C2Cx2 Travel to Robin Hoods Bay
The flight from Brisbane was comfortable enough to get some sleep on the lie flat seats, the food was good (for airline food), and the champagne and wines were excellent. So we arrived at Heathrow at around 6am the following day, but about 34 hours after leaving home, ready to go. The underground delivered us to King's Cross station from where our train to Scarborough was to leave early that afternoon. We left our luggage in store and walked along Regent's Canal to Camden market and Regent's Park under warm, sunny skies. The peace and quiet of the canal, so close to central London, was a pleasant surprise. The highlight was watching a dusky moorhen feeding its chicks. After an enjoyable pub lunch, we returned to the station to catch our train.
'Regents Canal walk along the towpath'
'Moorhen and chicks, Regents Canal'
At Scarborough we walked to our hotel, then went out to explore the town. We did some shopping, buying snacks for lunches along the walk and a local SIM card for our phone. As we returned to our hotel on the Crescent, a basket of fresh lobsters was carried into the nearby Café Fish – decision made on where to eat. We were warmly welcomed into the restaurant that evening by the owner who chatted while a table was re-set for us. The lobster (Mary) and fish (Graham) were both very good.
Next morning we bought pastries for lunch, went back to the phone shop where a very helpful person got our SIM card to talk to the phone and the mobile phone system, then took the bus to Robin Hood's Bay and began the walk. At the end of the day we caught the bus from Cloughton back to Scarborough. Having enjoyed the Café Fish, we returned for a repeat performance of a wonderful meal.
We then had a rest day, further exploring Scarborough during the morning. During the afternoon we took a bus back to Robin Hood's Bay and checked in to our B&B. We walked down to the bay and had a drink on the terrace of The Bay pub looking out over hordes of people and their dogs walking and playing on the sand and rocks at low tide on a lazy Sunday afternoon. We met a young couple who had just completed the C2C – his raw, badly blistered feet didn't diminish their obvious delight at finishing the walk. We went back up the hill on the warm, sunny afternoon, stopping for an icecream on the way. We dined that evening at The Bay – the beers and wine were good, the fish and chips OK.
'Scarborough from the castle'