Day 8 - Tuesday 20th July
Reeth to St Giles Farm (near Catterick
Bridge)
13 miles: 7h 30mins
The rain had stopped. I got up at 6:15am and packed up the tent
so Steve and Stella could send it with their packs. Made breakfast and by
8:05am was away in front of Steve and Stella. I stopped at the shop for
an ice cream and batteries (unfortunately they sold me non alkaline which
only laste araound an hour!). A little further along I paused to put a piece
of foam on my left toe. This helped tremendously. Steve and Stella caught
me up and we walked together for a while until on the uphill stretch through
the wood they went ahead. Passed 'Elaines' and resisted the temptation to
stop as it was only 10am. Crossed a field where a large ram was sitting
on his backside and scratching his masculinity with his hoof! Stopped by
a wall just before a road for refreshment and to dry my feet out. Unfortunately
when replacing the foam I positioned it 'on' rather than next to the sore
point and this was not helpful. I didn't rectify it until I stopped on Richmond
Hill. Up to this point the weather had been good but now looked as though
it might rain. Went through a field where two horses came expectantly towards
me. I offered them grass but they snuffed their noses at it. They obviously
expected sweets! This was the last time I saw Steve and Stella until I re-met
them in Richmond. Passed through a farmyard full of cows with a particularly
large one lying contentedly about 20ft from the track. Of course it was
a bull!! Spoke to the farmer who said he had 95 cows - sucklers - ie mother
machines!
As I walked I felt I had seen this landscape before. I realised it was
the picture on the wall at my aunt's house in Kenton when I was a boy! So
it wasn't Richmond and the Thames as I had thought but Richmond and the Swale!
Stopped on a seat, dried my feet and then continued down into Richmond just
before 2:00pm. I met a chap in the toilets who had done the Coast to Coast
twice and chatted to him and his wife (outside!) for a bit. Bought
a sandwich and ice cream and sat in the market place and ate them. Got money
from a cash machine and at that point met Steve and Stella. We shopped at
Somerfields and then left Richmond together for St Giles Farm at about 3:00pm.
Met a group of D of E-ers - about 9 of them. Arrived at around 4pm. No one
at home! Twenty minutes later 'Jane' arrived back and I enquired about B&B.
Yes, she had a room. The weather was looking threatening - black sky and
wind - so Steve and Stella were quickly persuaded to have B&B as well!
Jane provided delicious carrot cake and tea. Karel, from Antwerp arrived.
He had booked B&B and was followed shortly by two US ladies (Mormons),
who were camping. They asked about B&B but by now there were no rooms
left. Jane, very diplomatically, persuaded Steve, Stella and me to sleep
in the one section - two adjoining rooms without a door between - so as to
give the two ladies 'my' room. The ladies were very thankful but because
Mormons are against alcohol they gave Jane some money to give to us
to buy ourselves a drink with!! Jane drove us down to a pub where we were
greeted with enthusiastic waving by people inside. It was the D of E-ers
who it turned out were from Bourne GS. Jane picked us up again just as heavy
rain began to fall and we were in bed by ten having phoned Gemma.
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