Day 14: Glaisdale to Robin Hood’s Bay, 19 miles (Lisa’s Version)

Photos

Gordon and I woke up early for our last day’s walk and skipped breakfast in place of a packed lunch from the Arncliffe Arms. We had a very steep uphill when we hit Grosmont (just after we stopped to see the Harry Potter train). We went through a moor with heather in bloom, across a busy road, over a stile onto a public bridleway, and into the Little Beck Woods. There is a shelter hollowed out of a boulder where a pilgrim once took refuge, “The Pilgrimage” is carved into the rock face. The whole forest area is gorgeous. Just beyond it is a beautiful waterfall, Falling Foss, and a little further the creek widens and the trail crosses it. Gordon and I perched on a log alongside the stream while we ate our lunches.

Later in the afternoon, we were back in open fields of heather. The land was cracked and dry and the day was hot with few clouds. We could finally see the coast, but not the sea because of the clouds that were hovering just over the coastline. Eventually, we crossed a caravan (R.V.) park and when we got to the bottom of the hill we got our first real glimpse of the sea – one where we could actually see the waves. It was beautiful. Sunny day, groups of gulls, rocky cliffs. We had made it! We walked through our last fields of sheep and cattle as we skirted the coastline far below. We were so happy when we reached Robin Hood’s Bay. We passed Andrea and Melinda from Washington state on our way in. They were sitting in plastic lawn chairs outside of their B&B. Just around the bend we saw the Californians sitting and waiting for us outside of the general store. We all slowly and carefully went down the steps because we were hurting (most of us) and down the steep hill through the town and to the North Sea.

We shed our packs, boots, and socks, and hobbled through shells and algae out into the water. The cold temperature of the sea felt incredible on my tired, swollen feet. The water was shallow because the tide was out. Gary, Gordon, and I laid down in the water, fully submerged like a baptism in the salty bath. Gordon and I sat on a rock together and Gary took our picture – proof that we had completed our journey! It was a wonderful feeling. It took us 2 weeks, 3 hours, and 15 minutes to walk across England. We began the slow march back to our shoes and I saw Al and Bill along with Paula and Hilary above at Wainwright’s Bar, having a drink, waving with huge smiles. We bought ice cream cones from the ice cream truck and checked in to the Boathouse just across the street. Gordon and I shared tea, hot chocolate, and biscuits, took hot showers, looked out the window at red roofs and endless sky, and listened to the gulls. We went back across the street to the Bay Hotel (Wainwright’s bar) for dinner where we met our friends and shared an evening on the porch overlooking the water. Everyone seemed so satisfied and happy.

In the morning, Gordon and I collected some shells by the beach and had a last look at the sea before breakfast. The Boathouse had a spread of fruit on the table to match the most colorful produce section of a grocery store. We shared our last meal of our coast-to-coast journey, took a few group photos, bought some postcards, and headed up the hill to catch the bus out of town.

Our walk across England was amazing because of the beautiful countryside that we got to know over two weeks, the cozy B&Bs with big homemade breakfasts, tired evenings at the pub watching England compete for the World Cup, shared pots of tea, exhausting days of walking, hot baths, new types of chocolate bars and new flavors of chips, and endless fields of humorous sheep. It was made so much better by the walking companions and friends we made along the way as we ambled from the Irish Sea across England to the North Sea. HELLO OUT THERE and Thanks to all of our fellow walkers: Paula, Hilary, Jen, Gary, Sarah, Jeff, Andrea, Melinda, Al, Bill, Peter, Steve and his dogs, Stella and Bruno. You made our trip so much better!