6 Rosedale Abbey
Pickering, Y018 8RA
North Yorkshire, UK
Distance: 19 Miles.
Time Taken: 7 hours.
Weather: Cool with a couple of rain showers.
Sheep dogs at Work in Cumbria.
The Walk
I felt a little bit like a cheat on Day six - for two reasons.
Firstly, the pain from my blistered feet on Day 5 was so bad that a radical solution was required if I was to carry on; with that in mind I managed to find and purchase a wide-fitting pair of Keen walking sandles at the outdoor gear shop in Kirby Stephen.
NOTE To WALKERS: there are two gear outdoors shops in Kirby Stephen; and it is this town where all the baggage hauling company's that make a living from the Coast-to-Coast walkers operate.
Blistered Feet Suck!
Wearing my new sandles gave my feet a little more space to spread and helped to reduce the pressure and rubbing considerably.
Secondly, I decided to have a "rest" from the heavy backpack as I walked to Shap - paying the local friendly and reliable taxi driver £55 to carry my pack from Kirby Stephen to Shap.
Highly Recommended: Alan Middleston Taxi, Kirby Stephen 07930 856778.
This left me free to walk along like the other "day-pack" walkers I'd met coming the other way every day.
And my my - was that much easier!!!
The combination of comfy sandles and no weight to carry made the 20-mile walk to Shap on Day six a much nicer proposition!
A Solitary Path Through a Wildflower Meadow in Cumbria.
The hike across the Westmoreland Plateau in Cumbria rewards the Walker with a change in geology, topography, and building materials used in the local community.
But the Coast-to-Coast continues to offer-up beautiful scenery at every turn!
Cumbrian Viaduct.
For me, heading towards the Western horizon, day six on the Coast-to-Coast also sees the Cumbrian Mountains of "Lakeland" come clearly into view ahead.
Cumbrian Mountains Coming into View.
The sight of the Mountains adds a sense of thrill - and dread - in equal measures; as I know there are now three tough days of hiking up-hill and down-dale to come.
And having had six good days of reasonable weather on the walk so far - I now begin to worry about the highly unpredictable nature of the weather in the Mountains.
Hopefully, all will be well!
10 Rose & Crown Yard
Off Flower Gate, Whitby
North Yorkshire, Y021 3BE