COAST-T0-COAST WALK Day 17

Who is God?
God is the one who forgives sin and heals diseases

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits -
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psalm 103: 1-5

Our New Home  Welcome home Mr Possom

Mr Possom lives in our shed - not hubby's "Man-Shed" which is made of wood like our home, but another shed - a small galvanised iron shed which is behind his "Man shed".

Mr Possom goes walkabout during the nights, and sleeps in the shed during the day. However, he had been missing for the past few days.
So.... welcome back Mr Possom.  
Were you out with your girlfriend?

 The Great Outdoors

Memories of England's Coast-to-Coast Walk

Day 17  Little Beck – Robin Hood’s Bay     Monday 25th July, 2005

Here is hubby's daily diary.....

At Intake Farm, we had a good night’s sleep – almost. We wrapped the Sunday Telegraph around our sleeping bags to keep us warm. We took our time moving off as we only had 6 miles to go, or so we thought!  We left the farm, walking along the hiker’s track, but cut into the Great Wood earlier than the map indicated so as to avoid entering a field of cows, still recalling stories of cows attacking walkers, protecting their calves.  

Stumbling through the Great Wood 

Oh dear!  We had to stumble our way through thick brambles, nettles and fallen trees. We had much difficulty picking our way through the tangled undergrowth.  We eventually got down the steep embankment to the beck, then had to find a suitable spot to cross.  We had wondered if we would need to climb the sheer cliffs on the opposite side of the beck! It wasn’t easy crossing the beck as the rocks we stepped over were mossy and slippery.  We got to the steep, slippery bank on the other side and scrambled up to find a hiking path. Then we made our first stop for the day, to eat breakfast.

Eventually we made our way out and onto the right road.  I was reminded of my days as a scout, exploring the woods in England. Jonathan and Denise agreed that it had been fun in the woods, exploring where perhaps no-one had been before.

Robin Hood's Bay 

We crossed the last of the moors, picking our way through miles of low growing heather and then it rained!!  This was the most rain we encountered on our walk, on our last day, and we got soaked.  We rested for a long time in the heather, eating what must have been our 20^th bar of Kendell Mint Cake with drivers in passing cars waving to us. Then we followed the road to  Fylingdale where we were unsuccessful in getting money from our HSBC Powervantage Card, which we had been using to obtain money in England.   We were concerned about our money situation as we were down to our last few  English pounds.  Then on into Station Road at Robin Hood’s Bay where a shop attendant kindly gave us money from our HSBC credit card, not a normal procedure in a shop.   Off to The Wayfarer B & B to drop off our rucksacks, and then down to the Bay Hotel to celebrate the end of our long trek with a shandy!  Denise thought that Jonathan should be treated to his first shandy in a pub on this auspicious occasion, but he informed her that it wasn’t his first shandy!!??

The rain continued as we walked down through the old village of Robin Hood’s Bay, once a smugglers enclave. One house at the top of the village had a stone slab in the front garden, concealing an entrance to the village tunnel system. The old village has a series of tunnels leading from one house to another, where contraband was once easily passed from the dock right through the village without seeing the light of day.  One local remembers that as a child, there was a cupboard in his house, and he could get through this cupboard to the neighbour’s house!

At the beach, we dipped our feet in the North Sea and then went to find a souvenir stone from the shore.  It was 4.30 p.m. when in the old village, we had fish and chips for tea - or was it lunch?   We hadn’t eaten since quite early in the day – apart from chocolate and the trusty Kendel Mint Cake.  After fish and chips at Robin Hood's Bay, it was back to The Wayfarer to clean up and get warm.  

Weary survivors at journey's end!

We had completed our 200 mile plus

hike over hills and dales, mountains

and streams and the three of us

had survived! 

We decided not to throw our stones into the North Sea. These three stones had been carried  in our backpacks since picking them up from the Irish Sea at the beginning of our trek. 

Instead we looked for matching stones from the North Sea, to keep as souveniers. 

We were 'Survivors'!  No more hiking for a month or two!

To be able to complete a challenge is indeed something to be grateful for!

from Robyn

painting of robin by Bren