Coast to Coast Glaisdale to Robin Hoods Bay

Glaisdale to Robin Hoods Bay 19 Miles

Day fourteen, the last day, starts with a wholesome farmhouse breakfast after a good nights sleep. Over breakfast we chat to the farmer about the weather and we all agree that it has been rather wet for the time of year. It’s a dairy farm and the farmer tells us that ‘even the cows are miserable’. This makes me wonder how you can tell a miserable looking cow from a normal looking cow but I guess I’m not with these cows every day for months and years.

The weather for our final day is dry and we leave Hart Hall Farm in high spirits. I like long distance, multi day walking, it gives you a feel for the landscape around you, the sights, sounds, smells and history of the land that you are walking through. It relaxes you and condenses life into the simple routine of walking, eating, sleeping and repeating. It gets you away from your normal every day life and I can’t think of anything I would rather do as a hobby.

Just past Glaisdale railway station we come to Beggers bridge, built in 1619 by Tom Ferris, a local man come good who apparently made his fortune looting Spanish Galleons. The trail heads upwards through East Arnecliff Wood and then through the pretty village of Egton Bridge. We leave the village via an old toll road through Egton Estates and pop out just before the bridge across the river Esk into Grosmont.

Although we have only been walking a couple of hours we decide to stop and have our customary coffee and cake at Grosmont, firstly because I wasn’t sure if there would be anywhere else to stop before reaching Robin Hoods Bay and secondly, there is a pretty big hill to negotiate right after leaving Grosmont and so it made sense to stop for a bit. Suitably refreshed we cross the railway crossing next to Grosmont railway station. One of the old steam engines is in the station puffing out steam and picking up passengers. The line here is kept running by enthusiasts from The North York Moors Railway Society who presumably keep the old engines running as well. As mentioned the road heads sharply upwards as it leaves Grosmont. As progress and height is slowly gained the streets of the town are left behind us and we walk up and onto the open moorland of Sleights Moor.

The views expand as height is gained and there are good views to be had across the moorland to the Esk valley and looking East, our ultimate goal, The North Sea comes tantalisingly into view. At the top of the moor, by a small car park the trail leaves the minor road out of Grosmont and heads off across the moor for a few hundred metres to join the busy A169. A ten minute walk along the road follows until we leave the road at a track that heads down to the small village of Little Beck.

From the village there is a very pleasant section of walking up through Little Beck Wood following Little Beck stream until we arrive at Falling Foss Waterfall. It feels strange to suddenly be with a lot of people, mostly all day visitors to the falls and we feel a little out of place in our muddy boots and rucksacks. We take a breather at the falls sitting on one of the picnic benches and admire the waterfall for a bit, set back into the trees and with a good flow after all the rain we have had.
We don’t linger though because the end is now almost within touching distance and our anticipation is rising. From the waterfall we follow a succession of road and track until we reach the villages of Low and High Hawkser. At High Hawkser, we sit on a convenient bench on the village green for a while and contemplate what is ahead of us. Our mood has become one of self satisfaction and contentment. We are going to reach the North Sea in a short while and from there we will have our own victory march along the coast as we walk the final few miles down into Robin Hoods Bay. The hard work is done, we feel good, the weather is dry and we are going to savour these last few miles of our two week adventure.

The North Sea arrives, rather disappointingly via a walk through a Caravan Park, but that doesn’t spoil our mood, or the sight of the sea cliffs plunging vertically down to the waves crashing on the rocks far below our vantage point on the headland. It’s good to smell the sea air again and right on cue the sun comes out as we set off south with the sound of sea and seagulls in our ears. Its an enjoyable walk along the coast, looking far out into the North Sea with the wind in our faces and the sea air filling our lungs. As we round a bend in the coastal path, Robin Hoods Bay comes into view for the first time across the bay. Perched on the headland it’s little houses all seem to be tumbling down toward the sea. We pass a cottage on the coastal path, then another and then some more and before long we are on the outskirts at the top of the town.

We walk down the steep Main street of the town with its shops, cafes and pubs until we reach the slipway at the bottom of the road by the Bay Hotel. The tide is in and the waves are crashing up the slipway. There is no more walking eastwards that can physically be done without drowning so this is it, we have finished! We dip our feet in the water and throw the pebbles we collected at St Bees Head as far as we can out into the deep blue restless ocean. 

Fourteen days, 22,000ft of ascent and descent from sea level back to sea level, about 200 miles in distance and we have walked from the Irish Sea to the North Sea. I have written elsewhere in my blog (Nepal-Epilogue) about the joys of finishing a long distance walk and I won’t repeat that here. I will however paraphrase the great man himself, Wainwright whose idea this walk was and whose route we have followed. “You have completed a mission and achieved an ambition, this will be a very satisfying moment in your life. You will be tired, hungry and travel stained but you will feel great, just great. You have enriched yourself and you will be more ready to tackle other big ventures in your life. You have learnt not to give up. You are a better person for having walked the Coast to Coast”.

For map and route of this walk click ‘learn more’ below