Here the path climbs on very old, worn steps through East Arncliffe Wood after leaving Glaisdale.
After Egton Bridge, the C2C path follows a private estate road through well-tended farms like this one:
In Grosmont there was excitement - steam locomotives on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway huffing and puffing in a setting unchanged from a half-century ago. We enjoyed some tea and scones in an old-fashioned station teahouse before beginning the steep climb eastward out of the village.
Here is Laura, feeling her strength as she tops out on the penultimate climb of our hiking adventure. You go, girl!
Grosmont is behind us in a deep valley, and ahead is .... the North Sea! What a thrill to see the coast in the distance after so many days of walking and anticipation.
Throughout England there are standing stones, silent monuments of ancient ancestors and a forgotten past. Here's one of the High Bridge Stones on Sleights Moor, with a modern visitor.
After the windswept expanse of Sleights Moor, the path follows the A169, a busy road which connects York with the coastal town of Whitby. Trudging along the road with cars buzzing past we could clearly see the North Sea ahead - close enough that we could have walked to it in 30 minutes. In a cruel twist of trail planning, the C2C turns away from the sea just as the goal is in sight, and heads southeast back into the valleys and hills. Laura had some feelings about this, as you can see below. I think I heard her mutter "Curse the name of Wainwright!"
Our B&B for the night was Intake Farm outside of Littlebeck. Unlike many B&Bs with rustic names but modern settings, this really was a working farm. We walked in through the barnyard, threading our way between machinery and bales of hay, before finding the farmhouse door. Even though we arrived quite early, our hostess Judith was gracious and hospitable, providing tea and a friendly chat in her kitchen while she was busy with chores. We ate dinner family style with other walkers from the UK and Australia. Judith provided endless dishes of food, followed by apple pie and a lemon meringue pie. It was an impressive performance. Here's a view from the window of our room:
Since we were so early, we decided to - what else? - go for a walk. With advice from Judith we took a route down into Littlebeck village, and then followed the C2C path along a lovely river before cutting across fields back to Intake Farm. Here's the village of Littlebeck:
From Littlebeck, the C2C follows a lovely river through the Sneaton Woods for several miles. Along the way is "The Hermitage", a cave carved out of a single huge boulder. The initials GC and the date 1790 are carved over the doorway, and there is a stone bench along the inner walls of the cave. It is a folly and was carved out of the rock about 1760 by an out of work seaman on the instructions of the local schoolmaster George Chubb. Two stone "wishing chairs" are carved into the top of the boulder, and it is said that if you make a wish in one, you must then sit in the other one to make it come true.
Shortly after passing the Hermitage, there is a glimpse of a stone cottage in the woods and the sound of a waterfall.
The waterfall is called "Falling Foss" and it is quite pretty. The cottage, known as Midge Hall, is the site of the Falling Foss Tea Garden, an outside picnic area next to the falls where weary walkers can enjoy refreshments. Since Laura is a connoisseur of cream tea and scones, well, we just had to try some.
The Coast to Coast path sets off to the east near Falling Foss, so we completed our loop by cutting west across several fields and farm lanes in order to return to Intake Farm. We will return to Falling Foss tomorrow morning to resume our march to the sea.
Did you get any pictures inside of the hermitage?
ReplyDelete