Too Old Codgers

Statistics:
distance - 13.7 miles
moving speed – 3.2 mph
start – 9.50 am
finish – 4.15 pm
moving – 4h 12m

We took our time getting started because we knew we had a relatively short day. Over breakfast we chatted to a Canadian couple doing the C2C. For breakfast Graham had cereal and his usual fry-up, and Mary had yoghurt followed by bacon and eggs. After breakfast we finished packing and watched pipits and wagtails on the rock walls outside our window.

'Breakfast at the Lion Inn'

Our day began with three miles of walking beside roads in a huge level arc around the head of Rosedale. Looking back across the valley, the Lion Inn was one of the few visible features in a sea of heather. Along the way we passed the Margery Bradley, Ralph Cross and the White Cross (Fat Betty), some of the many ancient markers across the moors. We dodged puddles at the side of the road left by overnight rain.

'Roads follow the horizon around the head of Rosedale'

'Margery Bradley marker'

'Last of the flowering heather'

'A happy C2Cer; the Lion Inn in the background on the horizon'

'Another happy C2Cer'

After a brief section on the road to Fryup, the turn we had missed in heavy mist in 2010, we turned onto the track past Trough House. Near this old shooting lodge, grouse were plentiful. The view down Great Fryup Dale was stunning. We had begun the morning under an overcast sky, but the cloud was breaking up and patches of sunlight lit up the scene.

'A black slug slides over the path'

'Trough House surrounded by grouse moors'

'A sheep poses in front of Great Fryup Dale'

We stopped for a late morning tea when we reached the high point of the track across Glaisdale Moor at midday. After morning tea we joined another road briefly with views to the left down Great Fryup Dale and to the right down Glaisdale. We left the road to follow a good track down the length of Glaisdale Rigg.

'The track down Glaisdale Rigg'

At 2pm we stopped on a seat on the outskirts of Glaisdale and had our lunch overlooking part of the village. The village seemed much prettier as we walked through it this time. Perhaps it was because it wasn't raining, perhaps because we hadn't been lost, or perhaps because we took the low route beside the river.

'View over Glaisdale village from our lunch stop'

'Walking through Glaisdale'

We had a quick look at Beggar's Bridge, then headed off through East Arncliffe Wood along large stepping stones set into the mud. The path was obviously an ancient route – the centre of each stepping stone was worn down by the passage of many boots and hooves.

'Beggars bridge'

'River Esk and East Arncliffe Wood'

'Stepping stones through East Arncliffe Wood'

Through the woods we joined a quiet road for the easy walk to Egton Bridge, then along the old toll-way to Grosmont where we arrived at 4.15. We checked into the Gallery B&B and were pleasantly surprised by our large, bright room with paintings adorning the walls. We did some shopping for lunch the following day, then walked across the rail line to the Station Tavern for drinks to celebrate the end of our second last day of walking. The major catastrophe of the day, for Graham, was that there had been a steam train weekend staged by the North York Moors Railway, and the steam enthusiasts had drunk all the cask beer in the pub. The pub owner lamented that he had ordered in three times his usual weekly supply, but that still wasn't enough. So a Guinness had to do.

'Grosmont village and rail crossing'

'Our room at the Gallery B&B'

We went back to the B&B, unpacked, showered and did some of our daily chores (diary update, downloading pictures, charging batteries) before returning to the pub for dinner. We ordered our usual pub meals (steak & ale pie, fish and chips) and a bottle of wine. The Canadian couple from the Lion Inn sat at the next table so we chatted through dinner. We were pleasantly surprised when Steve from the Osmotherley B&B arrived with a group of his biking mates. There was lots of banter about the pub with no beer. Steve told us that the Tassie two, who we hadn't seen since the Lakes, had stayed in their B&B the night before. After a pleasant evening we were in bed by 9pm.

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