The last day dawned bright and clear, amazingly. Looks like we are going to make it after all. Although, when we ask, we find that Trish had to give up when she got to this B&B. Must have been gutted. Can’t take finishing for granted.
Feeling a little mixed about the last day. Its great that we have got this far. A bit sad that its nearly over. Pleased and excited too.
Anyway, off we go… Back down into Littlebeck village, then on into Littlebeck Wood. “… a stunning 65 acres of woodland, filled with oak trees, deer, badgers, foxes and birdlife galore.” Actually, quite a pleasant, if muddy, tack through woods. Needless to say, any wildlife kept well away. There is a sort of cave thing, called The Hermitage.
And a ‘beauty spot’ waterfall, Falling Foss, which has its own tearoom open later in the day. But it is soon traversed as we roll speedily onwards towards the finish line.
The last ‘problem area’ is Greystone Hills. Another scrubby boggy moor area, where the path disappears amongst many others. But today even that doesn’t catch us out, as we find the obscure posts, and hit the boardwalk over the worst of the bog. No one was there to appreciate how clever we were though.
In such a short time we are back on the road, and underneath the first sign for Robin Hoods Bay.
The trail diverts through Low Hawsker.
Things are beginning to look more coastal. There’s a caravan park. The sun is shining.
We stop for lunch in the caravan park café, the oddly named Woodland (??) Tearoom.
Two minutes later we are ON THE EAST COAST!!
Our cup runneth over when we rejoin The Cleveland Way for the final motor into our destination.
Oh The Cleveland Way, The Cleveland Way
Lets all hear it for The Cleveland Way!!!
The clifftop walk is beautiful in the fresh sunshine. Blue sky, blue sea. White cloud scudding along in the breeze. You can’t help but smile, as the last few miles undulate away underneath your boots.
Too fast, too fast, our destination is in sight. We sit for a while to try to make it last longer. We don’t want to stop.
We are so quickly finished with the cliff path, and walking through houses leading on to the main road down into the little town.
The long road down to the harbour is so very steep. Lovely old cottages and buildings crammed together so precipitously line the road. The place is packed with tourists, day trippers. No one seems to know what we have done. Not even when, oh there it is, the slipway, no not even when we go down and dip our boots into the North Sea.
Where is the Reception Committee? the bunting and congratulations? Someone should be here!
HEY, WE’VE JUST FINISHED THE COAST TO COAST!!!
Well let’s go on down to the beach anyway.
It is only really there, down on the beach, that it starts to sink in.
We take off our boots for a paddle. I find a couple of pebbles from Fleswick Bay carried in my pack all the way. We are supposed to throw them in now. Just then a young couple, probably teenagers, turn up, and you can just tell that they have finished it too.
“You just finished?”
“Yeah, us too.”
I give the girl one of my pebbles, as she hasn’t got any. We plunge our feet into the sea together, throw in the pebbles and take photos for each other.
Now we have really finished.
It really is true. We walked across the North of England. Wow.
We really did it!!
