• Flying Home

    19. August 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We left Motel One Tower Hill In London at 6:15 am and rode the tube to Heathrow. We checked in and got through security all by 8:10 am. Our flight was 9 hours long but it seemed to go fast. We walked around Vancouver a bit and had lunch at the Cactus Club downtown. We’re staying at the Ramada at the airport. Tomorrow we fly home.Weiterlesen

  • Day in London

    18. August 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    We had a day in London to ourselves. We walked over to Saint Paul’s and then caught the tube to Westfield Mall where we met Stanny and Michael Porter for lunch. It was great to see them again. The last time was a couple of years ago when they visited us in Whitehorse. Afterwards, we went to Foyle’s bookshop and then walked for an hour looking at shops and people. Tonight we had a fish and chips dinner and tonight will get ready to travel home tomorrow.Weiterlesen

  • Back to London

    17. August 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We had a nice breakfast and caught a taxi (Woody’s Taxis) from our hotel on Lindisfarne. We both chucked out our hiking shoes after 450 km of wet boggy hiking so our bags are a little lighter. Bob also threw out some socks with holes and his old hiking gloves that are worn out. We drove to Bamburgh where we said goodbye to Claudia and Christina who are staying there for a few days. Then we carried onto Berwick-on-Tweed. We had lunch there and then caught the train to London Kings Cross Station. We’re staying two nights at Motel One at Tower Hill.Weiterlesen

  • To Holy Island

    16. August 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    As we had had a long day yesterday, we decided to take a taxi to Fenwick from Wooler. From there we walked to the causeway linking the mainland to Lindisfarne (Holy Island). We crossed the high speed rail line and had to call to make sure it was ok to cross, as trains come through quite often. The Pilgrims’ Way is a walk barefoot across the tidal sands for 4 km and follows a line of stakes. We did this instead of walking on the causeway with cars. We timed it so that we were on an ebbing tide and at the safe tide level. Most of the walk was in water though, but not deep. Once we got to Holy Island we headed to St. Cuthbert’s coffee shop and had coffee and lunch. Then we wandered around the island, to the castle and lookout. After that we checked into our B&B ( the Manor House).Weiterlesen

  • Cheviot Hills

    15. August 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We decided to take a “high route” to Wooler instead of the traditional St Cuthbert’s Way route. It turned out to be a tough day with the poor trail conditions and long distance and elevation changes. Much of the route was over peat bog and the trail was quite wet and muddy with all the rain. We had to figure out our path carefully around the bogs. We had nice weather with no rain and tremendous views of the Scottish border country. It was slow going though. We had lunch at a shelter hut on the way up the mountain. We eventually reached the top of Cheviot mountain which is the highest mountain in northern England at 815 meters. The summit path is all flagged with stones which helped for a bit, until the stones stopped. On the way down we struggled to find the route in all the mud and took a shortcut down to a road. From there we walked on the road to Wooler. Everyone had wet, sore feet and tired legs walking along the road for two hours. When we got to Wooler, we checked in to our B&B and then went for dinner and drinks. It was a long day of around 30 km distance and 9 hours waking.Weiterlesen

  • To Kirk Yetholm

    14. August 2019 in Schottland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We left Jedburgh by taxi back to the St Cuthbert’s trail. It was a long walk today of around 26 km. There was a mix of conditions, from mud, puddles and wet grass to forest floor to high elevation grassland. We had drizzly rain for much of the day and our rain gear came on and off but was on for most of the afternoon. We stopped at St Aidan’s church in Morebattle which is now a place serving coffee and cakes and selling souvenirs. We met a nice couple who are renovating the church and hope to bring it back as a centre for pilgrims along St. Cuthbert’s Way. We climbed over Wideopen Hill at 369 m (highest point on the walk) and had great views of the Cheviot Mountains. We descended and ended up in Kirk Yetholm at our B&B (the Millhouse). We had a nice dinner at the hotel.Weiterlesen

  • To Jedburgh

    13. August 2019 in Schottland ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    We had a great breakfast with waffles and bacon as the special. We started our walk by leaving Melrose via the Abbey and heading up to the Eildon Hills. We decided to take a little side trip up top of Eildon Mid Hill where there were great views all around. Then we continued on. The trail was a mix today of every condition, including a lot of mud and wet puddles. We got to St Boswell’s and had lunch there at a bookshop with a café which was really nice. Then we carried on to Harestanes. We walked for a long time down a rough path over an old Roman road called Dere Street. It runs straight as an arrow for 8 km or so. There we called for a taxi to take us to our Inn in Jedburgh (6 km off the track). We had dinner at Carter’s Retreat under the Jedburgh Abbey ruins. Tomorrow is a longer day of about 30 km.Weiterlesen

  • To Melrose

    12. August 2019 in Schottland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    We left Robin Hood’s Bay this morning in the rain and caught the bus and then train and then bus again to Melrose in the border country of Scotland. The train from York to Berwick-on-Tweed was crowded and Val had to sit with her bag in front of her and her legs in the aisle. We got in just before 5 pm, which was enough time for Val to check out the fabric store in Melrose before we checked into our B&B. We then wandered to the King’s Arms and had drinks while it poured rain outside. When we got back to our room, Claudia and Christina had arrived by bus. They had a long day traveling from Nuremberg. We all headed back to the King’s Arms and had dinner and drinks. Now we’re getting ready to start our hike tomorrow.Weiterlesen

  • Day Off in Robin Hood's Bay and Whitby

    11. August 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    We have been pretty lazy today but we needed the rest. So we took a planned day off and spent it wandering around Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby. We didn’t walk to far to save our feet. We walked down to the beach at Robin Hood’s Bay, to finish the Coast to Coast properly. we took a bus to Whitby, which was very busy with a regatta happening and loads of tourists in town. Tomorrow we head to Scarborough by bus and then Berwick Upon Tweed by train and then Melrose by bus, to start our next hike - St Cuthbert’s Way. Apparently Scotland is having its wettest August on record with major flooding to the west and road and train closures this past weekend; so we’re very fortunate we were able to do the Coast to Coast with only rain, wind and wet feet to worry about. We’ll pray to St. Cuthbert for the next hike.Weiterlesen

  • More Sights Along the Coast to Coast

    10. August 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Here are some more sights along the Coast to Coast.

  • Finish of the Coast to Coast Walk

    10. August 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We had another long day of 31 km. We made it to the end at Robin Hood’s Bay around 5 pm. It was very windy all day. We didn’t have any rain though, until the last ten minutes into Robin Hood’s Bay when the sky opened up and it poured. We arrived at the B&B (the Villa) soaking wet and the owner dried us off with a towel with us still wearing our jackets. The Coast To Coast Trail today was a little frustrating as it seemed to turn south then north then south again even though the ocean is east. It climbed and then descended only to climb up again. It took a long time to get to the ocean even though we saw it three days ago. We haven’t yet been down to the beach and the official trail-end due to the bad weather, but we have the day off tomorrow and will do so then.Weiterlesen

  • To Glaisdale

    9. August 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    We started out today from the Buck Inn in Chap Gate. The walk started as a slog uphill but then it was pretty level after that. The weather was awful. It was driving rain with probably 60 km winds gusting to 80 km or so. Visibility was also bad as the mist was at our elevation. After a long trudge of 4 hours we arrived at the Lion Inn which is located on a road that cuts through the moor. It was great to stop and have lunch and take the wet stuff off. After lunch we set out again. The mist was still bad but the rain stopped and then it began to brighten. We had sun and warmth for the last few hours into Glaisdale where we are staying at the Red House Farm. Tonight we went for dinner with Andre and Ruth who are also traveling the Coast to Coast and staying at the Red House Farm. We got a cab to the local pub and back as it is a 20 min walk one way. It was a long 30 km today and our feet are sore from all the wet weather. Tomorrow is 31 km and is supposed to be wet again. It’s our last day on he Coast to Coast tomorrow.Weiterlesen

  • Along the Cleveland Hills

    8. August 2019 in England ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    We spent the day walking along the Cleveland Way which goes up and down the edges of the Cleveland Hills. There was a nice stop along the way at Lordstones where we had a coffee. We met lots of friendly Yorkshire people interested in where we were from. The Cleveland Way is a very nice path and easy to follow with flagstones along most of the path, which was a welcome change. We were picked up at the Clay banks pullout and driven to the B&B in Chop Gate, which is 6 miles south. We’re now having a nice dinner. We’re finding the meal portions in the UK way too big for us. It’s become like the US. Tomorrow looks very wet and windy as rainy weather is blowing in and we have 30 km to do tomorrow.Weiterlesen

  • Across the Vale of Mowbray

    7. August 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    This section of the hike left Richmond and ended at Ingleby Cross. It was 35 km long and is the longest section we will be doing. This section is called the Vale of Mowbray and crossed from the Swale River valley to the Cleveland Hills. It was mostly flat with lots of farming. We saw fields of barley, wheat, corn, rapeseed and hay. The roads and paths were lined with beautiful trees like oak, willow, ash and maple. As has been the case all along, the Coast to Coast avoids large towns and takes the public bridle paths. Many of these paths are rough and consist of squeezing through a stile or going through gates and looking for where the grass or shrubs have been trodden down. The scenery was quite nice though and we had beautiful weather today.
    We passed over the Catterick bridge and on the other side walked along the River Swale where the remains of a Roman embankment are still obvious. We also stopped at Bolton-on-Swale and visited St. Mary’s Church, where we saw the monument and plaque to Henry Jenkins, who reputedly lived to be 169 years old. We stopped at Danbe Wiske and had lunch and bought two ice cold cokes. When we got to Ingleby, we had to cross the A19 which is a divided expressway. There was no overpass or underpass! We took our time and dashed to the median and then across. We arrived at our B&B in Ingleby (the Ingleby House Farm) pretty tired. For dinner we went to the Blue Bell pub and saw a few of the other walkers we’ve run in to.
    Weiterlesen

  • On to Richmond

    6. August 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We walked from Reeth to Richmond today, which wasn’t too far (16 km) and only 260 meter ascent. The weather spit rain a few times, just enough to make us stop and put on our jackets before it quit. It’s amazing how the laws of probability work on the trail. You stop for a pee just as people show up. You stop to eat a snack in an inconvenient spot and then find a nice spot around the corner. You meet a traffic jam at the narrowest spot in a road. But the good luck balances the bad all in all. At one point today we met a sign saying the path was closed with no indication of where to go. So we decided to follow a bridlepath down to a paved narrow road which went past farm buildings. We got off track - luckily a farmer came out to tell us that we were about to go into a field with a bull. He set us on the right path, so that was an example of good luck, especially since Bob was wearing a red shirt; but it was a little awkward trying to figure out the way around old farm buildings, passing a dead sheep, avoiding stinging nettles and thistle. There are bridlepaths everywhere but most are badly grown over and poorly marked. I guess people don’t walk much anymore and certainly don’t take bridled horses. We got back on the Coast to Coast path at Marske, the ancient home of the Hutton family, with a big obelisk on the hill dedicated to a Hutton from 1816. The trail was great from there to Richmond. We arrived early (around 2:30) and had coffee at Costa, and visited a nice pet shop. Then we checked into our B&B (Williance House) - beautiful room with a window seat! Our limbs are tingling from going through stinging nettles today when we were detouring.Weiterlesen

  • To Reeth via the High Route

    5. August 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We left Keld with cloudy and cool weather and walked towards Reeth. The Pennine Way crosses the path of the Coast to Coast at Keld, and we walked along it for 100 meters or so until it veered off. We then passed a whole succession of old mining buildings and waste rock piles from the centuries of lead mining in this area. Britain produced half the world’s lead in the 19th century. We passed an old smelter from that period that had warnings not to climb on its crumbling walls. Much of the higher elevation walk was rock piles and gravel roads but as we descended we saw more and more of the heather and peat moss. There were grouse everywhere. Grouse hunting is a big business here. The land is privately owned by several Dukes. They manage the grouse population with controlled burns of the peat and heather. August 12 is the start of the grouse hunting season and it’s called “the Glorious 12th”. People are charged 20,000£ to shoot and get to keep two grouse and the rest end up in restaurants. It’s way more expensive than a week long hunt in the Yukon with an outfitter. We entered Reeth around 3 pm and had drinks at the Buck Hotel. Then we had Yorkshire ice cream cones. Reeth is cleaning up from a terrible flood just a few days ago. Tonight we’re going to the King’s Arms for dinner.Weiterlesen

Erstelle dein eigenes Reiseprofil

Kostenlos

QR code

FindPenguins für iOSFindPenguins für Android