Sure enough when I went down to breakfast who should join me but the brother/sister team. We had a longer breakfast than normal, knowing this was our last day and trying to savor it all.

I met them on the way out and they started up the trail while I…went to the train station! After seeing the train last night, and knowing it is such a unique thing, I decided I had to ride it. It goes to a coastal city called Whitby that I had heard people talk about since the beginning of the trail. In fact Whitby is unofficially part of the Coast to Coast trail as Wainwright, the trails founder, initially wanted the walk to go through Whitby on the way to the final destination, Robin Hood’s Bay. And when the official trail has issues (like last year there were some wildfires) the trail routes through Whitby instead of RHB.

And Whitby, I had heard, was quite a unique city for two main reasons: vampires and fish.

You see it is a historic fishing village and supposedly has the best fish and chips in England because the fish is local and fresh caught. Despite fish and chips being one of the most famous British dishes and available almost every night I hadn’t eaten it yet. I don’t love fish and it’s fried with fried potatoes so I don’t feel it has a lot of nutritional value after a day of hiking.

But I’m in England so I gotta do it right?! And this seemed the best place for it.

The vampire connection is the one and only Dracula. Bram Stoker was inspired for the book (and then featured it) because of an old crumbling abbey they have there.

So I could take the steam train to Whitby see the sights, eat fish and chips and then walk a few hours along the coast to end up in the official ending point of the Coast to Coast. Win-win-win!

I was super excited for my plan until I got to the ticket window and was told the first train had a technical issue and was cancelled! Boo-hoo!!!

The next train wasn’t for another hour and a half but I wanted to spend a few hours looking around Whitby and I didn’t want to wait. Instead I took the bus, chatting with a nice local lady the whole way about hiking in England and things to do in Whitby. Everyone is so friendly here.

I arrived around 10 and walked around to explore the incredibly charming historic town. They had winding alleys and adorable candy shops and I could have easily spent all day there. I got my fish and chips for lunch and immediately hit the trail. I still had about 3 hours of hiking.

While walking the last bit I thought about the hike and things I had learned from it. I mean I walked across the country, surely I learned something right?

One lesson was that I was tough. Tougher than I ever expected. If I had known what the trail was like, I would have never done it. But I went in naive and somehow survived it.

I also learned I’m a walker, not a hiker. I love long meditative walks where I zone out completely for miles getting lost in my thoughts and building stories in my head.

But you can’t do that while hiking. You need focus and pay attention on the trail, on your feet, on the route. So while I’m incredibly proud of myself I haven’t found a new passion in life. I’ll still hike sometimes, I love getting out in nature, but I’ll stick to day hikes thankyouverymuch.

I learned that I “still got it” when it comes to traveling. I’ve been kinda anti-social when traveling the past few years preferring to have a goal, like an artist retreat, when I travel. Like a few years ago I went to Paris for a few weeks to study writers and writing and I just wanted to sit in cafes writing everyday. Strangers talking to me bothered me because they got me out of my flow.

But this trip I just went with it. I expected to be alone everyday but also open to meeting new people. And boy did I. The people I met, both fellow hikers and locals, made the trip for me and if I had to pick a “favorite thing” from this trip I would say: the people. You know, the “friends I made along the way.” So cliche but it’s the truth.

But did I get to know myself better? That was, after all, the plan. Everyday I had a “ponder question” that I asked myself and I would think about throughout the day. Sometimes I asked the people I was walking with my question, just to see what they would say.

Some of the questions were reflective like some of the best moments in my life, or who influenced me the most. Others were eye opening, like what was I happiest to have done in my life or what would I be willing to sacrifice myself for?

And there were some revelations about who I am as a person and who I want to become. I’ll keep some of the answers to myself but I wrote a few essays on some of the questions, my favorite being “what would little Becky (aka me around 10) think of older Becky and her life? The answer I came up with surprised me and I might share some of those essays later.

But one question I will share with you all now is “what is my meaning and purpose in life?” You know, the big question.

I think life is inherently meaningless, we aren’t born with a “purpose” per se (I’m not a believer if you can’t tell) but we are thinking feeling animals and lucky enough to get to create our own meaning of our own life. I think it’s crucial we each realize the meaning of our own lives to ensure we can live a meaningful life based on our own inner voice and values and not what society tells us to do.

This is not a new question, but something I ask myself regularly. Years ago I realized my purpose: to have experiences. That would cover my inherent wanderlust and constant need for new experiences and people on my life.

Then a few years later I added to that: to have experiences and share them with others. That would explain my natural tendency to write about everything and generally share a little too much with friends.

But on this walk I added to it a little bit more:

The meaning and purpose of my life is to have experiences and share them, honestly, with others.

Not that I am a liar, but rather that maybe I don’t always tell the whole story. There are of course things I don’t want to mention to protect my privacy, and some things aren’t fit for some people (like the stories I tell my students about my life are slightly sanitized as I’m still their teacher and need to be professional.)

But I think sharing the ugly and embarrassing is important. And so, realizing this, I tried to do with this travel diary. I tried to share not just the mechanics of the walk, but how I felt, the days I skipped, the times I shook with fear, the weird visions of seeing ancient monks in a forest. Ya know, the real stuff that doesn’t make me look cool or admirable.

Anyway, back to the trail….

When the trail turned to the ocean I was sooo elated. I had a few miles to go but I did it! I f-ing did it! I walked across a country and made it from one sea to another without getting injured or quitting or any of the many things I thought might happen.

I felt a burst of energy and my walk became bouncy and joyful. I wanted to scream to the ocean with excitement. But I also knew to enjoy it while I could. I’ve been around the sun enough times to know what happens after you achieve a big goal.

And sure enough, the closer I got to the finish line, my happiness faded quickly. It started when I checked into my hotel. The owner greeted me, with a giant parrot on his shoulder, and didn’t even say “you finished?” or a “congrats.” I mean, I wasn’t expecting balloons and confetti, but he is at the final stop and I booked through a hiking company so he knows that just finished.

I even brought it up saying I was going to head out before relaxing so I could toss my stone into the ocean. “Oh, you didn’t do that yet?” he said. I said no, I just decided to check in as I walked past the place on the way to the ocean, and he just said okay and left. A little anticlimactic.

As I walked down the hill to the water, where I would throw my stone I picked up day one, and get my feet wet in the North Sea just like I did day one, I began to feel..I don’t know…not sad, not disappointed, not lonely but also all those feelings?

You know what I mean. The feeling I think most of us have after we have achieved something we have planned and worked for for years. Like an actor the day after winning an Oscar waking up alone, in their own bed, and thinking “now what?”

It’s over now. I’ve been anticipating this for 2 years. Now I don’t get to think about it anymore, or plan it, or watch videos about other people doing it with nervous excitement.

It’s over. I didn’t love it, I’ll never do it again, and yet…it’s over.

It wasn’t like I lost my purpose, I have plans tomorrow to continue onto York and I’ll have fun there, but after I threw my stone and took a picture at the ending sign, I didn’t quite know what to do with myself. I just kinda hung around the area of the official ending, slinking around like a creep watching other hikers drinking pints and congratulating their walking buddies.

I wanted to see people I knew, I wanted to celebrate, but I hung around the finish for a while and I didn’t see anyone. I had just spent two weeks walking by myself, sleeping by myself, eating by myself and loving it, and now, for the first time, I felt lonely.

So I took my diary and went off to find a seating area at the beach and just wrote for a long time.

Then I walked back past the ending point and wait…was it? It was! The brother/sister and German dad/daughter sitting at a picnic table drinking a pint!

We all congratulated each other and hugged each other and I was glad to this final moment with people who shared this experience with me and will always be a part of my memory of it. We all had big smiles on our faces.

But then the dad/daughter had to catch a bus, and the bro/sis had to go to their cottage for the night. The brother lived in America and was gonna fly back the next day so they had to get ready. So it was over. Over, over.

My life certainly isn’t lacking in adventures, I live in China after all and travel in SE Asia which is always an adventure, but it’s good to remind myself that I can do REALLY crazy things. If I can go from a non-hiker to someone that hiked for two weeks across mountains and moors and bogs then what can’t I do?

So here’s to the next impossible thing

The beginning of the walk…wasn’t great. The weather was fine but the wind was still blowing and the first part was mostly on the road.

The wind wasn’t just blowing but fierce and in my face, making every step a challenge. And the walking was boring. Flat, no views. In fact after 3 miles I could still see the Lion Inn almost directly across from me. I had just walked in a long 3 mile semi-circle. D’oh.

So as soon as I turned off the main road to a smaller trail I broke one of my rules…I listened to music.

I know, I know, I wanted to get absorbed into nature and give time for deep thoughts. But I was struggling and I just needed something to get me through the miles.

And man, did it help. I hadn’t even listened to music in my free time at night and boy did I miss it! Since it was so flat I could see people behind me, but apparently when we just walk on relatively flat land I’m not so slow! They NEVER caught up to me and in fact the music put a kick in my step and I put more distance between us. Eat my dust hikers!

Until I took my break of course and everyone passed me. The bro/sis, the German dad/daughter and the fast walking couple I had met on the heatwave day. But from this point on we kept leapfrogging each other for the rest of the day.

At one point I was taking pictures of some heather when 2 younger hikers passed by me and we talked for a minute, and they continued on. “Wait a minute….aren’t they the couple I saw a breakfast in Richmond who were having their rest day? How did they catch up to me? They should be a day behind! “

But that mystery would have to wait as they powered on and I just plodded.

We finally got out of the moors and back into farm country. We passed through a village which had a perfect bench in their little village green where I sat to eat my lunch.

It was good I fueled up because after I had to climb another rise. This one had these old worn walking stones and as I was going up, I talked to an old couple coming down. They told me these stones were laid at least 500 years ago probably by the monks who lived nearby (the monastery is now a ruin.) I had stopped to chat with this couple and it was here that everyone joined: bro/sis, father/daughter and the fast walking couple. Apparently they had all taken a lunch break when I had and were now just hiking again.

Since it was a hill they all went ahead as I fell behind but I wasn’t sorry this time. Something about learning the history of those stepping stones made me imagine what this forest was like hundreds of years ago. I could see the monks walking to the village bringing jars of honey to trade for goods. Or villagers bringing their horses through on their way to get help or some information from the monks.

It felt quite magical like some old British sorcery at work bringing the past to life in front of my eyes. I could practically see people living and using this forest.

The spell was broken by some other hikers coming up behind me. The younger people I met earlier! So I had my chance to ask. “Did we meet in…” I started.
“Richmond!” They finished. Turned out they had done one 23 mile day while I had broken it up into 2 days so that’s how they caught up with me.

We exited the forest onto the road and at almost the same time we heard synchronized voices telling us to turn left onto the road. We both had the same navigation app on, but the funny thing was they had changed the voice to a British lady while I had kept mine in the robotic Siri voice.

They wished me well and powered off. This whole next part of the trail was through picture perfect villages and was so cute and charming. As I arrived closer to my destination (the village of Grosmont) I heard a loud whistle and saw white smoke puffing into the air.

I walked quickly towards the white smoke…I knew what it was and hope I hadn’t missed it! And on my way to look at it I passed by my B&B right when the owner was at the front door. I stopped.

“You staying here tonight?” He asked.
“Yeah, but I want to go see that,” I said pointing. “So I’ll be back in a little bit!” and he nodded.

“That” was this little towns claim to fame…a steam powered train! A real train, but also sort of cuteified for tourists. It was puffing away but still on the track when I got there. There was a huge crowd of hikers and tourists taking photos and videos and talking to the engineers.

After a few minutes the train slowly puffed away and I waved bye to everyone on it. It was so cute!

It was then and there I decided on my next days plan, but I headed back to the B&B to check in and got the most bizarre room of the trip.

You see, with so many small villages and me not knowing much about this hike, I contacted a local company to book all my rooms and arrange the Sherpa company for my luggage. They sent me a list of all the B&B’s so I could have looked them up, but I never got around to it.

And it’s been such a fun surprise everyday to see the place I will sleep. Often it’s pubs but it also been family houses, corporate hotels, historic inns. For instance tonight’s B&B was also a professional art studio for the owner.

So I never knew what I was getting and every day I’ve been pleasantly surprised, but today I was just downright shocked.

I had a big room on the top floor with a giant tub at the foot of the bed and TWO chandeliers in the room! How was I supposed to take a shower and wash my hair without getting the entire bed soaked?!?

I knew it was impossible for a klutz like me so I didn’t know what to do until I noticed a “private bathroom” of the room across from me. But the door was open and nobody was in there so I snuck in a quick shower in their bathroom, wiped everything down and snuck out.

As sexy as a giant bathtub is, it wasn’t really practical, lol.

The owner told me there was only one place to eat in town, the pub, and I should make reservations or they might close early. I ran into the bro/sis again (they were also staying there) and we went to the pub together. Since we were making dinner reservations we just decided to have dinner together.

It felt really fitting, this was our last trail night and a good time to celebrate with them. I mean, even though I didn’t meet them day one, they started on the same day as me and were the only people to do the exact same mileage everyday. So we had basically done the walk “together” even though we actually only walked together for half a day. But they were great company and totally made my trip better.

We said goodnight and I tried to say goodbye just in case but they assured me they would see me tomorrow on our last day. I wasn’t so certain because I had a super special plan (that I told them and they said was a fantastic idea) and I probably wouldn’t see them on the trail.

What is that plan? Well you’re gonna have to wait till tomorrow…my FINAL day…to find out!

Today was 21km in 6 and a half hours.

But I’m confused today. I’m clearly exhausted, squatting over my bag on the floor, picking out my clothes, I was out of breath after a minute. That’s not good. But at the same time I don’t feel emotionally depleted. That is good.

So I debate with myself. Should I call a taxi or should I hike? The truth is that today’s hike is supposed to be an easy one. There is some elevation, but in general it’s a straight path, only 8 miles (14km) the shortest day, and the guide book says I should arrive quite early at one of the most legendary stops on the trail…the Lion Inn.

So I don’t want to skip an easy day of walking. But I also don’t want to risk my health. What should I do? The hotel is giving me a ride back to the trail at 8:15 so I have until then to decide. I’m nervous at breakfast, and eat all my eggs but can’t finish my yogurt and toast because my stomach is churning with nerves. What should I do?

I finally call a taxi service and I talk to the driver. The 7km taxi ride will be 90 pounds ($120). 90 pounds?!? He explains that I’m in a rural place going to an even more rural place and the taxi has to come from quite a distance.

I had to decide here and now: easy day of walking vs 90 pounds…

I chose to walk. I took the van that will take me back to the trail head with an older couple. After a few minutes of chitchat, the man looks at me and says “Wait a minute, I know you! The pervert who tried to sneak into the men’s room!” He was the guy who said he would cover for me if I wanted to use the men’s yesterday. We laugh. During the day everyone is wearing glasses and hats so in the evening it is hard to recognize people you just meet momentarily. They had actually eaten breakfast right next to me and we didn’t recognize each other.

They wish me luck and take off climbing very quickly. “See you in the next men’s bathroom,” I yelled after them. Since there isn’t any hotels or camping off the trail, many people are arriving via cars from their accommodations, and it’s the most crowded start to any day I’ve seen.

There is a young couple who I’ve been seeing on and off for days who also start up the trail the same time I do. They’ve been camping, so I haven’t really had time to talk to them but they’ve been keeping the same pace and they seem friendly.

The guy hold open the gate for me and I point to the mountain directly in front of us. “Is that our highest peak today?”
The guy laughs. “No, it can’t be.” I knew he was right as the tallest peak was 400+ meters and this small part was steep but not that tall.

So I huffed and puffed and sure enough when I got to the peak I could see a larger peak in the distance and I guessed that was the highest point.

But the good news was I finally entered the moors. The moors are a a vast open plateau of tough acidic soil where tall trees can’t dig roots so only short shrubs and heather grow. You can see across the moors for miles and miles. And even better they’re relatively flat.

I could see the path going up the mountain and I could see it was very gentle. No more steep bits for me. I could have cried with happiness because I didn’t have much strength left. (Though after the sirloin dinner, egg breakfast and tuna sandwich packed in my bag I was feeling stronger.)

The moors were so vast that I could see for miles behind me as I walked and I could see there were several hikers as well. They were too far away but as I continued up the slow rise I could see they were getting closer.

I like to step aside for faster hikers so I kept an eye on them and when I could hear them chatting I knew they were close so I stopped and turned around to let them pass me.

But it was the brother and sister! It was my friends! “Where have you guys been!” I shouted out and they looked up from the path.

“Becky!!!! We thought that might be you ahead of us!” I hadn’t seen them in 2 days and they couldn’t have come at a better time. I was really in my head all morning and needed some friends to get me in a better mental space.

Turns out the past 2 nights we had stayed at different villages and while I had taken off very early each day, they had taken off very late because they had family with them. We cheerfully caught up about our days (their families had just left the day before) and they also agreed that yesterday was exhausting. I know they handled it better than me, but it did make me feel better to knowing they are strong experienced hikers and still struggled with it.

We walked together and soon were joined by two German hikers that were doing the Cleveland Way that the brother and sister had met before. So now, in a gang of 6, we got to the highest point and kept going across the relatively flat moors. I felt so much better and not at all tired anymore.

We talked about the moors, truly a unique landscape, and I said that despite the beautiful sunny weather and friendly chatty company there was a sadness, and a loneliness to the moors.
“Have you read the Brontes?” The sister asked me. Sure. “You probably get that feeling from them. They always wrote about the haunting lonely moors.”

I realized she was right. I don’t think it was just the Brontes but anytime any story is set in the moors it is always a little creepy and lonely. I had been influenced by literature and didn’t even realize it!

Despite being happy to be in a group there was a perfect sitting rock with a gorgeous view. Time for a break. They continued on and I just enjoyed the silence while eating an apple.

It wasn’t as peaceful as I wanted because this was still the two popular trails combined so there were twice as many people. Not that it was a lot, maybe 6 people passed me total, but compared to yesterday morning when I didn’t see a single person for the first 5 hours, it felt crowded.

I kept going, the Cleveland Way split off so it was down to just us Coast to Coasters and at this point all of us kept leap frogging each other. It was just a looooong straight path that seemed to go on forever. The scenery never changed, just the moors, so you could see hikers that were miles ahead of you (or behind.) eventually someone would take a break and I’d walk by them and later I’d take a break and they’d walk by me.

And I did take some breaks. It seemed like even if I walked slowly I would arrive by 1. Too early to check in so there was really no rush. I found another perfectly flat sitting rock and ate my sandwich. It was getting windy at this point and I had to be careful my sandwich didn’t blow away.

The wind picked up after my break and it blew so hard it tore the hat off my head and I had to chase it. Because it was a cold wind I put up the hood on my jacket and cinched it so my hat wouldn’t blow away again. My ears were covered and I couldn’t hear that well so I was taken by surprise when two people walked next to me…it was the brother and sister again!

They kept walking when I took a break and I had never passed them so how did they get BEHIND me? Turns out there was one fork in the road, miles back where the Cleveland Way split off, and they took the wrong direction and walked at least a mile before realizing. lol.

But their mistake was my benefit as we walked the last few km’s together. Me and the sister chatted while the brother kind of ran all over, finding rocks with fossils and other unique things he brought back and showed us. I later told him he had “Calvin energy” (Calvin & Hobbes) because while he was in his mid 50’s he still got excited by rocks and plants we saw on the trail. He picked wild berries and even played with a small snake we saw trying to cross the trail.

Our next inn was the most famous stop on the Coast to Coast. It’s called the Lion Inn and it’s famous for its randomness. Like, a pub shows up in the middle of nowhere almost like a mirage.

It’s extremely isolated and while locals come for food and drink they have to drive a long time to get there. I heard they only allow hikers to book the rooms and even campers stay in the yard. (Usually the campers sleep in different areas than the B&B hikers like me so I haven’t had much interaction with them. This is the first night I saw them and they are generally a much younger crowd than the group staying in B&B’s.

By the time we arrived the wind was fierce and we were covered in dust. Luckily, despite it being so early, they let us into our rooms and I took a nap.

The whole pub was super cool with stone walls and heaving wooden beams, and I had plenty of time to do more writing. I sat outside in the sheltered garden area but the wind was still quite fierce that despite sitting in the direct summer sun I was chilly and had to go inside.

For dinner I got a burger with giant onion rings and I went to bed extremely happy this day had a total turn around from the morning. I did the walk and felt strong! I definitely wasn’t sick, I was just worried this morning and it affected me. But seeing my friends again really cheered me up.

8 miles (14 km’s) in 4.5 hours. Only 2 more days to go!

So I tried to take a bus, but they weren’t running. I contacted 2 taxi companies, they had no availability. Looks like I had no other option except to hike it. But that’s what I came here for right? I survived tough days before and can do it again…right?

Right?

Then I had a terribly lapse in judgement. I left early before breakfast. Leaving early yesterday was so successful I figured why not? I should have realized yesterday I had a bag full of snacks like apples and nuts and granola bars. Today all I had was an apple, a half eaten bag of chips and a protein bar.

But I like leaving early and breakfast didn’t start for another hour so I silently snuck out of the pub and immediately started climbing up, up, up.

And up, up, up, up.

And up, up, up, up. Even when I was walking on the main road it was going up, up, up, up.

I eventually needed my hiking poles as it got steeper and rockier. I passed through a logging operation, I passed through a field of heather. Up, up, up, up.

The weird thing was despite going so slow I didn’t see any other hikers. This section was the path for two popular hiking trails in England (the Coast to Coast and Cleveland Way) but where was everyone? I could certainly use some encouragement from a friend.

But it was just me on my own going up, up, up, up. Using all my energy while walking on an empty tank. The apple and half a bag of chips did nothing. I should have waited for breakfast and ordered the packed lunch.

But I knew there was a campground with a restaurant halfway through the day, I just wasn’t sure if it would be open today. But I had faith.

So I kept going up, up, up

4 and a half hours of up with 30 minutes of a steep descent I finally arrive at the open campground. I first wanted to use the toilets (there was no good cover for an outdoor pee) and I tried the door but it was locked. There was another door open and I walked in and saw urinals. I quickly ran out! I stood, unsure what to do for a minute when a guy walked over and wanted to use the bathroom.

“Do you need a cover?” he asked. I said it looked like I might as the ladies was locked, but I told him to go first. Meanwhle a woman comes out of the ladies and she said she accidentally locked the door (How? It was a 5-6 stall bathroom with showers, so clearly not at all an individual room and there was no random hook or something that could slip and “lock” the door. You ahd to do it intentionally. But whatevs…)

So anyway, despite that guys nice offer I got to use the ladies and then went searching for the restaurant. I was dreaming of a nice sandwich with protein and carbs and sugar but when I arrived they were only selling coffee.
“Lunch starts in an hour,” they said.

I couldn’t sit there for an hour just to order and then how long to get served and eat? I was expecting maybe a 30 minute break. I still had 3 tall peaks and miles to go and didn’t want to wait 1.5 to 2 hours. They had a small shop that was open and I looked around seeing what could fill me up. It was basically snacks like chips, sweet breads like banana bread or cinnamon rolls and candy. Nothing with any nutritional value.

I found one bag of Bruschetta and they had a charcuterie style pack of meats. It seemed the best I could do so I bought those along with a sports drink and sat down outside to eat my lunch. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t filling nor satisfying. My body just needed some energy at this point and I thought that after a little digestion I would perk right up.

So I set off again.

Almost immediately there was a climb and it seemed so much harder. I took a lot of breaks and made it to the ridge I was walking on but I just couldn’t do it. It wasn’t even that tough but I just felt exhausted. The hours of uphill in the morning really wore me out. I just felt like I couldn’t go on. I was also overwhelmingly sleepy. Last night was my first night that I had restless sleep and I thought if I could just find a quiet spot under a tree to take a little snooze and let my body digest I would feel better. But I was on a narrow rocky ridge and the mountains around me were bald, so I had to keep going.

So I found a nice rock and sat looking at the view. It was gorgeous. I was on the side of a mountain and all below me was flat land I could see for miles. I could see clusters of buildings, small villages, and large tracts of farmland. In the distance I could even see some giant windmills. I also saw a family doing a little dayhike with their 7? 8? year old son. I heard them coming and the kid made me smile when he yelled out to his parents, “my pockets are really full!”

“Oh yeah?” they said. “What do you have in them?”

“Three rocks shaped like triangles.” lol.

But as I sat on the side of a mountain, looking down at the flat land stretched out before I couldn’t help but wonder…“Why can’t the Coast to Coast trail be on the flat bit instead of the mountain?” I know true hikers would call it blasphemy, but I just looked at the flat land longingly, wishing I was there.

I went back to it, putting one foot in front of the other when I saw a sign marker for a trail to “Great Broughton.” That was the destination of my B&B. I checked the map app and it looked like this steep path down the mountain did indeed bring me to the village in about an hours hiking and I wouldn’t need to deal with calling the hotel! (All the villages are miles away from the trail in the mountain but this is a popular ending spot for the day so hotels pick up guests. The only problem is you gotta call them and while I have an esim, and their number, I wasn’t sure if this remote location would have cell service, or if I could figure out the international way to call them.)

So I set off on this new trail all happy to figure out a faster way to arrive and avoiding the international call all together. But the trail went straight down, on a rocky path, and I needed my poled to make sure I didn’t slip or hurt myself.

Then suddenly I heard a “shick, shick, shick,” sound behind me. I look back and see a guy RUNNING down the mountain. He was taking tiny steps to keep control and avoid slipping but I was shocked.

“I’m impressed!” I yelled out as he kept running down getting closer. “I can barely walk down this steep path and you’re running!”

“Tough one innit?” He said as he ran right by me down the trail. “Good luck!” He yelled back.

I continues to take my slow shaky steps down this steep rocky path. After about 15 minutes I see someone coming towards me hiking up the trail and…it’s him! The same guy!

“You again?” I asked and this time he stopped for a minute to chat. Turns out he was a competitive trail runner and he had a 50 mile race in 2 weeks in the Lake District. (That’s the place I had hiked my first few days with the tall, tall mountains.)

He would need to run up those mountains so he was practicing with this one. He wanted to run up 1000 meters of elevation and apparently this trail went up 250 meters so he was doing it 4 times in a row.

As impressed with him as I was he turned out to be equally impressed with me! I told him I was doing the Coast to Coast and he said he was jealous and it was his dream to hike/run the trail.

We parted impressed with each other and I told him I’d see him soon on his way back down. He laughed and said no as I was “almost there.”

I wasn’t, I had another 30 minutes of hiking but I didn’t see him again. Despite the last km being flat I was completely done. I had so little energy I had to stop 3 minutes away from my hotel. I literally just couldn’t go on without sitting down and taking a 30 minutes break on a bench, I was so gassed.

I crawled to my hotel, which was lovely and even better that I had a ground room floor as I didn’t know if I could do stairs right now, and took a long shower followed by a serious foot care routine. For dinner I splashed out for a sirloin roast and it was absolutely amazing. My body soaked in every nutrient.

It was an absolutely miserable day that wrecked me. I don’t see how one night of sleep is going to recover my body enough to be able to hike tomorrow. So I’m already starting to plan about how I will get to my next destination tomorrow by car/bus.

I know my limit and I have reached it.

So I quietly packed up and headed out. I ran into grandpa who was also an early riser and while he couldn’t make me food he offered a bunch of snacks and fruit which I shoved into my bag for the day.

Walking at 6am was lovely. The heat wave was over but it was still gonna be a hot sunny day so I’m glad I left in the cool of the morning.

This days walk was totally unique as I walked through gorgeous fields of growing wheat!

Then I approached everyone’s biggest fear on the coast to coast: crossing the highway. You have to cross one of the major highways and the closest pedestrian bridge adds an extra 5 miles which no one wants to do, so everyone dashes across like Frogger.

I remember hikers talking about it way back in the beginning as their biggest worry of the hike, and I could hear the highway about a mile away so I was getting nervous too.

And then I arrived and laughed. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I live in China! I cross a busy 6 land road everyday at work and this little British highway was only 4 lanes with a median in the middle so I only had to cross two lanes at a time?! Easy peasy.

There was also a highway rest stop with a big gas station shop so I got myself an Icee before very easily crossing the “dreaded” highway.

After that all I had to worry about was climbing up one steep mountain. Sounds tiring but not scary…until I saw my trail. It was marked “private property: no public way” all over the entrance.

Only problem was it was where the map was telling me to go. And I don’t know any other way to go besides what the map says so despite all the warning signs I continued on figuring one lone walker wouldn’t be discovered in this giant wooded farmland.

Until I saw 2 farmers walking towards me, tough guys with sunglasses, two big dogs and they were carrying sticks which my American eyes first mistook for shotguns.

Gulp.

“You know you’re walking the wrong way,” said the older farmer.
“I know, I’m sorry but this is the way the app is telling me to go,” I said, holding out my phone.
“Which app is that?” He asked and I told him.

“They used to send people this way because the official route was always flooded but last year they made a new route which goes around the farm, but people still come this way,” he said.

I apologized again and asked if I could keep going. (I was halfway up the mountain and didn’t want to walk down to the trail and then have to climb up it again.)
“I’ll walk quick and won’t bother anything,” I said.

“Sure, no problem,” he said walking away as I thanked him. Phew.

So I huffed and puffed up the mountain and then went over it and separated from the official coast to coast trail to get to the village where I was sleeping.

Since I left so early I arrived before check-in (I was sleeping at a pub) and I went to a cafe for a sandwich and then just sat outside for a bit.

At dinner the pub had real candles and it felt very old tyme cool sitting there and writing in my diary with candlelight. But I was off the trail and didn’t see a single person I knew so it made me feel a little lonely…

It was a 19km day with an elevation of 300 meters.

It was the third, and hottest day of the heatwave so I did everything I could to prepare. I asked the owners to put a bottle of water in the freezer so it would be ice today. I also wore my wide-brimmed sun hat instead of a baseball cap, and attached a small travel towel to my shoulder strap so I could wipe the sweat off my face.

It was a relatively easy day today, 23kms of straight, flat walking, but I knew the heat would make it more of a challenge.

And it was a fine day. Really no problems. They had another “honesty shop” at a church (with toilets and a kitchen) which I stopped by, but basically it was just a hot sweaty walk…until the last few miles.

Why is it always the last few miles?

You see, the trail goes through active farmers fields and I had been spending day after day with the sheep. But the sheep had petered off a bit and now there were other animals. Like horses.

I’ve been in fields with horses before and it was fine, they ignored me and had plenty of space to roam, but this was a teeny tiny little backyard corral and the horse was right in the middle of the path.

It seemed friendly and I murmured what a pretty horsey it was and walked past it slowly to the gate. I went to open the gate when I heard a weird whooshing sound and felt a push on my shoulder. I turned my head and almost had a heart attack because the horse had put its head on my shoulder!

It was totally friendly and probably just wanted attention but I’m not at all familiar with horses and those things are HUGE up close. I kinda froze, nudged opened the gate slowly and slipped through.

There was an empty corral and then another one with a horse in it that approached me as I opened the gate and I hesitated before going in. Luckily this one just wanted to sniff me and then ignored me

I exited into an overgrown path filled with bramble. There were thorns so tough that I could feel them jabbing in my legs, but it was so overgrown I just had to plow through it as fast as I could and would asses the damage after.

Then I was immediately poured out into a cow field filled with many cows…including a bull. I don’t mind docile friendly females but bulls have anger issues. And are known to charge at people for no reason.

Also the farmers put the water tanks right in front of the exit gate and it was a hot thirsty day so that all the cows were gathered right where I had to walk…including the bull.

They stared at me as I got closer. My heart was still pounding from the horses and the bramble and I had to get the (ginormous) ladies to stand up and move away from the gate without spooking them and start them running. I didn’t want to get trampled. Luckily they seemed to be pros at dealing with hikers and they moved without incident and I finally entered an animal free field.

It was time to asses the damage. My legs still felt like they were being poked by little knives and I ended up having to hide behind a tree to pull down my pants and see what was going on. The thorns were so tough some were stuck in my leg and had drawn blood! So I wiped down my legs, pulled up my pants and continued.

At this point I was just done. I was soaked with sweat, stabbed by thorns, bleeding, and just totally over nature, animals and anything outdoors.

I got to the next village but it is also a one pub town and the pub wasn’t open yet. They had a small village green next to the pub and I just crashed under a tree to cool down a bit. There was a campground with a honestly shop so I walked over to it and they had ice cream!! And tables under the shade!! I hadn’t even eaten my lunch yet so after the ice cream and a cold sports drink I ate my sandwich and just relaxed.

I ended up talking to a German father and daughter who were also doing the trail. I was making new friends.

I didn’t see anyone at my B&B but the pub at dinner was filled with hikers including the Germans, the brother sister from my early days and a couple that I had passed earlier in the day as they were eating lunch. For dinner I had sausages and mashed potatoes. First I wrote in my journal as I ate and then one of the hikers joined me for a bit.

While the walk was easy today I just felt so drained from the heat and the sweating I again fell asleep at a ridiculously early hour. The sun sets late in England, after 10pm, and everyday I am falling asleep while it’s still light out. I had wanted to enjoy some beautiful starry nights, as I was far away from cities and guessed there was some good night skies in this part of the country, but I never made it that late.

23 more kilometers done!

But today?! Bring all the food I can shove into my mouth!

I might as well mention my nutrition routine here while I’m at it because I’ve been pretty strict with it and I think it’s helped me a lot. I’m a 50 year old lady and have all the associated leg problems that comes with that: varicose veins, restless legs, and frequent cramps in both my calves and feet.

So first thing when I wake up I drink a cup of protein powder and water. Then I have breakfast and after eat a chewable magnesium tablet. About 3 kms from my destination I add electrolyte powder to my water and make sure to drink it all. When I arrive I take my iron pills and after dinner, right before bed, I take creatine.

This little routine has been golden and I haven’t had one single cramp either while I’m walking or at night. I should keep this up when I get back home cause normally I’m Crampy McCramp Cramp.

I was so grateful that today, the second day of a 3 day heatwave, I didn’t have to do much. I felt really bad for the two women I walked with the day before as they were doing a 23 mile day in the heat!

After breakfast and some lying around I grabbed my diary and went out to the center of the village. I found a place called Mocha which was a chocolate cafe…Yes please!

I got a rich gooey “chocolate shot” and a chocolate milkshake. Sure it was a million calories and grams of sugar at 10am but I walked over 100 miles dammit! I deserve it!

After writing all the exciting events in my diary for an hour I headed back out. The B&B owner suggested I take a tour of the town’s historical theatre, one of the oldest in the country. They had tours every hour but I had just missed the previous one so I walked around the little streets and who should I see but the brother and sister pair! They were also taking a rest day and they were joined by the sister’s husband and two grown children. The family would be walking with them for the next 2 days.

I wasn’t alone after all and there would still be some friendly familiar faces on the trail! It might sound weird as they were strangers a week ago, but it made me very happy.

I went to the theater and was the only one who signed up for the noon tour. It was quite funny because everyone in the theater asked me if I was a “Coast to Coaster.”
“How does everyone know?” I finally asked.
“We only get Coast to Coasters on a weekday afternoon. Everyone else is busy.”

The theatre tour was interesting and after I got a yummy panini sandwich. It was late afternoon by this point so I got a one of the variety puzzle books (yes the old lady ones-don’t laugh) and went back to my B&B where I just zoned out on puzzles and YouTube for a few hours.

For dinner I went out to a nearby Italian place and then I had to deal with my luggage. You see, there is a Sherpa company that brings my luggage to the next B&B so all I have to carry while hiking is a day bag. As a result, I packed my bag full with everything I could possibly need. This is my first hike after all and I had no idea what to bring so I brought it all.

I have 3 pairs of shoes (boots, trail runners and slip ons for evenings at pubs and restaurants), two hats (baseball cap and sun hat) 6 pairs of specialty hiking socks, 5 pairs of pants, one pair of waterproof pants, 3 outer garments including a hoodie, my waterproof jacket and a down jacket in case it gets real cold, two water bottles (one that filters river water to make it drinkable the other a thermos to keep drinks hot or cold), hiking poles, toiletries and lots of undies and shirts. And all my various medicines and powders and whatnot.

I’m usually a minimalist, I never use luggage, only a backpack when I travel, and I was getting tired of dealing with it everyday. So I used this as an opportunity to clean out some things I hadn’t used (like my waterproof pants) and reorganize everything. It took me awhile but I feel a little more streamlined.

And now it’s bedtime! Where did the day go?

One-it was the first day of three day heatwave coming in that all the hikers were talking about.

And two-it was a hike to a place called Richmond which was the biggest village on the walk and the destination of my planned rest day! I would have two whole nights in the same B&B without the need to pack up my bag and a whole day to do noooothinnngg.

All I had to do was get through today.

Today’s hike wasn’t so bad. 11.5 miles (18km) with only one 350 meter climb. I was feeling quite optimistic when I set off after breakfast. The path was fantastic! I was still walking along the River Swale and there was plenty of trees and cool air and just general cheeriness to make me walk with a bounce in my step. It might be a hot day later, but walking under the shade of the trees was so pleasant.

After a few kilometers I heard my name called and looked behind me. It was Anna, the younger woman who waved to me at breakfast 2 days ago. We walked together and caught up on our past several days of hiking. (I confessed I took a cab yesterday and she said it was probably for the best as the 4 mile uphill climb wasn’t fun and she knows how slow I am up hills.)

Before long another woman caught up to us, a Belgium I had talked to briefly at breakfast 2 days ago. So the three of us teamed up and soon we caught up with Hanna, the older woman from day one, who clearly wanted to be left alone. After a quick catch-up she told us to go first but then we took the wrong path and she sped ahead of us wanting to get away from our constant chattering. But then we caught up to her, along with another group of two who were locals walking with their dog, and you could tell she was annoyed (she really wanted to be by herself) so we took a water break under some shade and she went on.

The walk was still quite gorgeous, going through fields and crossing wide open spaces, but it was a heat wave day and it was getting later and hotter. The thing with crossing open fields is no trees to shade you and I began feeling the burn. These two women I was with were strong hikers, both has started a day or two after me and had done some long days to catch up. They clearly slowing their pace for me on the uphills. At one point we had a big climb out of a valley and I told them that I would fall behind and “Please, just go on without me.”

I did fall behind, very quickly, and I saw them reach the top and then stand there waiting for me. I felt super guilty but I couldn’t go faster. You see, I have these health issues and my muscles can’t get the oxygen they need to I literally can’t go faster and need to stop to catch my breath a lot more. And with the heat my heart rate was already higher than normal so I had to stop even more despite my growing muscle strength.

At one point when I was catching my breath I looked up at the top of the ascent and saw they were gone. I was sad because they were good company and distracting me from the heat, but also happy that I wasn’t burdening them anymore.

I continued at my slow pace and finally reached the top only to see both of them sitting down taking a break! “Awww, you guys didn’t have to wait for me,” I said. “Of course we did! We’re not leaving you behind!” Honestly I was touched because at this point I was so overheated I became sluggish. I had plenty of water but my bottles were literally hot to the touch and drinking hot water was not helping me at all, but their company did!

At one point we passed by Hanna taking her lunch break in the shade. I asked why she didn’t leave at 5am today like she has been doing recently and she said it was because she wanted to eat breakfast. (Breakfast is usually served between 7:30-8:30 so leaving early means you need to eat your own snacks and I think she had run out and there was no store in the past 2 villages to stock up.)

She was not taking a rest day in Richmond so I knew I wouldn’t see her again. In fact, out of all the people that had started the same day as me, the people who had become my “gang,” I seemed to be the only one taking a rest day. Today was the day I would lose all my hiking pals.

If I wasn’t so hot I would be sadder but all I wanted to do was get to Richmond for an icy drink. The two women kept up a manageable, but slightly quicker pace than I would have done on my own and rested a lot less than I would have. At one point I looked longingly at the two local women walking their dog sitting peacefully under a giant oak tree. Byt my friends were ahead of me, plowing on, and I was actually grateful because even though I was exerting more energy it was better for me to get indoors with air conditioning. I know left on my own I would have taken many, many more breaks and walked a lot slower.

The last few miles were tough but the two ladies carried me through with chatting and company and I was deeply grateful. One was an engineering professor at Oxford and Harvard and the other was a social worker helping people in England. Very impressive people.

We finally arrive in the outskirts of the city and it felt weird going from these very quiet villages to a bustling town! Richmond is the biggest town on the trail with a population of over 20,000. Meanwhile I was passing through villages with 100-500 residents so being in a place with a gas station, several main roads and trucks rumbling through was a slight shock to the system.

The other ladies and I were all staying at different places, and they were both continuing on tomorrow, so I knew I would never see them again and we had to say goodbye. I was sad to see Anna go but I thanked her for her company, and encouragement, the days we hiked together. She really helped me through two tough days and I won’t forget it.

Richmond was like all the previous villages but on steroids. It was still all stone houses and churches but a LOT more of them
with a very vibrant city center filled with shops and restaurants. I even found a Costa Coffee where I got a large ice tea with extra ice and had a good sit in a/c. Despite the a/c we had arrived early and I had an hour to kill before going to my next B&B.

My B&B was again run by an older couple and was adorable. hey had award winning breakfasts I was looking forward to enjoying tomorrow and even better they had a laundry service that I immediately took advantage of. Clean clothes! And my room for the next 2 nights was large, comfy and clean with a jar of cookies!

After I arrived, showered and relaxed for a bit I just really crashed. I was sunburnt despite using a ton of sunscreen, had a headache and just generally felt quite weak and cranky. I just wanted to crawl into bed but I knew I needed food for my body to recover. Tired of all the “pub grub” I had been eating recently I found a Thai place nearby. I asked for so many refills of water the waitress just eventually gave me a full pitcher with ice, lol.

My fitness watch decided it was too hot to keep track of my mileage but it was about 20km in around 6 hours. Those women kept a quick pace and I think this was my fastest day yet, despite the heat.

But even though I felt so tired and weak I knew I had nothing to do the next day so I wasn’t worried at all. I have been waiting this whole trip for my Richmond rest day and I was proud I had actually made it.

For breakfast I had “eggs and soldiers” a British dish where they cut your toast up into strips and you dip it into the yolk of a soft boiled egg. Very cute.

I left before everyone else and the day was just perfect. I was alone and walking so quietly that I kept surprising bunnies every time the trail turned a corner. They would run away but I saw so many of these cuties. (It also just so happens that I’m reading Watership Down so I feel a special kinship with them, lol.)

The first part of the day was along the river Swale and it was so easy I took my mind off the trail and lifted my head to look around and dream. And then my foot fell into a rabbit hole and I almost broke my ankle. Another lesson learned about never taking my mind or eyes off the trail.

I took my mid morning apple break by the river sitting under a giant oak tree. I was so comfy I even fell asleep for a few minutes. I kept expecting someone to walk by because I was the first to leave but I would go the whole day without seeing another hiker. True solitude.

The easy beginning was just a warm up for the steep climb ahead. It wasn’t technically difficult but I went from the bottom of a valley to over a mountain in about 1.5 km so it was tiring.

Each step I went higher the wind got stronger till I was practically being picked up. The other day with Anna she made us thank the wind for pushing our backs and making us walk faster and I made sure to do it again. The Coast to Coast walk goes across the country from west to east specifically so you have the wind at your back and don’t have to fight against it.

I huffed and puffed my way over the small mountain then had miles and miles of cross country trekking to get to the next village of Reeth. I find that I enjoy the first 10-12kms and then I lose steam and kind of plod through the rest of the day. After the mountain it was plodding time. I may or may not have belted out show tunes to keep myself entertained.

Luckily Reeth had an ice cream shop which was my first stop when I arrived. Nom, nom, nom. I was staying at a historic pub called the Black Bull where I ran into the Americans again. After dinner we took a little spin around the village green and chatted and laughed (they were quite funny) for quite awhile before it got cold and windy and we headed in. You’d think I’d be eager to go inside after hours of outdoor hiking but I find that I’m preferring the fresh air and outdoors. Today is their last day of hiking so another trail goodbye.

Today’s hike was 22km which took me seven hours. If I didn’t have that mountain it would be my fastest day yet! I’ve def noticed an increase in my fitness and stamina. About time!

I had slept well. With all the walking everyday sleeping is not a problem, but I feel worn out and tired. Today’s hike is a 12 mile (19km) hike with the first 4 miles a continuous uphill slog to a place called “the nine standards” (which are these old cairns that kinda look like giant people from far away)

Even worse, to protect the natural landscape (which is extremely boggy), they laid out miles of flat stones to hike on to stop erosion. Good idea for the environment but bad idea for your feet. And while it was a 19km hike, the next village, I realized, was actually only about 7kms away by car…

So…

I booked a taxi for the afternoon. Call me a cheater but I need this.

Since I wasn’t in a rush anymore I spent the morning wandering around Kirby Stevens. It was dead the night before but on a sunny Monday it was lively and vibrant with a lot of cute cafes and art shops. I went to one specialty cafe to write some more and I got a vegan cheese platter that was absolutely delicious. Vegan cheese! Who knew?

Then I took the taxi which, despite being so close “as the crow flies” turned out to be a 25 minute puke inducing ride in a narrow twisty road that went up and down hills. The driver, from Pakistan, told me that while he enjoyed living there, the winters were miserable and quiet with very few customers. He said only during the summer months when hikers and sightseers came was it a vibrant place and he was probably going to move after this hiking season. I realized I had been seeing each village at the most picturesque and bustling time which was probably giving me a very optimistic view of life there.

This next village, Keld, is super tiny with just a few old stone buildings turned into B&B’s and cafes for hikers and day visitors. I ran into Hanna (the older woman from day one) who I hadn’t seen in a few days despite knowing we were at some of the same B&B’s. I asked her why and it turned out she’s been leaving around 5am everyday just to get an early start and a chance to walk in quiet solitude.

We check in, it’s still early, so I go to the cafe next door for some tea and writing time. As I walk up I’m met by the owner standing out front who told me the cafe was closed but I could go around to the side garden and order what I wanted there. There were several people in the side garden, including my pals the Norwegians and some day trippers, and despite bringing my journal I got no writing done again as I was chatting with others.

It turned out the reason why the cafe was closed was a large woman tripped and fell while entering and couldn’t get up on her own. They had all tried to help her get up but her knees were so bad she was crying in pain and so they called the fire department and police to get experts to help her. To save her dignity they weren’t allowing people in the cafe to gawk at her and so we had our cream teas in the side garden.

It was an unfortunate incident and honestly a cautionary tale as, with my health condition and natural body structure, that could easily be me. It reminded me that although I sometimes dislike trying to stay active, (I’m naturally a sitter and I haaaattttee sweating) it’s a necessary part of aging gracefully. As I enter my second half century I really need to force myself to stay physically active as much as my health issues allow even though I kinda really do hate it, if I’m being honest.

That night at dinner I saw some familiar faces and I heard for the first time the flat tones of an American accent from some people I hadn’t met yet. So I went over and said hi. They were doing the James Harriot walk (the author of All Creatures Great and Small) and for 2 days it had a similar route with the Coast to Coast trail. They were friendly and we were all going to the same village tomorrow so I’d probably see them again.

So I didn’t do a lot of hiking yet it was still quite a full day. Somehow I seem to have a full social calendar despite not knowing any of these people just a week before.