Geo and Jack camp it up on the Coast to Coast

[tikay]

This is absolutely fantastic, I don't know whether I prefer the words or the pictures most.

Please keep both coming if you can.

My admiration for you both is immense, it's an incredible adventure, & I so wish I had attempted it when I was not so, err, old & decrapit.

Well done yous.

Keep safe, keep battling.

This could be the next "Old Gits Outing" Tony.

I'm full of admiration for you guys and loving the reports.

Fine by me, I'll do it easy-peasy, but you, Tom & Simon might struggle.

In truth, I'm absolutely captivated by this adventure "diary", one of the best things I've ever read on blonde, & that scenery is simply magnificent.

I'm way too old to even think about doing it myself, but I reckon I could manage a part of it, maybe a 10 mile trek, if I wore the proper gear - most importantly, walking boots. In fact, sod it - I am going to do just that. 

[Phil_TC]

Found this via a link from Ger on his APAT blog.. and just registered just to wish you two the best of luck. Total respect for both of you! Keep it going!!

Phil_tc! xxx

Oh gawd.  Don't you two start or mond will be more tilted than before. 

PS  Hiya Phil, me darlin'.  xx

Hey Jack, Laxie and Rodders and Jo (and Geo of course) :-)

Will keep my best wishes and love and kisses to a minimum I promise, don't want to be tilting anyone more than I normally do

Good luck today you 2, if you need man nappies to help avoid the shit tsunami's just give me a shout.. if you're richmond area you're not far away xxx

[Geo the Sarge]

Found this via a link from Ger on his APAT blog.. and just registered just to wish you two the best of luck. Total respect for both of you! Keep it going!!

Phil_tc! xxx

Oh gawd.  Don't you two start or mond will be more tilted than before. 

PS  Hiya Phil, me darlin'.  xx

Hey Jack, Laxie and Rodders and Jo (and Geo of course) :-)

Will keep my best wishes and love and kisses to a minimum I promise, don't want to be tilting anyone more than I normally do

Good luck today you 2, if you need man nappies to help avoid the shit tsunami's just give me a shout.. if you're richmond area you're not far away xxx

Many thanks Phil. We are due in Richmond on Saturday and are staying over with a full rest day on the Sunday too. I'll pm you my number later so text back with you name and we'll give you a bell. Not guaranteed when we can get a signal.

Geo

[Laxie]

How are the bellies and feet today?  Keep the chins up Lads.  You're doing great!!!

[Geo the Sarge]

Thought I was a dead man last night.

Set off from Shap around 8:30. Our planned route was 14 miles to Newbigging on Lune before tackling the Pennines over to Keld.

Things were going very well and we were well ahead of schedule, walking was good although still wet underfoot and weather was ok. We stopped off at Scar Side Farm for Tea and scones which is an obligatory event for all C2Cers. Tummy still being a bit troublesome I managed 1/2 a dry scone whilst Jack had the full cream and jam.

At this point we decided that we would actually push on the additional 6 miles at the end of the day to reach Kirkby Stephen, therefore taking 6 miles off what is a hard route for the following leg.

Isn't it just the thing, after we had made that decision the weather turned for the worse, whilst the terrain remained pretty good, we were just battered with the wind and rain. Jack is suffering terribly with his feet as we just can't keep them dry for any decent period of time.

With about 6 miles to go my problems were added to when my arse decided to explode, wind, rain and 6 miles in shit - filled breeks is not very pleasant I don't need to tel you (but just have.)

At about 4 miles out I told Jack that I was about done for the day and had little left, then again at 3 and again at 2. The last 2 miles are not logged in my little memory bank at all as I was running on below empty and I merely had my head down following a large blue hulk shape in front.

At Kirkby Stephen we found our guardian angel....................

Geo

[boldie]

Top stuff guys.

Didn't think anyone could have trouble walking 6 miles a day though tbh...must be an old age thing

[Geo the Sarge]

Top stuff guys.

Didn't think anyone could have trouble walking 6 miles a day though tbh...must be an old age thing

An additional 6 miles to what we had planned giving us a total of 20 miles for yesterday

Geo

[boldie]

Top stuff guys.

Didn't think anyone could have trouble walking 6 miles a day though tbh...must be an old age thing

An additional 6 miles to what we had planned giving us a total of 20 miles for yesterday

Geo

20 miles?...that only takes 20 minutes FFS.....

You guys are nuts for walking when driving is clearly the best way to get about.


anyways, stop replying to my post and get some more reports and pics up ASAP please.

[Geo the Sarge]

We entered Kirkby Stephen at around 6pm. As stated I was totally done in, confirmed by the look on the face of Denise, the owner of the Kirkby Stephen Hostel.

She confirmed she had 2 bunks available and actually gave us a 4 bunk room to ourselves so we had additional space to sort ourselves out. First stop was the big walk-in drying room where as well as removing the sopping boots, we could sit for a while to regain some heat through the bodies.

The shower was immense and provided me the opportunity to step in fully clothed and clean each item as I removed them. Shower done, I immediately went for a lay down for an hour or so.

Geo

[technolog]

How are the bellies and feet today?  Keep the chins up Lads.  You're doing great!!!

My belly behaved itself through the day in spite of not being able to resist the cream scone at Scar Side Farm. In fact, on arrival at Kirkby Stephen, I was so confident of its abilities that I challenged it with 2 pints of cloudy cider, the first one of which didn't touch the sides. Last night's carrot & coriander soup & steak & kidney pie also settled nicely and this morning I would say my belly's back on top form.

The feet however is another story entirely...

[technolog]

Since we set out from St Bees on Saturday, it's been raining fairly consistently, often torrentially. From just a few hours in to the walk our boots have been wet and we've been unable to dry them. Even on Sunday when the weather was gorgeous in the main, we started with wet boots which never had chance to dry out as we splashed our way up the lakeland becks.

Over the course of the 5 days so far my feet have been softened by the constant soaking and yesterday it really started to tell. I'd felt the right foot a little sore previously but nothing to worry about. Yesterday it was a sore as hell from about 6 miles in and the left foot decided to join the party from about the 14 mile point. Every step was like walking on pins - great fun. I took my boots off a few times to try to get some relief, which worked for perhaps a further mile at the most.

When we reached Kirkby Stephen we were both at a really low ebb. In fact Geo said to me this morning that if I'd have said 'let's get a taxi, go to the station and go home' he'd have gone. I have to admit that those thoughts were going through my mind too.

If I'm gonna finish this, I need to get my boots dry and keep 'em dry and hope my feet recover, because as they feel at the minute, with over 100 miles still to go, walking into Robin Hood's Bay a week on Saturday looks pretty unlikely.

[boldie]

How often do you change your socks? Something that might help is put a bag over your sock and the shoe outside that...keeps moisture out of the sock a bit...even though your feet will sweat a bit more.

[Geo the Sarge]

Before I forget,

In the backyard of the bunk place from the previous night there is a waggon. Thought I'd pop it on here for Tom who has taken an interest in this and also provided some good questions.

Click to see full-size image.

Speaking to the owners they said that they bought it quite recently and actiually hire it out as a bunk/chalet and that it has all the amenities. They say thay have a couple more and that there are plans to have a string of them along the route which would be available to walkers.

Thoughts, good idea?

Geo

[Geo the Sarge]

After I had about an hour or so sleep, Jack and I went up to the Black Bull Hotel for something to eat. Due to my delicate situation I only wanted something light. "Can I just have toast and scrambled egg please?"

"Sorry, don't do scrambled egg"................."ok just a plate of toast will be fine"..................."no, we don't do toast"..........."ok, I just need something light to eat, what do you recommend?"...................."We do baguettes".................."oh lovely, what's on them?"......................."just butter"........................(fml) "Ok, can I have one toasted please?"....................."sorry we don't do toast!!"

Well at this point I give up, how hard is it to have the chef shove a bit bread under a grill? I settled for the vegetarian pasta, which once received, the first mouthful was duly spat into my serviete, it really did taste disgusting.

In the end I settled for 2 fresh orange and lemonades and a packet of crisps with a slice of bread.


Got talking to a couple who we see on a daily basis and are experinced C2Cers, already walked it 4 times this year. They are not going to attempt the route over 9 Stanard Riggs across the Pennines, instead sticking to roads.

Jack and I decided we will take the Sherpa transport to Keld and give ourselves a better rest day and concentrate totally on getting Kit dry (which it already is) and hopefully Jack's feet sorted out.

Geo

[AndrewT]

Gripping diary lads.

Immense respect for what you are enduring - I'd have given up at the first squlech of soggy feet.