Day 14. We made it! Robin Hood's Bay

Day 14.  The last day of our coast to coast walk.  My feet are absolutely a mess of blisters.  Peter has done a super-human job of bandaging.  I've decided to give my boots and socks to Ben who will take them (along with other pairs of boots) to Nepal and give them away.

We started back at the train station in Grosmont.  We watched the steam engines for a bit and then began our trudge along the road as it climbs a long hill.  The top was our literal high point.

In the distance we could see Whitby and the North Sea!  More road walking -- the asphalt is hard on the feet and legs - before we walked through Little Beck and turned into another lovely wood.  We came upon a class of school girls who were on a field trip and were measuring the slope of the hill.  Enjoyed our last elevenses beside a stone hermitage (that was chiseled out of a single boulder over a period of 17 years) before continuing on.  My heel blister had begun to sing so we stopped for re-bandaging.  Everyone has been tolerate of my hobbling along; we each have faced our physical challenges along the way.  Shortly our path took us into the last of the heather moors.  Swift and sprightly steps through the bogs!  A quick lunch -- tuna, of course! -- and we were back marching along the road.  We could see the North Sea and as we got near, Ben received a call from Dave who said the cliff path had been closed because there had been "an incident."  A helicopter, search & rescue, police, ambulance were all on the scene.  We later learned that someone had had a heart attack.  So we took a higher, alternative path that opened up with a sweeping view of Robin Hood's Bay.

Walking through the village down a steep lane to the beach was surreal.  We had walked across northern England.  We walked onto the beach, hugged, took photos and tossed the stones we had carried from St Bees into the surf.

We then headed to the Wainwright Pub where we signed the C2C log, enjoyed a cup of tea or a pint before we trudged back up the hill to the Victoria Hotel for a warm shower, delicious dinner and post-dinner C2C quiz in the coffee room (e.g., name five of the local beers; name two breeds of sheep; name the highest point of the walk).

The C2C walk was a trip of a lifetime.  Expectations were met and exceeded.  It was really hard work, and we succeeded in accomplishing what we had set out to do.  We are proud of our efforts, individually and as a team.

We'll bid a fond farewell to Ben, Dave, Liz, David, Jim and Helen in the morning as each of us heads our separate ways in York. Peter and I will spend the day there before heading to London on Wednesday and then flying home on Thursday.