Gary's Coast to Coast Walk 2012: Day 13: Glaisdale Rigg to Littlebeck

Sunday, 26 August 2012

Day 13: Glaisdale Rigg to Littlebeck

Starting the walk on Glaisdale Rigg

It was 9am on Saturday 18th August when I started walking. The weather was cloudy and temperate crisp as I started this penultimate leg of the walk from Glaisdale Rigg to Littlebeck. Having done the extra few miles yesterday, it meant I only had 14.5 miles to do today, and only 12 on the last day. the moors were empty apart from me and the grouse as I stomped down the road towards Glaisdale. On the way down off the Rigg I spotted a lovely old tractor outside a farm near Glaisdale and just had to take a picture as Helen absolutely LOVES old tractors.

A lovely old tractor just outside Glaisdale (for Helen)

The walk through Glaisdale took me down some steep roads and footpaths which led to Beggars Bridge. Wikipedia says that Beggar's Bridge was built by Thomas Ferris in 1619. Ferris was a poor man who hoped to wed the daughter of a wealthy local squire. In order to win her hand, he planned to set sail from Whitby to make his fortune. On the night that he left, the Esk was swollen with rainfall and he was unable to make a last visit to his intended. He eventually returned from his travels a rich man and, after marrying the squire's daughter, built Beggar's Bridge so that no other lovers would be separated as they were.

Beggars Bridge, Glaisdale

Following this romantic river crossing, I entered East Arncliffe Wood and followed a very pretty stone slab path through the woodland. The morning light dappled through the canopy as I enjoyed the shade afforded by this scenic and atmospheric woodland.

A beautiful walk through East Arncliffe Wood, near Glaisdale

It was in the wood that I met up with a trio of walkers from Manchester who were completing the Coast to Coast in 10 days! They were walking all the way to Robin Hoods Bay today, and were keeping quite a quick pace. I walked with them through Egton Bridge and halfway to Grosmont, at which point I had to slow my own pace down, and parted company with these generous and chatty people. Getting my breath back, I strolled into Grosmont to find my Dad sitting on a bench watching the trains go by. Hot and bothered I decided to have a stop and drink and join him.

Enjoying the trains at Grosmont

Magnificent!

The trains were great and after a welcome break I began my slog up the big hill outside Grosmont. Now I knew that this 1:3 gradient was going to be tough, but nothing prepared me for how long it was going to take me to get to the top. It felt like it went on for ages!

My first view of the North Sea! Woohoo!

However, when I did get to the top, I was granted my first proper view of the North Sea, my ultimate destination.

Yes, that's 1 in 3 and it went on for absolutely ages just outside Grosmont!

I finally made it into Littlebeck at 2.45pm, having walked 14.5 miles. I made good time and was ready for my last day.

The end of my walk today at Littlebeck

Ukulele song played tonight was Waterloo Sunset.

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Thanks for taking the time to visit my website.

So why am I raising money for the Miscarriage Association?

Someone has to. They need a relatively small amount of money to keep going every year, and the work they do is really essential.

In 2009 and 2010, Helen and I lost 2 babies in the space of 5 months. The loss we felt was immense and still is.

So, in 2012 I will be completing Wainwrights Coast to Coast walk, from St Bee's Head on the Cumbrian coast, to Robin Hoods Bay on the North East coast, a walk of approximately 200 miles.

It should take about two weeks and I will be camping whenever possible to keep the costs down.

You can donate by jumping to my JustGiving page

Don't feel you have to give lots -

every penny really does help.

Send the website address to everyone you know - all I need is for 1000 people to give £1 each and I've made my target.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Thank you so much.

So Who's the Fat Bloke?

Hi. I am a 38 year old primary school teacher who lives in Cropston, just north west of Leicester with my wife, Helen and 5 year old son, Lachlan. I've been walking in Leicestershire, Yorkshire, the Lake District, Cornwall, Derbyshire and the Malvern Hills, and love being outdoors. I've been camping in most of these places and in Norfolk and Devon. I enjoy playing the Ukulele as often as I can, singing, darts, golf and growing my own veg.

I'm looking forward to completing the walk, blisters and all, and being able to say that even while enjoying a great outdoor experience, I can raise money to help others who have been through the same experience as Helen and I. And yes - I will be taking my Ukulele with me and I'm hoping someone might sponsor me for a song played at each stop along the way!

What is Wainwright's Coast to Coast?

The Wainwright Society says this about the Coast to Coast:

'A Coast to Coast Walk was devised by Wainwright himself, and set out in his 1973 guidebook to the route.

The route is a 192-mile (although according to a recent re-measuring the real distance is almost 220 miles) unofficial, long distance footpath in Northern England. It passes through three contrasting national parks: the Lake District National Park, the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and the North York Moors National Park.

Wainwright suggested a way of breaking the walk miles into stages, each of which to be completed in a day. With one or two rest days, this makes the route fit into a two-week holiday. However, Wainwright explicitly stated that he did not intend people to necessarily stick to these stages or even to his route: for example, by reducing day-lengths to 10 or 12 miles, the walk becomes a much easier three-week trip with time to 'stand and stare'.

In 2004 the walk was named as the second best walk in the world according to a survey of experts.'

I'll be breaking the walk into 14 stages, walking an average of 14 miles a day. However, this varies a lot - my shortest day is only 8 miles and my longest day will be 20 miles.

Whichever way you cut it this walk is one of the best long distance walks in the world and I'm very lucky (as well as a bit bonkers?) to be attempting it this August. Let's hope I enjoy walking it as much as I've enjoyed organising it!