In a Geordie accent: “Day 8 and the lads wake to the smell of burning Gore Tex Paclite which still pervades the room after the previous nights accident with my coat (more details of which will only be provided in the full journal). The drug regime has reached new heights; with enough over the counter medicines being consumed to keep a small horse either sedated or very, very happy.”
After a truncated breakfast enforced by the appetite supressant effects of burnt Paclite, we set out early for Osmotherley. Richmond was a bit of a disappointment and we hope for better things in our next stop.
The morning is a series of roads and field paths and during the evening in the pub later we decided that nothing of note happened. The weather, at least, was playing fair and we had no rain at all, although it was a little chilly at times.
As we half expected, the White Swan in Danby Wiske was shut, it also had a large “For Sale” sign covering the front door, so no chance of a cold one at lunch for C2Cers for the foreseeable future.
Fortunately the lady at Ashfield House (sorry, can’t remember her name) has stepped into the breach and now offers teas, coffees, and snacks from her back garden, just 20 yards the other side of the pub along the road.
We ate our lunches on the village green in warm sunshine and then pushed on to our destination. The afternoon also involved lots of road walking with the ocassional field section to break the monotony. This is hard on the feet, even in my Inov-8s.
I chose a path direct to Osmotherley, avoiding several extra miles going via Ingleby Cross, but this turned out to be a mistake. The public RoW on the map that led so nicely into Os, turned out to be an impenetrable jungle flanking a stinking, foetid stream. Without our explorer machetes we were snookered after a 100 yards, which had taken us 20 minutes and cost me a pair of ripped trousers.
We backtracked a little way and clambered over a barbed wire fence into a field. This we followed down to another fence and 30 feet deep brambles and nettles. Rob, in his shorts for the first time on the trip, was not happy. We finally found our way down to the road and onto navigable footpaths closer to the village.
We found four ladies wandering in a field, obviously lost and well off the path and helped them back onto the path into Os. They suggested we detour and look at the lovely Bluebell wood nearby, but we told them that after 22 miles all we really wanted to see was two empty beer glasses on a bar.
Osmotherley is great. So much better than Ingleby Cross, it has a choice of 3 pubs and it has an outdoor shop and a general store. Rob stocked up on clean socks and I got the water and lunches for the next day.
After checking in to our B&B we spent a fun hour trying to repair my coat with a section cut from a dry bag and the tube of Uhu I found in the general store. We then headed over to the pub where we finally met most of the Magnificent 11, a large group of walkers who we’d seen at various stops. What a great bunch they are too.
Unfortunately we forgot to pay for our bar bill as we left and it seems they were asked to pay it when they checked out next morning!! Sorry guys.
A grand day, but without any hills or views to speak of, but great weather.
1 thought on “Coast to Coast 2009 – Day 8”
great to have met with rob and yourself today in glaisdale ; you were both moving well ; no doubt that you’ll finish in good style at rhb tomorrow ; i feel confident in saying that neither comment will apply after the LWW finale!! as i said i broke a golden rule in riding downhill : blakey – glaisdale ; with the wind behind me in the first half of the ride ; it was all uphill with the wind in my face on the return ; debits before credits : it never works ; ask gordon brown.