Day 13: Clay Bank Top to Glaisdale, 18.75 miles (Gordon’s Version)

Photos

After Gerry left us we scurried up to the top of the moors getting soaked along the way as we dipped under trees drenched with mist from the morning. It was cold and windy and a dense fog smothered our view. We trudged along unsure of whether the path we had taken as a little shortcut was the appropriate one. We finally realized that, in fact, we hadn’t gotten lost and followed a old railroad track that had been converted into a trail for five miles. Although we were at a high altitude of near 2000 feet, the plateau we were walking on was incredibly flat, making the entire day’s journey quite easy for the distance. We stopped at the Lion Inn at about the halfway point. It was a remarkable place, with a history dating back hundreds of years when it formerly served as a stopover point for travellers. There is not a single other building for miles, and the large pub and inn sits high atop the windswept moors. Quite the desolate site and a place you’d expect to see the characters of Wuthering Heights stopping in for a pint. The moors we walked were the ones which inspired the setting for the novel, and the story left an accurate description of the terrrain we traversed. After the Lion Inn, we remained with our California friends (Gary, Jeff, Jen and Sarah) for the remainder of the day. Our journey turned into Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 as we relived songs from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and today. The miles flew past under our weary feet as we sang and frolicked our way down to the cute little hamlet of Glaisedale. Our friends weren’t stopping until 3 miles later in the town of Grosmont, so we left them to continue their day’s journey as we achingly ascended the stairs to our room at the Arncliffe Arms Pub and Bed and Breakfast. The Arncliffe Arms is owned by a couple who moved out from the big city. The husband is a licensed chef and has turned this little hamlet into a well known place merely by the cuisine he cooks. I had the most taseful hamburger I’d had in years while Lisa munched down on Thai chicken with Asian coleslaw. We watched the World Cup semifinals at the bar and then headed up for a restless night’s sleep, excited about the prospects of finishing the walk the next day, on time and surprisingly under budget.