"Homeward Bound"

Today's title testifies that, from the Cleveland Hills, I saw the North Sea for the first time; the end truly was in sight! The profile shows that after two days on the flat I was "back to the hills" again. Here are the Day 12 stats:

No Mapsource route, guys and gals - I'm sure you could all find your way along the main roads from Robin Hood's Bay to Bolton by car! Suffice to say, we didn't get lost!

Fush and Chups

I suppose that you think I can't spell "fish and chips" but, in fact I'm mentally spelling it out as New Zealanders apparently say it, having had a Kiwi neighbour for the last few years. I thought that this day would be a really sad anticlimax, coming as it did at the end of an incredible 12 days. But, in fact, and despite the really lousy weather later in the day, (not to put too fine a point on it, it pissed down) it was really enjoyable.

There had, apparently, been a terrific thunderstorm in the night but, having my night time earplugs in, I was completely oblivious to it and slept like a log, although I did awake rather early, expecting, I suppose, to be putting on damp walking boots and all the other paraphernalia for another day of tramping over hill and dale, continuing the battle with AW Wainwright. Once I'd accustomed myself to the idea that there was no walking to be done today we put on real clothes (as opposed to walking clothes) and shoes and, in memory of the C2C and the miserable old bugger who established it as an institution, we had our final full English breakfast, although The Boss was a little more circumspect! I think it was my 11th in 13 days so heaven help me if I have a cholesterol test in the next few weeks (I did and it was a bit high!).

After breakfast we packed and loaded the cars for the last time then walked down to the Bay Hotel again for a final look around. I bought a C2C T shirt, the Boss paddled in the sea, as happy as any kid and, almost unbelievably, we found two of the four stones that we'd pitched into the water the previous day. The Boss photographed me beneath the C2C finish sign and we saw some of our fellow C2Cers, including Madame Fifi of the NW Walkers who, I think, had taken quite a shine to yours truly (actually her name is Jacqui and she lives in Norwich)! We saw The Family, who also live in Norwich, she an absolute card with a wonderful dry wit and her husband an orthopaedic surgeon - very useful for a long distance walker.

Surprise, surprise it started raining. So Goughie and I went for a coffee as the chicks did some final shopping. My beloved bought a rather splendid jewelry box with a big hint (a VERY big hint) that I should buy her the required objects to go into it, although on this occasion I resisted her kind suggestion.

We finally said a very fond farewell to the wonderful Robin Hood's Bay (we'll be back) and headed for Whitby to see the Abbey and have "fush and chups" for lunch in the world famous Magpie Café (some hope). It was pouring with rain when we reached the Abbey and, as we weren't prepared to pay the £5 entry fee for a 10 minute look around, we walked around the outside and took a few photos during a break in the rain then headed into the town. Now Whitby is a wonderful place but please, please don't go there expecting to be able to park a car easily and, if you do find a space, be prepared to pay a fortune for it. It's certainly not a car-friendly place at all. But maybe that isn't such a bad thing, although I didn't think it at the time! What this old Victoria seaside town really needs is one of those very nice 1970s 10 floor multi-storey car parks; that would solve all the parking problems. "Pull down a few of those old buildings", I say, "and make room for the motorist"!

It was raining on and off as we browsed the shops in the narrow streets and when we got to the Magpie and saw the queue outside we decided to try Hadley's Café which had been recommended to us by the waitress at the restaurant the previous night. And what a wonderful place it was - excellent fish and chips, white bread and butter and mugs of tea, great and friendly service and all at a good price too. The Magpie only has its reputation by dint of appearing on one of Rick Stein's TV programmes and although it is good, it's no better than Hadley's. It was a terrific finale to our artery clogging diet of the last couple of weeks and we all loved it.

After lunch we wandered around Whitby some more and called in at the very special Frank Meadow Sutcliffe Gallery of Victorian photographs and then headed back to sunny (in the Bolton sense - sometimes vertical, sometimes horizontal) home and the usual post holiday trauma of unpacking, opening the post (mostly bills and junk mail), cleaning up the bloody builders' mess (or is that, the builders' bloody mess?. Probably the bloody builders' bloody mess!) and then helped The Boss prepare for the Women's Race for Life that she was doing in memory of Anne with Julie and some other of her mates at Leverhulme Park in Bolton the following day. We rounded off the day and the holiday with a traditional Curry Korner curry, a couple of beers and a wonderful night's sleep in our own bed.

It was all over (sob!).

A Few Photos From Day 13 (just click on them for the BIG versions):
Day 13 - Leaving The Final B&B	The Bay Hotel, Robin Hood's Bay
Robin Hood's Bay - Tide Out	My Gorgeous Girlie
A Stone From St Bees	One Final Pose!
Whitby Abbey	Whitby
That's It Folks!