Distance: 8 miles
The first order of the day was to lighten Leslie’s pack. She had been talked into quite a bit of extra gear and her feet and knees were paying the price. She threw out some of it, and I took in my pack a portion of her remaining gear.
After breakfast, Judith gave us a tour around the farm which included visiting small, adorable, orphaned lambs. Then, as we left, she pointed to a shortcut back to the C2C path across her fields and bid us good-bye. The only problem with this shortcut was that we had to walk through another farmyard. In the UK, this is ok as long as you are on a public footpath, and many such trails pass through private areas. Unfortunately, this farm had a territorial dog on the lookout for intruders. He chased and bit me, but with no consequences as the poor dog had no teeth! With the adrenaline rush from the “attack” I was ready to climb the highest hill!
After a walk across Sleights Moor, we began the road’s steep descent into Grosmont. Unfortunately, adrenaline rush events for the day were not over for me. On the side of this road was my second “lucky” viewing of an adder. Leslie, who has a pet snake at home in Montana, was not bothered by this sighting, but it took me a bit to calm down from the encounter.
As we arrived in Grosmont, a steam train was pulling into the station amid clouds of steam and whistleblowing. The vintage train station and the steaming, heaving locomotive made quite a picturesque sight. In the 19th century, the burgeoning ironstone mining industry in the area benefitted from the new railroads. Now the railroad is a tourist attraction and has been used for well-known films, including “Harry Potter”.
The remainder of this day’s walk would be through the lush Esk Valley. White, wild garlic was in full bloom and gave off a garlic fragrance as we walked through the woods.
The lovely, green Esk Valley provided a relaxing walk through the countryside.
Nearing Glaisdale, we entered East Arncliffe Wood, a beautiful forest full of bluebells and wild garlic.
The River Esk was a constant companion along the wooded path.
As we entered Glaisdale, our first view was of the attractive, arched Beggar’s Bridge. This bridge was built by Thomas Ferris in 1619 who, as a young man, needed to make his fortune to gain favor in the eyes of his beloved’s father. As he set out to earn this fortune, he was unable to bid her a last farewell since a flooded river prevented him from crossing to her home. Upon his later return as a man of means, he married the girl and erected the bridge so that no lovers would have to be separated in a similar fashion.
Our B&B for this evening, Red House Farm, was about a half of a mile up the hill from Glaisdale. Arriving, we were fascinated by the beauty and charm of this meticulously restored farm. The gardens, cobblestone farmyard, chickens, flowers, farm animals, stable and a lovely 18th-century home were perfectly groomed in every detail.
Our host, Sandra, prepared tea and cake for us as we relaxed in her conservatory.
We walked back down into Glaisdale to have dinner at the Arncliffe Arms. The chef/owner very graciously offered to give us a ride back to Red House Farm.
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