Ep 12: The One With the Yorkshire Pudding (in Yorkshire!)

0611 Grinton to Richmond

Tribes.

One of the highlights of the Coast to Coast are the people you meet along the way. We have already introduced you to some of our fellow C2C travelers – the Stick Men, Ronnie Corbet and Later feat. Cap’n Decibel and the latest additions, the Peloton; an organized group of ten hikers from NZ and Australia. We got to know the Peloton a little better today as, coincidently, both groups took a detour to have morning tea at Elaine’s Farmhouse Kitchen and shared stories from the walk in amongst the tea and scones. It turns out we have been annoying the Peloton on a regular basis as we get on the trail early and claim the best spots for a morning break and lunch. Every time they pass us we are sprawled out in the sunshine resting our feet before the assault on the next peak. Thus, they have named us, the Happy Nappers – a title we are pleased to accept.  We have been swapping photos with the Peloton for several days now and look forward to further early claims on preferred rest stops.

The Peleton at rest..

There is another species that we have encountered in the past couple of days; a tribe called ‘Ramblers’. Ramblers tend to be locals and, unlike your track-hardened adventurers, are out for the day.  It was one of these ramblers who told us about the Corpse Road and stones yesterday, they often advise on short-cuts, flora and fauna.

But, regardless of Rambler or C2Cer, we have been astonished by the universal friendliness of everyone we have encountered. Perhaps it is that the areas we are traversing are not overrun by tourists, or perhaps that the local shopkeepers and B & B proprietors are aware that the popularity of the C2C is economically good for these remote communities. Or perhaps that is just how the Yorkshire folk are. Either way, the warmth of the welcome on the trail has been outstanding.

We woke up in the highest room of the highest tower in our YHA mock castle (Everest Base Camp) and our walk was through the last of the hill farms in the Dales.  Field, sheep, gate; field, sheep, stile; field, sheep, gate; field, cow, stile. 

Past the Marrick Priory (a Benedictine nunnery from 1140), through a path through the woods of 365 steps placed by the nuns as penance (one for each day of the year), and into farmland.  Fortunately, Elaine’s Farmhouse was only 8 km down the road, for a sustaining scone and tea cake.  We walked past a number of small villages with exuberantly flowering cottage gardens, across many a field of grass, cow parsley and buttercups.  The River Swale was a constant companion, sometimes close by, sometimes at a distance (We found ourselves Swale-watching today). 

We arrived at our destination at Richmond just after 2pm and stopped at the Fleece Inn for a refreshing cold drink as we waited for our B&B to open.  The Nun’s Cottage proved to be a delightful choice, with spacious rooms, a welcoming hostess (which resulted in Scone being our major food group for the day) and a bath – what more could you need?  Being Sunday in Yorkshire, Adam was keen on a traditional Sunday Roast feat. Yorkshire Pudding.  The Kings Head met the brief, with roast beef or chicken dinner with huge Yorkshire Puddings. Suitably replete, our heroes made their way back to Nun’s Cottage for a well-earned sleep.

Distance today: 17km/10 miles. Total distance 199km = 61% there!