Coast to Coast: Stage 5 Ingleby to Robin Hoods Bay

The B&Bs we’ve stayed in have all been beautifully presented with comfortable beds and clean linen. The hosts have been invariably pleasant and usually happy to chat about themselves and their town or village. Some have been tiny cottages dating back to 16^th century; a couple have been in large Victorian villas. Some hosts have been obsessively neat and controlling; one was a bloke’s B&B – a pint of beer and a discussion about 1990 Mercedes cars; one was run in a 16^th C pub that was much bigger on the inside than the outside but the ceiling beams were built for Kerry’s height rather than Gordon’s. A couple of Ians, a Dave, two Jennies, one Jane, a Colin and Sandra, a Jean, a Josephine and a Mrs Jackson all looked after us with a solid breakfast that generally kept us going until dinner with a few snacks during the day. Dinner was sometimes memorable, like steak and ale pie at Ennerdale Bridge, Thai ginger fish and stir-fried veges at Broughton, filet Rossini at Richmond, fish pie and turbot at Robin Hoods Bay. And lots of great beers.

The last four days have been over the north Yorkshire Moors.

Heather, Scarp and Farmland

The first, great walking day from Ingleby to Claybank Tops was generally up 600-900 feet followed by steeply down. Claybank Tops to the isolated Lion Inn on the moors was an easy walk of 16 km mostly along a disused railway track. The next two days were quite long, about 26 km across moors. The second last night at Grosmont was like being part of normal sized toy train set. When the railway – lifeblood of the town – was slated to be closed in the early 1960s, it was saved by a mix of volunteer and commercial energy and now appears in period railway vignettes (such as Harry Potter) and provides a regular steam connection to nearby towns and Whitby. Last night was at Robin Hoods Bay and after throwing our pebbles from the Irish Sea into the North Sea, we are now on a fast train via York to London.

Street at Robin Hoods Bay

Robin Hoods Bay has an upper town where Victorian sea captains built their grand villas near the (now discontinued) station. The lower town is like a stage set for Pirates of the Caribbean, with narrow winding streets between tiny terrace houses that back onto each other. Used to be a smuggler’s haven where the excise men were dodged by entering one house and appearing out another a couple of streets below and three along.

Low tide at the Bay

The big tide difference means that flat bottom scows can be beached at low tide for unloading and floated off at high tide. A lot of submerged rocks and a treacherous coast meant a lot of lifeboat and rocket rescues. Now a tiny town for themed holidays with fresh fish and chips.

Done it!

After about 340km walking – the longest we’ve done – stress has disappeared, legs and cardio vascular fitness have improved wonderfully so we can now walk straight up a 300M hill without stopping. Feet have suffered a bit, but nothing permanent or serious. A wonderful holiday. Now, on to the next adventure!