Coast to Coast through the Yorkshire Dales
Friday 10th June 2011
After training & preparing for the best part of nine months, this was the day. It was like going back to my playing days – the morning of a big match, same nerves & apprehension – going over things in my mind. How on earth was I going to get from Hartlepool, through the Yorkshire Dales to Arnside in 24 hours powered only by my legs after an Achilles injury a few weeks earlier, a week of a heavy/bad cold & a weather forecast that was iffy with expectations of a stiff south westerly head wind?
From a support/logistics perspective we had split the walk into three sections; A: east coast to start of the Dales, B: Yorkshire Dales, C: Sedburgh to west coast. Gus would be my “wing man” for section A, then Jim, Zoe & Darren would take over from Gus for section B & finally Garth & Paul would help me through section C.
Punctual as always Gus picked me up early afternoon & off we went up the M6 to Tebay & across to the east coast. En-route Gus confirmed that he’d like to walk the first 10 miles or so with me – great. That fitted in quite well because I’d anticipated doing the first 10 to 12 miles cross-country. Although walking cross country is of course slower, the route would be about 2 miles shorter. Also I personally like a couple of hours warm up for this kind of quest, so going cross country deliberately breaking up your stride pattern, climbing over styles, twisting your way under/past hedges, etc is exactly what I wanted. We needed to park somewhere in & around the little village of Butterwick - somewhere neither of us had ever been before. There isn’t a lot in Butterwick apart from a lot of big windmills. So Gus suggested we approach the Dog Kennels & Cattery that we drove past to ask if we could park there. No problem & they wished us good luck. Whilst Gus was chatting to the owners, I rang a minicab & before long we were off to the start point; Seaton Carew.
It turned out that the taxi driver had been a keen runner himself & he wished us well as we stepped out onto the sea front at Seaton Carew. With weather absolutely perfect (nice day, not too hot, light breeze) we set off at 5.10pm.
First Hour – Friday 5 – 6pm
Gus is good company & as always we chatted away about all sorts of stuff as we headed through the streets of Seaton. It wasn’t long before we were in the countryside & steadily climbing through mostly open farmland.
Second Hour Friday 6 – 7pm
All seemed to be going well but then the signposts for footpaths seemed to become very infrequent. I’d love to blame Gus but can’t. We were “sort of” lost. So we guessed that the best thing to do was just walk up to the nearest (actually the only) property we could see & take a bearing from there with the house name hopefully being on the OS. Fortunately there was a chap in the garden practicing with his pitching wedge (big garden). He was more than happy to point us in the right direction & it wasn’t more than 10 minutes later we were back on-track & we knew exactly where we were.
Third Hour Friday 7 – 8pm
Signposts were good after that little hiccup. We did stop to check the map at one point & a chap coincidentally looked at us from his garden & asked, “Where are you going?” “Embleton” I answered. He pointed to his right – exactly the direction we expected. “Lancashire!” Gus shouted at him. “Yeah right!” came the answer back with some sneering derision!
Fourth Hour Friday 8 – 9pm
After walking under the enormous windmills near Butterwick, we were back at the car & I continued on the main road & Gus jumped ahead in the car & drove ahead a couple of miles to find a suitable parking spot. Dusk was approaching & I picked up the pace to where I knew I needed to be & all seemed well. Then disaster. Right hamstring pulling & pulling HARD. I slowed right up & hobbled up to the car. Heat rub & lots of it, I smothered the whole of the back of my right leg. Fingers crossed, let’s try & walk it off.
Fifth Hour Friday 9 – 10pm
I’ve had hamstring injury problems before (no, more accurately, I’ve had every injury before). So I know the pain symptoms & I know the difference between a tear & a pull. This was not a tear. It was a setback – but not something that meant giving up – or at least not yet. As a contingency for something like this happening, the next support team for the second section (Jim, Zoe, Darren) were bringing my mountain bike. There was no way I was going to be able to pick the pace up to the 4.5 miles per hour needed for the next 30 miles. 4.5 miles per hour is like a shuffle, something you’d describe as faster than walking but not fast enough to be called running. This speed is essential bearing in mind that the Yorkshire Dales section is going to be something like 3 miles per hour at best. Do the maths – it’s not complicated. So resigned to the fact that the bike would come into play, I settled into a manageable 3.5 miles per hour steady walk.
Sixth Hour Friday 10 – 11pm
Bit of a wobble – mind games. Asking yourself questions like, Why am I here? Everyone thinks you are stupid. Hardly anyone who properly knows about this thinks you can do it. Stop now before you tear that hamstring. It will be dark soon. It’s going to go cold soon. By the time you are exhausted you’ll be nowhere near half way. You are too old. You will never be as fit as you used to be. Fortunately that only lasted 10 mins or so. I focused on walking a small stage at a time & the first milestone was Bishop Auckland. No thoughts of anything beyond that. Messages from back home & texts relayed to me via Gus helped spur me on.
Seventh Hour Friday 11pm - Midnight
Gus was just ace. I told him to jump forward a good distance so he could get some kip. No – I’ll never be more than half an hour in-front he insisted. With butties at the ready, coffee, Kendal Mint Cake, fruit, chocolate & every soft drink imaginable – I was well looked after. Most importantly of all was that tube of heat rub.
Eighth Hour Midnight – 1am
Weather was just fantastic. For a good few hours we had watched clouds slowly come in & keep breaking up & the weather forecast of showers for County Durham in the evening never happened. Reasonably clear sky & a half moon kept enough light for a while but by now head-torch became essential.
Ninth Hour Saturday 1 – 2am
We were approaching the first milestone – Bishop Auckland. Street lighting was more frequent & footpaths better maintained. This was a big help. It was properly going dark now & I needed to concentrate on where I was walking. A lack of concentration walking at a reasonable pace in the dark on paths you do not know can of course mean a twisted ankle or worst. I had enough injury problems to occupy my mind. Although manageable the pain was starting to annoy me. I had a dilemma. Ibuprofen, co-codemol & paracetamol were all in my pocket. Do I take some now? I knew from doing my own little experiments/tests during previous walks over the years that it’s very easy to overdose & balancing when to take & how much isn’t easy. Bearing in-mind that I was part way through the “easy bit” I decided not to take anything other than two ibuprofen tablets. The hard bit being the Dales; I would save the drugs for the Dales.
Tenth Hour Saturday 2 – 3am
Through/Past Bishop Auckland now & on towards Barnard Castle. All of a sudden it went really cold. Decided to change clothing. Over the course of the walk I’d generated quite a bit of sweat & that had turned some of my clothing damp & cold. So jumping into the passenger seat of Gus’ car with the Volvo heater on full blast, it was like standing next to an open wood burner – wonderful! Quick change & now with my Gortex jacket on, I was much warmer. Another butty, another drink, a load more heat rub & we are off again! Felt much better in the jacket – but I never regained a good temperature, that bad cold was determined to stay with me, I would end up keeping the jacket on right to the end.
Eleventh Hour Saturday 3 – 4am
Between Bishop Auckland & Barnard Castle is a poor road for walking – I’d recommend against it in and around 3am. No footpath or street lights - really dark. One good thing was the fact that I could walk for easily ten or fifteen minutes & not hear a thing other than the odd dog barking, maybe an owl & certainly no vehicles. It’s a main road but very rural. Each time a car came I’d step well over onto the grass verge out of the way. A few miles before Barnard Castle, whilst changing water bottles with Gus, he mentioned that there was a gypsy camp up ahead – I’m glad he warned me. As I approached, out of nowhere jumped this bloke with a big stick – obviously with head-torch & high viz jacket I wasn’t a threat & I walked on past the camp gates after greeting him with “Good morning!” He never spoke. Gave me a fright though! As we entered Barnard Castle footpaths improved & hooray – streetlights! Hamstring pain was bad by now, but it’s amazing how little things can actually improve a situation & good street lighting just made me feel better. Another great little pick-me-up had been arranged by Gus. On the route through Barnard Castle, Gus had found a little nightclub still open & had got talking to the bouncer & a few smokers on the footpath immediately outside the front door. Gus obviously explained who he was, why he was there & who would be coming past in about ten minutes time. As I walked past a little cheer went out with some encouragement & a few claps. But there’s always one isn’t there! I was still within earshot as I heard behind me some bloke mock, “Yer only walking – come on run.” Using the footbridge over the river Tees (well spotted Gus) I started the climb out of the Tees valley. Too much pain now & I took my second load of ibuprofen.
Twelfth Hour Saturday 4 – 5am
The climb from Barnard Castle up to where I was going to cross the A66 was full of mixed emotions. It was handover time. Gus had spoken to Jim – they were on their way. My support for the past 12 hours would soon be on his way home to some well-deserved kip. So that was somewhat sad. On the brighter side (literally) it was starting to come light & I was looking forward to seeing Jim (my brother), Zoe & Darren. Crossing the A66, Gus had pulled up in a suitable spot & as I approached, would you believe it – Jim, Zoe, Darren arrived to take over the support duties. After a quick welcome to everyone & a big thank you to Gus as he headed home, we were off again.
Thirteen Hour Saturday 5 – 6am
We dropped down a little to cross the river Greta & I knew the next few miles would be tough. In-front of us was the long climb up to the Durham/Yorkshire border & the start of the Dales. Good company always helps & taking it in turns to drive the car, I always had two of the three with me for this demanding first of three big Dales climbs. Battle hardened by this point, even Charlie’s regular consumption of road kill wasn’t off putting (Charlie is Zoe’s dog). We marched on. Out of signal now, we lost touch with the outside world & wouldn’t get it back until mid morning.
Fourteenth Hour Saturday 6 – 7am
I knew we were way behind on time. Getting through Stang Forest & up to the top of Hope Moor was tough – but not as tough as what came next. Accepting the inevitable, I put an additional layer of clothing on & got onto the bike. The only way I was going to complete within 24 hours was to use the bike for the steep downhill sections where you can get back the most amount of time. Not going too fast because sheep are stupid, we dropped down into the Dales with all the support team in the car behind me. I got off the bike as we crossed Arkle Beck. Jumping ahead (just like Gus had done for me) Jim, Zoe & Darren took it in turns to prepare drinks, butties, etc – fantastic. The next climb started immediately – up past the old mine workings of Turf Moor.
Fifteenth Hour Saturday 7 – 8am
Since coming light properly, we’d been able to appreciate magnificent views, perfect weather & not another car on the road. My hamstring wasn’t getting better – but wasn’t getting worse. Ibuprofen was doing exactly what I had hoped. I was coping. We were up on top of the second Moor in what seemed like a fairly quick pace & I was on the bike again for the run down to the river Swale. By this point Jim, Zoe & Darren had all decided, they were going to continue right through to Arnside. They were not going to leave (as planned) when we were due to meet Garth & Paul. Ace.
Sixteeth Hour Saturday 8 – 9am
Mentally preparing myself beforehand, I knew this climb was going to be tough. Up past Crackpot & up onto Summer Lodge Moor was quite tough. Balancing heart rate, breathing, not stretching that hamstring too much, a few other little bits of niggles like a sore ankle, my first blister starting & a dickie knee was quite a few plates to spin. But we got there!
Seventeenth Hour 9 – 10am
From the top of Summer Lodge Moor we flew down into Askrigg. I probably went too fast. Conscious that we just hadn’t made up enough time, I raced ahead & lost the support team. There were two routes into the village of Askrigg & we obviously went our different ways. We were only separated for a few minutes – they found me, took the bike & we set off walking again.
Eighteenth Hour Saturday 10 – 11am
With Jim & Darren doing quick calculations for me we had a few decisions to make. Key priority was of course to finish. I was doing fine at this point. I was going to finish – no doubt in my mind (even though there was thirty odd miles to go). Second consideration was all the timings arranged with everyone else; Garth & Paul of course as well as the various people who were lined up to kindly meet me at the end. Added to this we were all without phone signal so couldn’t contact anyone & of course every phone box we went past was damaged/out of order. The next significant downhill was from Garsdale Head to Sedburgh. It was a downhill distance of 8 or 9 miles. If I did this bit on the bike we were back on schedule. Although difficult to stomach, it had to be accepted. So we pushed on & I was able to pick the pace up just a little as we went past the village of Hardraw & climbed up to the big railway aqueduct of Garsdale Head.
Nineteeth Hour Saturday 11am – Noon
Back on the bike for the last time, it’s raining, but only a little & we soon reached the outskirts of Sedburgh & as I pulled up behind the support car – Garth & Paul are there all set & ready to go! Amazing! Whilst I had been on the bike, Jim had got a signal as we approached Sedburgh (with Garth & Paul en-route) and they had between them organised a rendezvous. Great to meet up with these boys, our number was now up to six & we headed through Sedburgh. We were about half an hour behind schedule.
Twentieth Hour Saturday Noon – 1pm
As we left Sedburgh & dropped down & over the river Lune I got ready for the next challenge with a couple more Ibuprofen. Killington was next. It didn’t disappoint. A tough climb. Struggling a bit, I managed to get through the next miles with gritted teeth.
Twenty First Hour Saturday 1 – 2pm
With five people encouraging me along, I somehow managed to keep going. A load more ibuprofen & keep pushing hard. Concentrate, concentrate! More quick calculations & it became clear that if I had a good spell – we might just about make it on-time. Fat chance of that I thought. I was flat out – going as fast as I could & achieving about 3.5 miles per hour. Not fast enough.
Twenty Second Hour Saturday 2 – 3pm
Out of nowhere, I cannot explain it, a rush of energy. Hamstring tight but okay, I’m picking the pace up & able to maintain it. We are up to about 4.5 miles an hour maybe faster & flying.
Twenty Third Hour Saturday 3 – 4pm
Still flying along. I know this cannot last – but make hay whilst the sun shines & we keep pressing on. Walking hard now, but not being reckless – properly in the zone!
Twenty Fourth Hour Saturday 4 – 5pm
I hit the wall. It had to happen. I’m running on empty. The Lancastrian technical term is “goosed.” Fortunately not far to go, I can almost smell the sea air! We get through Sandside & onto the old railway line that is now a popular footpath between Sandside & Arnside. Garth & Paul setting the pace (they know the bar is open). I can see Will & Tom (my boys) about half a mile ahead running towards me – next it’s a big hug! “Come on Dad!” More friends are a little further along, not far now, almost there. Over the bridge at Arnside railway station, into the village & the finish line – the bar at “The Fighting Cocks” pub. Well done Dad banners as I reach the pub & even more people welcoming & cheering! Through the door, I hit the bar – what time is it? It’s exactly 5pm. I’ve done it in 23 hours & 50 minutes. Job done. Dead easy.

Afterwards
I was fairly useless immediately after the walk & probably didn’t thank everyone properly. The support I received was marvellous. I can’t thank them enough.

Roughly speaking, I did 14 miles on the bike & walked 79 miles.