Day 14: June 21, 2011 - Danby Wiske to Ingleby Cross

This was our second day of hiking across the Vale of Mowbray.  The path took us across more farmland, with the elevated plateau of the North York Moors visible ahead to the east.  Eventually we came to the village of Ingleby Cross, which lies at the base of the moors, and our resting place, the Park House B&B.  It was an easy walk of 9 miles, one of our shortest days.

The day began with a detour.  We had spent the last of our cash on dinner last night, and needed to get to an ATM.  Our B&B hostess, Jean, graciously offered to drive us in to Northallerton, and so we embarked, passing our walking friends as we sped down the road in her Audi.  This gave us a sneak preview of the route ahead - dark highlands in the far distance.  The ATM was in a grocery store, so we took the opportunity to stock up on Clementines and Snickers bars (our favorite trail foods).  With cash in hand, we returned to Danby Wiske and set out on the path, about an hour behind our trail mates.  Would we catch up with them?  Should we try?  I struggled with my competitive urges as Laura walked, Buddha-like, through the beautiful fields, probably reading my mind and laughing to herself.  Here's a photo of the first turn out of Danby Wiske:

Some farmer must have enjoyed this prank - plastic rats crawling across a C2C stile caught everyone's attention and probably evoked a few gasps of surprise!

Before long, we crossed the main rail line from London to Edinburgh. A train hurtled by as we plodded along, the passengers a blur behind their tinted windows.  They probably didn't even see us.  Walking,  we saw every inch of the countryside. This was their view:

Later in the day, we crossed the A19, a major 4 lane motorway which had no bridge or underpass.  This was probably the most dangerous point on the C2C path.  Walking through the pastoral fields and meadows had given us the sense of being in the land that time forgot - it could have been sometime in the last century  This encounter with modern reality was a bit jarring.  We had grown accustomed to the slow pace of walking, but now we had to run across the highway, hiking sticks clattering and backpacks flapping.

I thought this scene was visually interesting:  two contiguous fields of grain, one several weeks more mature than the other and beginning to change color;  yellow and green stripes across the landscape.

Here's Laura walking through a field of grain with Arncliffe Woods and Scarth Wood Moor in the background.  Our B&B will be in the woods, part way up the hill.



And here is a helpful sign to help C2Cers stay on track:

Throughout the day we have been watching the weather.  No rain so far today, but the clouds are building up and are starting to look ominous:

Here's the village of Ingleby Cross.  The cross is a monument to war dead from the village.  There is also a lovely pub, The Blue Bell Inn, where some fellow walkers spent the night.  Our accommodations were about a half-mile further, on the hillside overlooking the valley.

Here is the Park House B&B, where we spent a lovely evening with some Brits and Aussies drinking Wainwright Ale and cider and having a bit of fun.