Day 9 Reeth to Richmond 10 miles
After a comfortable night in the Dales Bike Centre we enjoy a leisurely continental breakfast in the bright dining room, surrounded by cycling posters and bike gear and feeling only a little out of place among the half dozen or so cyclists dressed in their Lycra. A relatively short stage to Richmond is the order of the day so we are in no rush to get out and we find ourselves in a bit of a holiday mood. Eventually we get ourselves moving, pack the rucksacks and head out into the fresh air.
The weather is dry and sunny again as we leave Reeth behind us with it’s cyclists and classic cars. It’s only a short walk down the road towards Grinton before we join the riverside footpath just before the bridge over the Swale.
We then follow the river for a while before heading uphill on a quiet road all the way to the 12th century Marrick Priory, which is now an outdoor centre. After passing the Priory the way negotiates a series of undulating fields until eventually arriving at the pretty village of Marske.
We land at Marske at midday, perfect timing for lunch and the small cafe in the village turns into a bit of a Coast to Coast reunion. Vanetta and the Americans who we had met at Gunnerside are there and a short while later Bob and Alan turn up. The social aspect of walking, the shared experience, enjoyment and interaction with fellow walkers that takes place on a long distance walk like the Coast to Coast is not to be underestimated. On average, most people take two weeks to complete the Coast to Coast, so generally the people you start with are going to be the people you finish with. For two weeks you criss cross each other’s lives, stopping in the same places, meeting up on the trail or enjoying a pint or two in the pub in the evening and talking through your adventures of the day.
The conversation is easy because you all share a love for the outdoors and you all have a common goal, to get to the North Sea. You become part of your own little Coast to Coast community, moving slowly from West to East (or vice versa) across England. At the start you are all strangers to each other but by the end you are ‘fellow Coast to Coasters’. You have enjoyed a shared experience together, achieved an ambition and, in some instances made new friends. At the cafe we all enjoy catching up with each others exploits over lunch and then we part company as each of us heads off at our own pace. After Marske, the trail follows the road uphill for a while and then branches off, arriving at a prominent cairn a short while later. From the cairn across a small valley that contains Clapgate Beck, Whitcliffe Scar, a prominent Limestone outcrop and one of the main landmarks on the walk to Richmond can be seen in the distance. The way drops down and we cross over Clap Gate Beck before entering Whitcliffe Wood which runs underneath the scar.
The Swale, whose noise we have missed for most of the day returns to within hearing distance and the path is followed until it becomes a track and then eventually a road as the outskirts of Richmond are joined. A short distance later and we are in Market Place with its shops tourists, church and cross. We bump into Bob and Alan again who, like us have not yet booked their bed for the night banking on there being plenty to choose from in the biggest town along the Coast to Coast.
Today was one of the shortest days of the whole walk and we arrive in Richmond at 3.15pm. We have a good look around before making some phone calls and heading off to our B&B for the evening.
To Read More From My Coast to Coast Walk Click Here
For map and route of this walk click ‘Learn more’ below