Days 13+14

Day 13 (August 24)

Well this is the big test day for me having read the notes I realise that there is a lot of climbing.

The notes say 'The traverse of the Northern Edge of the moors is reputedly one of the toughest stages of the day,pack plenty of food and water"

The forecast was for a torrential thunder storm and lightening.....it was with some trepidation therefore that I set out that morning...

We left Osmotherley,what a lovely name for a village!, and crossed meadows climbed over stone walls and nipped under barbed wire fences and realised we had likely taken a wrong turning,this was correct but after an hour or so we soon rejoined the C2C. The walk during mid morning was Robin Hood country, woodlands, slight undulations and easy underfoot my friend Little John read the map with alacrity. Unfortunately the fun ended as we left the woods and saw before us the North Yorkshire Moors. The sky was cloudy there was a slight drizzle but it was very humid.before setting out we wolfed down our cheese and chutney sandwiches which we had bought in Osmotherley.

Above us were some brave para gliders swooping along the escarpment. We girded our loins and set off up the very steep path making the top in a mere half an hour,the down was horrid very uneven small rocks but finally down to the bottom the up and up again.the views were fabulous we could see for miles across the vast expanse of purple heather,the sound of partridges adding to the effect the air was warm and the lazy buzz of honey bees gave the early afternoon a lazy idyllic feel.

We were so high up that we looked down on the the para gliders. The entire walk in the afternoon was slow and methodical as I attempted not to twist an ankle and to protect my knee,I was successful and my four large blisters that have been my constant companion for the past 4 days remained intact.

During one of our breathers halfway down one of the many hills we were amazed to have a 'fell runner" come dashing up the path wearing runners on his feet he literally leapt from rock to rock and before long had disappeared from sight,the guy was in his forties, the following day we saw him again coming in the opposite direction we reckoned he must have run to the sea and back.

The walk up and down the North York Moors was indeed a very testing walk and I felt extremely satisfied when I had completed it. I slept like a log that night and awoke quite refreshed. That evening Barry and I had dinner with friends of Barry's in the local pub it was an excellent meal rack of lamb for me and Venison for Little John!

We stayed in a farm B&B high up on the Moors and on awaking in the morning the mist was so thick we couldn't see five yards in front of us. The landlord gave us a lift to the drop off point and we set out for what promised to be an easy days walk.

Day 14 (August 25)

The route is from Clay Bank Top to Blakey Ridge. Our destination is The Lion Inn an isolated pub high on the Moors.

Name places are something that have amused me over the past fortnight ( is it really two weeks?) 2 spring to mind there was Cockermouth in the Lake District and Crackpot in the Yorkshire Dales..

Anyway the walk was through heather with many partridges and sheep around. The latter part of this 14k day was following the old railway line which had been built for the mines along  Farndale Moor.

On arriving at The Lion Inn we came across our two American friends Joe and Toni who admitted rather shamefaced that they had taken the bus the day before.

Both Barry and I quite understood as Toni had been struggling with an injured hip. Earlier in the day we had heard of a walker who had broken her ankle on the first day of the C2C so luck plays a big part.