Final Stretch to North Sea

Twenty miles of walking before our hats float on the North Sea. And the geography is still surprisingly varied. Traveled next to the River Esk passing through the quaint old village of Grosmont with its steam train ready to take passengers to seaside Whitby. Climbed back up to the moorland eventually losing the faint trail amongst vacant grouse- shooting blinds. After pulling out the map and compass we figured out where to go directionally but a kind sheep farmer in his Land Rover also saw us and came over to point out the exact trail, almost impossible to see in the heather. Traversed down to Little Beck where the trusty sausage sandwiches were pulled out only to be joined nearby by about ten other hikers, like the lunch bell rang or something. Back to a riverside trail eventually coming to the most beautiful waterfall in a wooded grove, straight out of a fairy tail. The water dropped straight down from an overhang some thirty feet into a dark pool. Climbed from the woods back to pastureland and eventually reached our farm for the night, just four miles short of Robin Hood's Bay. The final walk this morning was a hop, skip and a jump. No wind and calm sea made for a pleasant stroll down the coastal trail above the cliffs. Remembered the 40+mph winds at the start of the walk which blew us into the Lake District, and the full breadth of the Coast-to-Coast walk began to sink in. In no time we were at Robin Hood's Bay dipping boots in the water, and ceremoniously tossing the rock picked up in the Irish Sea at the start into the North Sea. The most famous ceremony of all were the pints at Wainwright's bar, steps from the sea. Alfred Wainwright("AW") was afterall the inventor of the Walk, piecing together many trails into one contiguous 190-mile journey right through the heart of the English countryside. Thank you, AW!