I woke up day 14 with a wet cough and very sore throat. We ended up calling a taxi to drive us up to Whitby, a port city on the North Sea and the closest pharmacy. I stocked up on cold medicine, and then we had the driver bring us back south and drop us off on the C2C trail, about 6 miles north of Robin Hood’s Bay.
Fortunately the weather was beautiful, so we just took our time walking the rest of the way. We followed a country road back behind houses and then into a trailer park. I said to Ron, if I had to live in a trailer, this would be the place I would want to do it. The whole site stood high above the North Sea with stunning 180° views.
Past the park, we made our way through a field and then met back up with the Cleveland Way. We stopped to look at the North Sea. In both directions, sharp cliff fronts rose from the sea.
The path was mostly mud, wet and slippery. There was grass along the edges that we walked on when we needed traction, but tried to avoid walking on it as that would just aid in killing it and making more mud. The path went up and down, winding around the cliff edge. The walking sticks were a huge help when there weren’t any rocks for traction on the downward slopes.
We passed an old woman who stopped to talk to us. She was so friendly. She asked if we had seen a lighthouse, which we had not. We told her a bit about the hike we were doing before saying farewell and continuing on.
The views were stunning, the air fresh and crisp. But, I struggled a bit because I couldn’t breathe well. As the path turned, we got our first glimpse of Robin Hood’s Bay nestled within a steep hill down to the water. We continued down the path, which started to skirt behind houses. To our right were two story brick homes and to our left was there gated backyards and gardens, with the path dissecting their property in two.
The trail dropped us off on a road. This was the largest town we had entered since Kirkby Stephen. Most of the homes were made of brick. We followed the trail marked on the map, turning left onto the main road, which also brought us to our hotel. We checked in and, of course, got a pint.
We didn’t make it down to the water until the next day, at which point I was developing bronchitis. The road steeply winds down toward the sea, with the buildings hugging closely along the sidewalk. The road was narrow and there was no room for parking cars. Sidewalks ducked behind buildings, creating quaint alleyways with the occasional shop or art studio.
The beach was beautiful sand with an occasional stone (that was probably from the Irish Sea ~ St. Bees will eventually have a sandy beach! Support their cause, hike the C2C!). We dipped our toes in the North Sea and found a rock to mark the completion of our journey.
We had walked almost 190 miles (having cheated a couple of times!). We walked through pouring rain, fog, cow shit, bogs. We had hiked the tallest peak in the Lake District and witnessed a dog take down a sheep. I had squatted and pissed in many a pasture! We had faired gusting winds that almost knocked us down mountains. We had seen the most stunning landscape from what felt like the top of the world.
We had gotten frustrated and snippy with each other, but we also huddled in and problem solved many an issue. If your relationship can survive walking the C2C, you can survive anything. We said many times while we were walking that engaged couples should do this hike before getting married. It will test the strength of their relationship, and if they come through it successfully, they will have learned many things for problem solving issues they may face in their future.
We couldn’t believe the accomplishment of having started on the Irish Sea and made it across the country to the North Sea, powered by our determination. And even though we cheated a few times, we still did it; we still made it. There may be some purists out there who would scoff, but as I’ve said before, it was our vacation. We had nothing to prove. We wanted to experience the beauty of a country I love, and we did so in a manner that was enjoyable to us.
It was disappointing, however, to have made it through soooo much only to come down with bronchitis. But, as Ron has said, better for it to happen at the end of the hike than at the beginning.
There was so much we could look back on negatively, if we so chose. But, all those hardships or “unpleasantries” were what made up the adventure. It’s what spun a good tale and what has given us such amazing memories. It has been really awesome recounting our two week hike, with often a tear springing to my eye not knowing when we’ll be able to travel again. We really want to redo several parts of this hike, but I have my eyes set on the E7 that spans Europe from Portugal to Serbia.
Check back for tips and tricks if you choose to walk the Coast to Coast in northern England, or if you want some good tips for long distance hikes in general.
Missed any days? Check out my Coast to Coast blog for the rest of our two week adventure across England.
