Day 9, Wednesday, June 12th, Ravenstonedale
I am struggling a bit to write and post a journal entry every day. There are three reasons: fatigue, time and poor internet availability. The lack of or poor internet availability is the prime reason. If there is wireless in the hotel/pub where we are staying, the router lacks the power to cover the whole building, or the time it takes to upload even the smallest image file size makes which makes it impractical to upload a post. I suspect that even the broadband service for these communities has slow upload speeds. You can see that because almost no one is looking at their phone, like in more urban areas here and everywhere at home.
No matter how much you prepare and how carefully you pack, you will always experience challenges and inconveniences during the first part of a walk like this. The weather is often precisely the opposite of what you packed for. The challenges of the terrain and trail conditions can be unexpected despite your careful research. I could prattle on check-in times, limited food options, etc. Then, at some point, you start to understand that you cannot let these challenges and inconveniences spoil the experience of the walk, and today, we have started to feel that acceptance and are getting in the groove.
On Tuesday the 10th, we left the Lake District National Park and moved into the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Instead of struggling to climb and descend unexpected mountainous terrain, we walked over gently rolling hills. One of the joys of a long walk is experiencing a meditative state, where each step is like the tick of a metronome—tick, tick, tick. That is what we experienced yesterday, and we hope to experience more as we continue this walk.
We were both looking forward to getting into the Dales for relief from the struggles with the terrain and to explore the location where the books and television programs All Creatures Great and Small take place. It was so beautiful and serene, all we could have asked for. The walk from Shap to Orton was just two days ago, and many of the details have become lost in the foggy memory due to the fatigue I am experiencing. We started with some signs that there would be breaks in the overcast, and when it happened, there was a bright ball of fire in the sky, so bright you could not look at it. It took a few minutes before we remembered that it was the sun! Just kidding, of course, but it had been so long since we had any sunlight.
The walk relatively short, just under eight miles, and without significant climbs or descents. My legs still feel a little leaden each morning, and my old knees complain on anything resembling a descent. My feet are starting to show the wear and tear you will surely experience on a walk of this length.
Orton, were we were stayingwas a small but more affluent community than Shap, and there is a highly rated chocolate store there. We both had a couple of pieces of chocolate—dark chocolate with ginger for Therese and dark chocolate and caramel for me—and they were outstanding! The hotel has been in business for over a hundred years. It was nice, but showed some wear an tear. The dinner was good, but not great, but the breakfast was outstanding. They even had a coffee machine that could make a latte—not first class, but a welcome relief from the regular coffee. The coffee service in each room everywhere we have stayed has been limited to Nescafé powder. We brought coffee from the US and make it each morning in the room before heading down to breakfast.
Yesterday's walk was a little over nine miles and quite enjoyable. I hope the one landscape image I have included hints at how beautiful this area is. The city that was supposed to be the end of the walk was all booked up by the time the tour company set up our itinerary, so we were booked in a town about three miles back. The original walk would have been 12.7 miles, and it was another three miles down another road to Ravenstonedale, where we were booked at the King’s Head pub and hotel. So we carefully studied the map and thankfully. found a footpath the would cut out the walk to Kirkby Stephen were tommow’s walk started. Therese had carefully studied the itinerary and maps, we relived to shorten the walk.
On the walk, out in the middle of nowhere, we met a woman riding a beautiful white horse. She stopped and asked if we were walking the Coast to Coast and where we would spend the night. We told her about Ravenstonedale, and she told us there were two excellent pubs in the village. I still wonder if she wasn't a mirage or a waking dream.
Ravensdale is probably the most gentrified and affluent of the small villages we have visited. The Kings Head has been wonderfully restored and has all the amenities of what a modern hotel would have except for usable internet service. I am composing this entry on the stairs close to the main dining room, which is still locked, but the wireless connection is usable. We will get a taxi up to Kirkby Stephen, the designated start for the walk. The planned walk is just over twelve miles; walking from here would add three miles. Fifteen miles is more than we would like or be capable of doing. It's time to see if I can upload this entry; I have prattled on too long.
Link to photos for the past couple of days, you will need to copy it and paste it in your browser address window:
https://www.reedpikephotography.com/coast-to-coast-photos/day-9