“Johnny No Mates!”
Today’s title reflects the fact that after two days walking with Goughie I was on my own today. This was about the shortest and probably flattest walk so far and although, straightaway afterwards, I wished I’d gone further, though, on reflection, it was probably a good thing I didn’t. Here are the Day 08 stats:
| Left Reeth: | 09:15 | Arrived Richmond: | 13:00 |
| Distance (kms): | 17.66 | Distance (mls): | 11.03 |
| Moving Time: | 3:20 | Minimum Altitude (m): | 137.6 |
| Stopped Time: | 0:25 | Maximum Altitude (m): | 316.9 |
| Moving Average (kph): | 5.33 | Total Ascent (m): | 370.1 |
| Overall Average (kph): | 4.74 | Total Descent (m): | 417.7 |
Day 8 GPX file: c2c08 (right mouse click and “Save link as…”) – with both the planned and actual routes. In places they were a bit different, although at Grinton Bridge that was the fault of the GPS plot which was wrong. However, the “detour” just before Marske was all my own doing!
A Very Pleasant Stroll and Thoughts for the Future?
Today’s walk was a very pleasant stroll, nowt too energetic, no hard climbs, long distances; even the weather was benign. Oddly enough, I felt a little let down, not really challenged enough. I really should learn that sometimes it’s necessary to just take things easy.
We had a wonderful breakfast at Springfield House and I left rather earlier than the last couple of days, at not long after nine 
o’clock, for the 11 mile walk to Richmond. I eventually found my way to the bridge over the River Swale which, having been my companion for the last two days, I was to follow for most of today too. Having crossed the river I followed the route alongside it rather than going along the road as my GPS plot had suggested I should, thereby getting a good view of the very handsome Grinton Bridge which I crossed, and then continued to rejoin the road at Ewelop Hill.
After a bit of road and off road walking I came upon the very small village (isn’t that called a hamlet?) of Marrick which has some very lovely gardens and flowers everywhere. I continued along easy paths and stiles from field to field to the rather nice second small village – Marske, about which I must be honest and say that I remember very little! Leaving the road shortly afterwards and crossing fields again I came upon about the only climb of the day, up to the southern escarpment of Applegarth Scar with a very pleasant view from beside the cairn. It seems that everything around here is “Applegarth”; there’s the aforementioned Scar, then Applegarth Low Wood, West Applegarth, High Applegarth, Low Applegarth and just plain old simple Applegarth itself. It must have taken a lot of imagination to name all those places so uniquely!
Not long after leaving the Applegarths behind, the path continued through the very pretty Whitecliffe Woods, along farm tracks and into Richmond itself. On the way into the town I passed a roadside bench with a quotation extolling its virtues from the “great man” (AW Wainwright) himself and just as I entered the town, there on a wall was an AA sign commemorating a total eclipse of the sun in 1927. I thought it rather nice that such an event should be remembered in that way.
Although the day was just about right I wasn’t; well, not completely anyway. My left big toenail, which always ingrows a bit, was bugging me a little and with “the longest day” tomorrow, I’d phoned The Boss earlier and asked her if she could get me an appointment with a Chiropodist in Richmond, which she said she’d try and do. More concerning, however, is my right knee, on which I’ve had two cartilage operations and which forced me to give up running a few years ago. It’s not that bad, but then again, it’s not that good either. Hopefully, wearing a support bandage will help so I put that on my mental shopping list for Richmond too.
On a bright, sunny day (ain’t walking just GREAT in warm, but no too hot, dry and sunny weather) I came upon my beloved as I walked into the town. She was actually outside the Chiropodist that she’d found for me, but which was closed on Mondays! Later, I asked at the Chemists about another Chiropodist in the town but that too was closed on Mondays. What the hell happens in Richmond if you need an emergency toe nail clipping on a Monday!
Noelene and I walked together to the market cross in the town centre and sat there in the sun watching the passersby and sharing my butties. It was very pleasant. We wandered around a bit, met the NW Walkers and chatted to them for a while as they got their lunch from a pie shop. They were carrying on a bit further today, then being bussed back to Richmond to spend the night. Madame Fifi was delighted that they had reached Richmond before me today. Mind you, I did give them at least half an hour’s start!
We were too early to check in to our B&B so we went to the swimming baths; the very kind lady there loaned us towels and I had a wonderfully relaxing float around (I could hardly call it a swim) for an hour or so, The Boss joining me between excursions to the jacuzzi. It was very pleasant indeed and made me exceptionally pleased that today had been a short day. After the swim we went and had coffee and cakes at the former railway station, cleverly called The Station, which is well worth a visit. I like Richmond, in fact I like Richmond very much – despite its Member of Parliament!
After a relaxing afternoon we checked into our B&B, the excellent Nuns Cottage and were warmly welcomed by Judith who runs the place with husband Rod. Our room was delightful and she was engagingly chatty. Once I’d done all my “usuals” to round off the day’s walking and prepare for the next, we hit the “bright lights” of Richmond, our main disappointment being that the only place that seemed to serve decent beer was the Weatherspoons pub. But that was okay and after a couple of goodies we decided to eat at The Amontola Bangladeshi Restaurant. Isn’t it great that places, that would at one time only refer to their establishments as Indian restaurants, are now “coming out of the closet” and no longer denying their true ethnicity.
After more than a week without proper spicy food (I don’t count the chilli and chips I’d had a few days ago) The Amontola was just the job. The food was excellent, the service spot on and even the Bangla beer (brewed in the UK!) was a fine accompaniment to the super meal. We walked back to Nuns Cottage, past a cricket match still being conducted in the gathering gloom, feeling very satisfied and that this is just how England should be.
Back in our room I wrote in my journal and read Martin Wainwright’s account of tomorrow’s 23 mile walk to Ingleby Cross, the longest of the C2C (for me, anyway) and thought about the end now being not so many days away. It’s at this point in all three of the long distance walks I’ve done that I begin to wish that it just wouldn’t end and that I could get up every morning, put on my boots and get walking. I had my first thoughts of an End to End Walk – but quickly dismissed them and went to sleep. But you never know…..
| Accommodation | Beverages & Comestibles |
|---|---|
| Nuns Cottage 5 Hurgill Road Richmond North Yorkshire DL10 4AR http://www.nunscottage.co.uk 01748 822809 | Deresh Gosht Takka Dahl Rice Nan bread (Outstanding 10/10) A Scottish Blond Ale, Blacksheep Bitter, Bangla Lager (all pretty good) |
Some Day 08 Photos
