Coast-to-Coast — CADA North East

2018/20 - Coast-to-Coast

Miles: 190-192 miles

Hazel and Rosemary set off from St Bee’s Head on the Cumbria coats to walk the 190 miles across the country to Robin Hood’s Bay on the Yorkshire coast. Tradition demands that walkers setting off from either end of the walk tip their boots in the sea when they start and again when they finish. It is also tradition to take a pebble from the beach where their walk begins and throw it into the sea when they reach their destination. Why? Who knows, maybe to confuse some poor geologist who studies these coasts in 1000 years!

Desiring to cross the t’s and dot the i’s, Rosemary and Hazel each dipped their boots in the sea and picked a pebble from St Bee’s to be carried to Robin Hood’s Bay.

On a day as grey as their mood, Reeth was setting up for a fair. Rosemary, Hazel and Sarah couldn’t stay for it. They were forced to abort mission (for little while anyway)

The ice cream parlor at Reeth

They arrived at Reeth. Rosemary and Hazel had made it most of the way, however, on day two, while navigating the Lake district hills, Rosemary slipped crossing a stream and hit her leg off a stone. Being a trooper, she kept going…until day 5 when she wondered why she couldn’t put her foot down on the ground, it hurt too much. Sarah joined a few days later. She and Hazel walked a leg the next day and then she walked on her own the day after and they reached Reeth. The decision was then made to abort the walk and recontinue at a later date. Below are some photos of Reeth, it was a drizzly day to match the mood of the hikers…

…Rosemary went to A&E on returning to Newcastle…She had broken her leg…

Hazel also broke her leg the year later (2018) but eventually, they continued their trekking, gradually filling in what parts of the walk they had missed and got back on track in summer 2020 and started their way across the North York Moors but this time, due to time and covid restrictions, in batches of two or three days.

First came the 7 August - 9 August

So far to go…

…but look how far they’ve come!

Sarah trying to hone her photography skills…

…And again, Sarah trying to be creative…as much as she can with a budget phone…

So bare but so beautiful

I think this speak for itself! Good company + good exercise + good weather = fun

A cairn on the North York Moors, some people add to them as they go along

Only a mile left of this stretch of the walk. A mile feels a long way when your feet are sore, so you’ve got to rest in preparation

Starting off again…

First obstacle…

“I’ll race you! Rules: No running!”

Sheep, oblivious to our walkers’ mission

It was hard to drag Andrew, who like his sisters is an avid steam train admirer away from this beauty

And one from the side…There is something strangely elegant about a “choo choo” train (as Rosemary’s children used to call them).

When your B&B has incredibly cute kittens

These boys loved a photo, one would follow the camera around, almost shoving the others out of the way to get in the picture

They were getting tired! Sarah in particular was not well, we suspect it was hay fever (although we didn’t know this at the time)

Navigation consultation

A 234 year old cave!

Finally! The North Sea!

From the 26 August to 27 August Rosemary and Hazel’s brother, Andrew joined them as they continued across the North York Moors finally reaching the sea, but…

They still had to get to Robin Hood’s Bay…

And, finally… 27 August 2020! They reached Robin Hood’s Bay! Once the smuggling capital of the Yorkshire coast and now, quaint little fishing village albeit a honey-pot in summer. They fought their way through the crowds to the beach to take part in the tradition of dipping their boots and throwing those pebbles that they had picked up on the beach at St Bee’s Head into the North Sea (to confuse future geologists).

Now a tradition amongst the group, they celebrated with afternoon tea in Robin Hood’s Bay.