Saturday 18th April 1998

Return to Clay Bank Top and follow clear paths over Urra Moor and along route of the old Rosedale railway. This is left for a track to the Lion Inn at Blakey. A road walk follows from where a path to Trough House is joined. There is then another short road walk from where you pick up a track across Glaisdale Rigg into the village.

Route: Gt.Broughton to Glaisdale via Urra Moor,Blakey Glaisdale Rigg

Distance: 20.75 Miles

Difficulty: Moderate due mainly to the length but long on clear,level tracks over the moors. Some road walking.

Facilities: Good: There are guesthouses in the village and a couple of pubs. I stayed in the Arncliffe Arms which was very welcoming and served good food. The Anglers Rest Inn also does camping.

Day 11

The penultimate day began with an offer of a lift by the lady running the guesthouse back to Clay Bank Top. I thanked her but declined which she did not understand. She pointed out that the two miles back up the hill was not a part of the route, which I did not agree with. As Wainwright himself pointed out, the Coast to Coast is not a defined route but a concept. As far as I was concerned I had started the walk in St.Bees and the walk finished at Robin Hoods Bay. The gap in between was the CTC as far as I was concerned, the exact route being immaterial. To get into a car now would have seemed like a betrayal. As I left the village and started the walk back up to Clay Bank Top I could see that the hilltops were shrouded in mist which did not promise a much better day than yesterday but at least it was dry. As I reached the summit of the hill and turned left onto the moors I was shrouded in mist with virtually no visibility. My spirits sank as I imagined myself walking all day alone and blind across such a beautiful area. I stopped for a moment to add an extra layer of clothing as the mist had caused a drop in the temperature. Turning, I found my actions being observed by half a dozen sheep that had mysteriously appeared out of the mist, presumably to investigate the noisy intrusion into their territory. As I continued on my way a large rent appeared in the mist to my right which temporarily gave me superb views into a beautiful green valley. No sooner had this wonderful vision appeared than it was torn away from me again leaving me alone and sightless once more as I plodded into the silent gloom. Just as I had resigned myself to what effectively would have been a lost day on the CTC another hole appeared in mist, and although this too soon closed up, the holes began appearing regularly. Every few minutes I would be taunted with a glimpse of what I was missing before it was snatched away from me. This became frustrating but at the same time raised my spirits as at least now I was seeing something of my surroundings. This process went on for some time until I suddenly found myself in clear sunshine. It was hard to believe that the conditions had changed so quickly and I turned to see that I had just emerged from a wall of mist which I had now left hanging behind me like a curtain. (Pictured:Glaisdale Rigg)

My spirits now went through the roof and I marched along in the sunshine to Bloworth Crossing where I joined a track, the only reminder of the old Rosedale railway line. I was now really enjoying myself as wonderful views into Farndale opened up and I made excellent time across the moors before turning off on a track to Blakey. The Lion Inn appeared ahead but it was too early to stop and I marched along the road passing various relics from the past in the form of peculiar stone monuments.  Leaving the road I turned onto a slippery track past Trough House, an old stone shooting hut to another road which I followed for a short spell to a cart track along Glaisdale Rigg. I now had superb views into Gt.Fryup Dale and Glaisdale where I could see the village nestling far below. The rest of the walk along Glaisdale Rigg was a delight and I soaked up the views as I strolled in the sunshine eventually arriving at the village where I soon located the pub. Here, I checked in and ordered a beer. Sitting outside the pub enjoying the drink and the sunshine, I saw a figure with a large rucksack running up the road towards me, it was Rod. He ordered a drink and joined me outside. I asked him why he had been running and he told me he had set himself a time limit and running the last mile or so was the only way of achieving his target. I told him he was mad and as we sat chatting my partner and lift home Ann, turned up. It was good to see her again after saying goodbye so long ago in St.Bees. The three of us enjoyed a drink together before returning to our rooms to clean up. We returned to the bar in the evening where we had a lively night with good food, live music, televised sport, and a jukebox. It was a bit of a shock to the system after so many quiet days and nights spent alone. Tomorrow was the last day of the walk; I would have to get used to it again.