The bed was very comfortable
and we both slept well. After a breakfast of cereal and scrambled eggs we paid
our bill and set off at around 8:35m. It was a glorious morning and an
almost cloudless blue sky. We paused at a bench for one last look at Robin
Hood's Bay. Gemma went to put on her spectacles only to find the box was empty!
She presumed she may have left them in the bar where we had a meal the evening
before! Leaving me with the rucksacks Gemma headed back towards RHB returning
some 20 minutes later with her spectacles in her hand. She had unbeknown
left them on the table on the bar the night before. We continued
uneventfully along the coast until we turned inland, up through the caravan
site, along the road and through Hawsker a sleepy village with no shop, only a
tea room. Just outside Hawsker we stopped inside a gateway to a field for our
elevenses.. So far we were both coping well with the heavy rucksacks. We
continued a little further before entering an overgrown green lane where we met
the first of several groups or people who were on their last day of the Coast to
Coast, some having started in St Bees and some who were only completing part of
it. Despite warnings prior to our departure about the bogginess of the moor the
warm weather had dried it out and it was remarkably good going. As we left
the B1416 to cross Sneaton Low Moor the start of the path was indistinct or
more truthfully non existent. We bore too far right before Gemma spotted a post
well to the left, which she rightly surmised, despite my
misgivings, marked the path. Shortly after we stopped in the shade of a
lone tree for lunch. It was now 13:30. Just before we set off again two
Coast to Coasters going in our direction passed us and we spoke briefly. They
were heading as far as Richmond on a slightly more ambitious schedule than us so
we were unlikely to see them again. Just before reaching the road at New May
Beck we met a young foreign couple (forgot to ask where from) who had come all
the way in the last 14 days camping most of the time and not using a baggage
transfer service. All of the people we met were enjoying the glorious sunny warm
weather but also remarked on the dire rainy and windy conditions in which they
had started their experience in the lakes around 14 days earlier. We dropped
down into Mays Beck and were rewarded by the sight of an ice cream van where I
purchased a mint choc chip ice cream. We continued along to Falling Foss
which I still don't find very spectacular. There is a tea rooms here which I
don't remember from last time. By the time we approached The Hermitage
Gemma was beginning to feel tired and our pace had dropped considerably. Two
women told us there are two seats carved into the top so I climbed up and had a
look. Then on to Littlebeck which we reached at around 16:30pm. We found the
road up to Intake farm and trudged up the hill. On arrival two other Coast to
Coasters were sitting there and Judith brought us all a cup of tea and apiece of
chocolate cake. Another woman was introduced as 'Gwen' who it then transpired
was 'Gwen' from Deborah and Gwen fame! Unbeknown to Deborah she had driven up
to meet Deborah and husband Mel who would also be staying there that night
before the final day of their Coast to Coast. Our room was large and the food at
dinner was superb. Needless to say there was much discussion of
walking.
I enjoyed today for the glorious weather, the walk along the coast
without the feeling that the walk was nearing its end, the excellent B&B and
the unexpected meeting with Gwen and Deborah.
By 22:00pm we were in bed
and Gemma quickly fell asleep while I wrote
my journal