but every sentence was familiar,  even the last one I couldn't choke out.
Olive read it for me: "I love my mummy," said Bill.  
                                     Hurrah for bedtime books at the Lyons Library!

This morning, we leapt from the warmth of family and sped by train through London and into the green countryside. Kirkby Stephen is a little town of stone houses, maybe about the size of Lyons, in a river valley with hills rising on either side. No taxi there, either, so we started our trek with a mile or two walk through the fields from the train station to town, with all luggage in tow.  We'll be happy to have someone else lug the big bags for the rest of the week.

Tomorrow is our first day hiking, and one of the biggest days on the Coast to Coast trail. We'll leave from the center of town and hike up to the moors for the day, and then drop down into the next little town, a pattern we'll be repeating most days.
So: 2 miles down, 98 to go.   Sisters 2, Blisters 0!

Ready, Steady Go!

We're almost ready to set off on our trekking adventure through northern England. The Coast to Coast trail is a famous long-distance hiking trail across the narrowest part of England. It travels through the Lake District and Yorkshire Moors: 190 miles of wild hills and moors.

Erica:  
Sarah knows this part of the world already, and had hiked these hills for many years before moving to Lyons, Colorado. I heard of the Trail years ago, and immediately put it on my "Bucket List." A few years ago, my husband Nick and I, walked the first 80 miles through the Lake District.  But the second half remained....


Sarah and I first met about two years ago, one morning at the gate to Lyons' Picture Rock Trailhead. The trail was closed because of muddy condition, so we had a great walk together up Old St. Vrain Rd instead. Over next months, we met on local trails numerous times, and eventually I ventured that we might try the Coast to Coast together....   I was delighted that Sarah was immediately enthusiastic about the idea and we began planning.

Sarah's best idea was to make this trek part of a fund-raiser for the new Lyons Regional Library. She is on the Board and our family has long used and loved the old library. She set up a GoFundMe site 

and we are overshelmed by the support from our friends and community. You'll be with us every mile!

Our last training hike: from the Picture Rocks Trail looking down over Lyons.