Hike Notes
I decided to group these two days together for a few of reasons: In the guide book they are both supposed to be done on the same day, they had a very similar feel, I don't have a whole lot of pictures (especially for day 12), and I really want to catch up to the present day stuff!
Walked out of Richmond on Day 11. Followed the River Swale for a ways, passing below the castle near the town before turning away and heading into the woods.
Then it got boring. We were now well outside the Yorkshire Dales and still a ways away from the next national park: The North York Moors, so it was all just flat farmland. And not the beatiful green pasture kinds, but the yellow hey field kinds.
We did get to stop at a church for lunch where, supposedly, a man who lived to be 169 is buried with one of the original colonists of Maryland.
Walked through a few more fields and for some reason were giddy when we reached our final destination, Streetlam. I think we were excited that we finished our walk and could sit down in a nice pub and wait for the bus which was due in an hour. Little did we know that Streetlam isn't so much a town but a farm road intersection with a phone booth and a bench. Oh well. Laying on the grass and dreaming of a cider will have to do.
The next day (Day 12) was the last day of the second leg. It rained quite a bit in the morning which wasn't great. We walked along the road most the way, which also wasn't great. And it was all flat farmland, which I'm not a fan of. Not much worth mentioning really, so here are some random pictures with little to no context:
I think I liked how the sheep and ducks were mingling in this cute farm outside of Inglby Cross.
Water tower or something
Feet didn't hold up very well on either day. I'm starting to suspect that the flat terrain is the worst for my feet as more weight comes down on the front pad which is usually what hurts. Up hills tend to go much better.
Foot Status: 4 boring farms out of 10
Wonderful Whitby
We moved from Richmond to our base camp for the last 4 days in the coastal city of Whitby.
It's amazing. I love it here and it's only been a couple days now. There is a river going through the middle of the town and if you cross the river you get to old town which has really only 4 kinds of shops repeated over and over again: Jet stone jewleres, fish and chip shops, pubs/cafes, and candy shops (felt very much like that opening 'The Candyman' scene from Willy Wonka).
At the end of old town are the "199 steps" to A ruined abby (I made sure to count on the way up... And down).
Was able to get some very good views of the city and the coast of the North Sea.
So spoopy!
Walked around for a bit before meeting up with some of the others for a nice pub dinner. Here's some random pics.
This store will make your dreams come true! Oooo ooo o oooo!
Mediocre Pokemon Snap picture
Hikers Exposed: Fast Recovery?
Sam joined us for the walks on both days and she was more energetic than I've ever seen her.
On Day 11 she was well at the head of pack, but once she got too far she would wait up for the rest of us, looking somewhat annoyed, like we were holding her back. I guess she couldn't be bothered on Day 12 because she bolted forward in the morning and we didn't see her till the end. I tried to keep up as best I could but there were times where she was outright jogging.
It was great to see her get her energy back, but she still didn't look any better to be honest. And she was just overall acting strangely. I noticed after Day 12 that she still had all her water left after the hike which I thought was weird since she was going so fast.
We all had dinner at a Thai restaurant that night and she got some beef and vegetable dish and scarfed down the meat really quickly while leaving the vegetables untouched.
On the shuttle bus from Richmond to Whitby, she fell asleep immediately and stayed asleep the whole ride. But it wasn't a very deep sleep, I guess, because she was restless and twitching, almost jerking her entire body. She must have been having a nightmare because she was mumbling in her sleep as well. Not really any words per se. It kinda sounded like "brr.. brr... brrray".
She didn't wake up when we got to Whitby. We called to her but it wasn't working so one of the others nudged her a bit. She jumped awake with the angriest expression I have seen in a person and even kind of growled and snapped her jaw at us. She came to her senses immediately after and looked scared and embarrassed. She hurried off the bus without saying bye. Hopefully the rest of this non-walking day does her good.