Postscript

Would I recommend doing the C2C? 

• Yes, if you want to spend two weeks of your life doing nothing else but walking, thinking, eating and sleeping.

How many days does it take? 

• We took 15 days and had plenty of time to do some sightseeing on the way. Most people seem to do it in 11 days but look exhausted at the end. If the weather had been bad I guess they'd have looked worse!

Day 15 Glaisdale to Robin Hoods Bay

Weather: Sunny; Steps: 50,710 Distance: 23 miles; Time: 9h; Calories out: 1546; Blisters: nil

Our final day, and as I write this I can't believe it's all over. It was our longest day but a wonderful walk. I found several properties in Glaisdale that I would like to have bought. We walked through more lovely villages and on to the moors for the final time.

We timed our arrival at Grosmont perfectly, just in time to see the steam train, the Sir Nigel Gresley, leave the station along the North York Moors Railway. Spent some time there taking photos and buying train souvenirs for Oliver.

My thoughts today were mostly on geology. I need to come up with a project for my next module and it occurred to me I could research a geological guide to the C2C. I couldn't find one when I planned the walk so there seems to be a gap in the market. Today we passed through Littlebeck which had many alum mines, which was used in the dyeing industry.

The walk through Littlebeck woods up to the waterfall, Falling Foss, was busy, as might be expected for a bank holiday Sunday, but delightful. But one downside of two weeks without rain is that the waterfalls are just a trickle.

We had some great views over Whitby before reaching the coastline to walk down to Robin Hood's Bay. Our friends, Anne and John, who saw us off at St Bees were there to see us complete our walk, along with their friends Ron and Stacy. It was so kind of them and they'd done us a barrier and flag which they gave to us as we reached the sea, down in the bay. It made me feel really special. Ian threw in the pebble which I'd carried all the way from St Bees.

After a quick shower at our B&B we joined them all for a great celebratory meal at the Victoria Hotel; the perfect end to a perfect day, at the end of a perfect two weeks.

Day 14 Great Broughton to Glaisdale

Weather:Sunny/windy; Steps: 39,441 Distance: 20 miles; Time: 8h 30m; Calories out: 1209; Blisters: nil

Solid blue skies today, though very windy so although still in shorts needed my anorak for most of the day. Today was the longest walk so far, but also the flattest. After a short steep climb up we were back on the moors all day, for a long time following an old railway track. Then in the middle of no there was the Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge and had a cooked lunch. Then back to more moors walking. It got a bit boring after a while. But there were two highlights. The first was 'Fat Betty', a stone waymark where tradition says you must leave a food offering in exchange for taking something left by a previous visitor. I left a Werthers orginal and took a rather well travelled tangerine. The second highlight was coming across an adder sunning itself by the path. Thankfully the adder slithered away when he saw me, though I did manage to get a couple of photos.

We're staying on a farm, run by an elderly lady and everything here dates back to the thirties or forties! I don't think I'll ask if she has wifi! So this penultimate C2C blog will be a day late.