England's Coast To Coast Walk: Destination: Ireland!

17 Day Itinerary

Our walk begins in St. Bee's on the West Coast of Great Britain at the Irish Sea. Almost 200 miles later, we will find ourselves at the North Sea in Robin Hood's Bay.

Day 1 - Moor Row, 9 miles The Jasmine House

Day 2 - Ennerdale, 8 miles Low Cock How Farm

Day 3 - Seatoller, 14 miles Seatoller Farm

Day 4 - Grasmere, 10.5 miles Town Head Farm

Day 5 - Patterdale, 7.5 miles Grisdale Lodge

Day 6 - Shap, 16 miles Brookfield House

Day 7 - Orton, 8 miles The Westons

Day 8 - Kirby Stephen, 13.5 miles The Black Bull

Day 9 - Keld, 14 miles Keld Lodge

Day 10 - Richmond, 14 miles The Old Brewery

Day 11 - Danby-Wiske, 14 miles Old School House

Day 12 - Osmotherly, 12 miles 32 South End

Day 13 - Clay Bank Top, 11 miles The Maltkiln House

Day 14 - Blakley Ridge, 8.5 miles The Sevenford House

Day 15 - Grosmont, 14 miles The Station Inn

Day 16 - Robin Hood's Bay, 16 miles The Raven House

Of course, these distances don't account for getting lost and doubling back a few times, avoiding an aggressive herd of heifers or navigating the moors.... or wandering off in search of a pint.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Destination: Ireland!

Lauren and I completed our amazing journey exactly a month ago and I find myself eager to plan the next big thing. Speaking of big things: Lauren will be 14 years old in two days. Holy crap. How did that happen? She left for Argentina a week after we returned from England, the poor thing. She'll be there for her birthday and won't come back until a few days before school starts. Our little globe trotter.

So while she's off adventuring in Argentina, I can't stop thinking about what's next. The walk across England was overwhelming (in good ways) and the planning/sponsorship chasing consumed me for months. It was such an amazing experience physically, emotionally and spiritually that I'm greedy for more. My boots are sitting in the closet, caked with England muck, and they are calling my name. They want to go on another adventure and schlepping up and down route 1 isn't satisfying them at all.

I haven't told Dougie yet but I want to walk Ireland next summer. I'd like to do something very similar to what we just did but I need to find a more economical way of pulling it off. We spent a disgusting amount of money of course. Three weeks of hotels and eating and playing added up to big bucks. We won't need to buy any gear, which cost us a grand or so this year in spite of the sponsorships we managed to land but we'll still need a place to sleep at night and three squares. And pints.

There are walking trails all over Ireland but I don't think there's anything resembling a coast to coast. I'm interested in the southern portion and am researching the trails along the coast. I definitely need to visit County Mayo, which is in the northeast, because that's where my Dad's family came from. He never had the opportunity to visit Ireland and I'd like to do it in his honor. I want to wander through castles, listen to local musicians in pubs, stroll along the sea cliffs, and soak up Ireland's history and culture.

I've ordered some maps with which to begin the planning. Stay tuned. There is likely to be a link to another blog for our next adventure!