Summary - Stats and Thoughts

It has been almost 4 weeks since we completed the walk. This has allowed my body (specifically feet) time to recover from the walk.
I have summarized the Fitbit stats that I downloaded upon return:

	Steps		Metres Ascent
Day 1	40,933		814
Day 2	36,348		677
Day 3	48,435		960
Day 4	58,428		2,070
Day 5	45,258		747
Day 6	44,590		878
Day 7	55,074		661
Day 8	54,803		405
Day 9	54,843		963
Day 10	43,133		588
Average	48,180		876

Days 3 & 4 were toughest of the days, with over 12 hours of walking on Day 3. However, at that time the feet / legs were OK, so I personally found the last four days just as tough.
I think we may have been overly ambitious in attempting both the walk in 10 days as well as taking in most of the high routes. It would have been a simpler walk sticking to mainly the valley floor; but without the great views that the ascents bring. We were limited by time; it would have been beneficial to add in a rest day after Day 4 and Day 8. 

It is interesting how the mind can overrule the body; each of the evenings from Day 4 onwards we (both of us) had great difficulty getting out of the car in the evening and walking to the accommodation. However, after a night's sleep we were physically able to tackle the next day at close to normal pace. Having said that, towards the end we did slow down due to the calf problems experienced by Chris and the feet/ankle problems by me.

Sign-posting is often non-existent along the route; so at all times you need to have your wits about you. Tiredness often leads to poor decision making; we were occasionally guilty of not following the map instructions / GPS waypoints closely. We made use of the Stedman maps (with the lack of consistent scale being the major complaint); Garmin GPS with waypoints and compass. At different times we needed all three to clarify our position.

Walking in summer generally means less gear to carry; we had the day's food and water; first aid kit, camera, waterproof jacket, gaiters and spare fleece. I prefer to walk in shorts in both wet and dry conditions; it removes the need for overpants.

I was glad we carried out a significant amount of training over the six months leading to the walk; without this basis of fitness it would have been nigh impossible to complete the walk. Some folks, such as the English & Irish women we met on Days 5 & 6 used the first few days as boot-camp. Unfortunately, we did not have this luxury due to the distances we needed to cover.

In summary, it was a fantastic experience; it was extremely challenging and most likely the toughest walk that I have completed. Now for the next one....

Morris Dancing - with sticks and hankies

We have many stories of the places visited on the walk or as walk support crew. It was busy towards the end and the internet access during the day was very poor, so these stories are being added in no particular order. 

We had a great day at Richmond Castle on Sunday 12th. A surprise addition was a visit from the local Morris Dancers. Singing, bells on socks, clicking of sticks, waving of cloths. 4 dances were great, more would require a greater love of the art form....

Chris Images Days 1 thru 4

St Bees and the start

Day 1

Day 1

Day 2 Ennerdale Waters

Day 2

Day 2 Haystacks

Day 2 Haystacks

Day 2 Rosthwaite

Day 3 to Grasmere

Day 3 morning

Day 3 Helvellyn ascent

Day 3 top of Helvellyn

Day 4 on way to 9 standards rigg with Rod

Day 4

Day 4

Nine Standards Rigg

And again

day 4 finish

Day 10 - The End of the Road

We got up early to ensure a triumphal entrance into Robin Hood's Bay later in the day. We were underway at 8am and were at Grosmont a few hours later.
A large number of train enthuisiasts were hanging around the station, there was both a steam and diesel engine at the station.
The last long ascent up Grosmont Hill up to the moor, then some woods walking with the famous Hermit's Cave carved out of rock followed.
One of the things about Alfred Wainwright and the walk he devised is that the walk never goes directly towards the ultimate destination. We almost walked to the Abbey at Whitby on the coast before turning south to Robin Hood's Bay.
We saw a sign indicating 2.5 miles to go, however, we had slowed right down and it took us almost another two hours to complete.
There was no marching bands nor spectators to greet us, apart from the applause of the 2 crew. I guess all the seaside tourists were wondering what the 2 oldish guys walking slowly towards the water were on about.
We dipped our boots in the North Sea and we were done.
Both Chris and myself would like to acknowledge the wonderful efforts of our partners; without their help we would not have made it.
Distance covered - 200 miles, 325km

days - 10
fitbit stats to come when downloaded

Day 9 - Just When You Thought You Can Take No Moor

The weather had cleared and we were technically in for a shorter day. We had a minor sleep-in and did not get on the track to 9am. From Clay Bank Top we climbed up onto the North York Moors, following an old railway line for 10 miles to Blakey Ridge. We saw nothing more than several thousand sheep and the odd walker.

After refreshments and lunch at the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge it was back to more moor walking for the afternoon. We passed Great Fryup Dale and entered Glaisdale at 4pm; the first time we were truly on time.

We both are feeling worse for wear; Chris has a sore calf and limped for most of the day, Bill has swollen feet and both now have a significant number of blisters.
However, only the one day to go.
Distance covered - 34km

Day 8 - Cleveland Hills Attempts to Finish Us Off

Day 8 was another long day of 39km, this time we had blisters and aches and pains to contend with.
When walking around 10 hours per day all we seemed to do was have breakfast, make lunch with ingredients purchased by the crew, drive to the location, walk, drive back to the accommodation dog tired, have a wonderful dinner prepared by Bronwyn and Cate, write the blog entry and fall into bed.
Today we drove to the locale of Clay Bank Top prior to the walk so that we knew exactly where to meet.
We left Danby Whiske at around 9am, unlike the last few days the weather was dry. There was lots of farm walking, we eventually met with the A19. The run across 4 lanes of traffic is generally considered the most dangerous aspect of the walk for most people, especially since the English generally drive well in excess of the 70mph speed limit.

Lunch in Ingleby Cross was followed by access to the North York Moors where we followed the Cleveland Way.

The track was designed by a sadist, for the last few hours we climbed 200 metres and dropped 200 metres sharply on 4 to 5 occasions. It was extremely slow going, we finished at Clay Bank Top around 7.30pm absolutely spent.

Distance covered - 39km
Distance remaining - 62km

Day 7 - Rain, Rain and more Rain

Day 7 we woke to the sound of rain once again. We drove to Reeth in the rain and it did lighten a little for the start of the walk.
We started early as we had another long day planned. Following the Swale initially, we passed the Marrick Priory and ascended the Nuns' Steps. From here we had a break under the shelter in St Edmund the Martyr in Marske. The English dont do covered shelters very well and you need to find your own.
A few days back one of the locals commented to us that the weather will improve and that it will start to rain, and did it rain today.
We met Bronwyn and Cate at Richmond and found a spot to have lunch; this included a special treat of vanilla slice each.  From Richmond we traversed the Vale of Mowbray, which involved a significant amount of both walking down street lanes and through wheat fields.
One of the signs we saw in a forested area that afternoon was Beware of Army Exercises, we could hear the sounds of machine gun fire in the background, as well as helicopter and jet fighters overhead. They did manage to miss us.
We arrived at Danby Whiske late in the afternoon, wet socks put paid to our blister free feet.
Distance travelled - 39km