122 Miles Down - 70 Left to Go

Richmond to Danby Wiske, 14 miles

We had another pleasant stroll today, gradually making our way towards the North York Moors.

Our stay in Richmond was very comfortable. We had a soaking tub in our room, which was fantastic for our sore legs!

We had a good laugh at breakfast this morning. When we made it downstairs, there were already 2 groups seated. Our hostess was popping in and out, delivering tea and toast in a mad rush. There was music playing… Easy by the Commodores. It wasn‘t our first choice for early morning music, but it was okay. No one in the room complained - we’re polite guests after all. The song ended, and then it started all over again. It was on a loop! By the third time it played through, we were all humming along. The next time it played we were singing along. It wasn’t until we were all finished that the hostess realized what was going on. Apologetically she fixed the music for the next group that was coming in for breakfast. I had that song in my head all day!!!

Okay, enough about singing along to Lionel Richie. Let’s move on to the day’s stroll. We did a quick walk around the Richmond Castle before setting out.

From Richmond to Danby Wiske, the path was pretty easy going. The trail took us through some gorgeous woods that eventually turned to fields that eventually turned to pavement.

We had exciting bird spottings today! I saw my first European Goldfinch, which looks somewhat like an American Goldfinch, but has a red face. Unfortunately it was too fast for a photo. It was gorgeous though! I did manage to get a photo of a black and white bird, but haven’t identified it yet.

We stopped in at a 12th century church that offered snack and refreshment to walkers.

We made good time to Danby Wiske and the weather was pleasant, so we decided to camp. We pitched our tent at a beautiful campground next to a church.

We had drinks and dinner at a pub down the street and swapped trail stories with a pleasant group of people, including a couple from Iowa who has covered a lot of trails that we hope to do someday.

Overall it’s been another great day on the Coast to Coast Trail! Check out Day 10 in the gallery for more pics.

Good night!