...for those of us who weren't already living there.
Today was a mercifully quick nine miles along the blooming Moors. After nibbling on fresh, hot
croissants at Wainstones Hotel, we hiked up to Clay Bank Top and stretched our
legs through Urra Moor, Blowork Crossing, and Farndale Moore. After the sun burned off the thick fog, the wind
made us wrap bandanas around our ears. We looked like bad imitations of Daniel-san from
Karate Kid. Embarrassing, really.
On the trail, we met a grandfather walking the Coast to
Coast with his 11-year-old granddaughter.
(He walked the C2C twenty-six years ago with his son, the girl's father. He said, “thought I may as well do it with
this one too.” Our theory is it took him
that long to forget how painful it was.)
It was also the first day of grouse hunting, and we stumbled upon a
field of men in hunting hats, jackets, and ties, unloading on some unsuspecting
birds. We hung out with Stella (pictured below), a
personable hunting dog, until the hunters gave us the all clear. Nothing like a few shotgun pellets to put
spring in your tired step.
A Harry Potter audio book and several windy miles later, we
arrived at Blakey’s Ridge, where the 16th century Lion Inn
awaited. One of Yorkshire’s oldest inns
and the fourth highest in England (1,325 feet), the inn is the highest point in
the North Yorkshire Moors National Park overlooking the valleys of Rosedale and
Farndale. It is a stone walled outpost
against the winds. Thick beams line the low
ceilings, and the downstairs pub is filled with worn red chairs, dark paneled walls,
and wind chapped customers. (Are you
getting the wind theme here?) A pint is
in my near future. A lovely end to a brisk
walk on the moors.
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