Grosmont is the home of the North York Moors steam railway,
so there is a lot of railroad memorabilia around here, including what is
thought to be the first railway tunnel in the world. How many opportunities
does one get to walk through the world’s oldest railway tunnel? Life just
doesn’t get any better than this.
A long, steep climb out of Grosmont leads to the top of
Sleights Moor, providing sweeping views of the North Sea. Far to the horizon,
near Middlesbrough, is a distinctive hill shaped like a shark fin, with the
unlikely name of Roseberry Topping. I’ll try to climb it next week. But today,
on the moorland all around me, the heather is starting to bloom. I suppose that
Trevor Swales is moving his bees up to the moor about now.
While I moseyed along at my typical daydream pace, Andrew
caught up with me, and we walked together most of the day. Near Littlebeck in
1790, George Chubb hollowed out a large sandstone boulder. He even carved a
bench along the interior perimeter. It’s not clear if he actually made the rock
his home, but it isn’t hard to imagine what his wife may have thought of his
little project. He probably would have been better off to have walked the
oldest railway tunnel.
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| Andrew at the Hermitage |
The traditional Coast to Coast route approaches Robin Hood’s
Bay from the northeast by a four-mile loop along scenic bluffs above the sea.
Because I’ll be walking those bluffs tomorrow to Whitby, I took a more direct
path through the Greystone Hills. My path was well-marked on the
map, but not on the ground. After several frustrating attempts to find the proper
route, I finally rejoined the Coast to Coast path Andrew was following, but he
was long past by then. I did meet Robin (not the same Robin previously referred
to in my postings) at the junction and he and I followed the Coast to Coast
track until I found another way to achieve the route I had been seeking. I may have saved a mile of walking, but
probably didn’t save any time.
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| Path disappears |
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| Robin No. 2 |
Robin Hood’s Bay is an old fishing village that has a
reputation for harboring smugglers who moved their untaxed goods through a maze
of narrow alleys. Today it is a tourist town, harboring walkers who can’t
navigate the passageways any better than I can navigate the moors.
Later, while trying to navigate to the bar, I stumbled into
the dining room where I met the Ullswater Steamer group who had successfully
completed their Coast to Coast walk.
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| Dennis, Lynne, Lost-a-lot, Sara and Dave |
Andrew, Paul, Robin 1, Normand, Marie-Helene and I filled
the evening with funny stories over dinner. When I completed my first Coast to
Coast walk (actually my only Coast to Coast walk, since I joined this one at
Grasmere) there was nobody with whom to celebrate. Andrew had the same
experience when completing his first Coast to Coast two years ago. An end-of-the-walk
party is a much more fitting conclusion, even for those who may not have walked
through the oldest railway tunnel.
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| Paul, Normand, Marie-Helene, Lost-a-lot, Andrew and Robin No. 1 |
