A Day of Recovery

Robin Hood’s Bay to Whitby, by taxi

What a relaxing day! With no need to hit the trail, we had a leisurely morning at our B&B. We stayed at a Captains House that was built in the late 1800’s.

Fernleigh B&B was gorgeous and the hosts were fantastic

We shared breakfast with Bryan and Gary, two fellow travelers who’d also just finished the Coast to Coast (in 12 sporty days instead of our relaxing 14 day pace). After some friendly chatting about the trail, we learned that one of the men has been battling prostate cancer. He’s well now and has completed this walk to raise funds for the research organization Prostate Cancer UK. We gladly donated and are sharing the fundraiser link for anyone else interested in supporting his cause:

Bryan and Gary’s Coast to Coast Challenge

Bryan and Gary at the end of their 192 mile walk

We said our goodbyes and departed for Whitby, a short taxi drive up the coast from Robin Hood’s Bay.

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that Whitby has a historic abbey. It’s quite impressive. We spent some time exploring the grounds and learning about the history of the abbey.

The Whitby Abbey was established in the 600’s as a monastery and then became an abbey in the late 1100’s. It was disestablished by Henry VIII in the 1500’s.

During WWI, the ruins of the abbey sustained major damage from a German attack

We enjoyed beer and pizza with the abbey as our backdrop

I‘ll post more abbey pics in the gallery…. we took a lot!

Our accommodations for the night are fantastic. We’re staying in old Whitby, a historic road just below the abbey. Our room is at The Shepherds Purse, which is a set of rooms down a narrow brick alley that opens up into a gorgeous garden. It feels much like New Orleans, with its private gardens and brick side streets.

The garden from our balcony

Rooms to Let at The Shepherds Purse

We explored the town, stocked up on provisions for our next leg of our trip and managed to do some laundry. After days on the trail, our “trousers“ were ready to walk themselves!

The streets are lined with fish and chip shops, each claiming to be the very best. We found a very old pub with lots of character for consumption of this obligatory Whitby staple.

Mushy peas or Garden peas? Take your pick!

One thing that has fascinated us in the UK, but I’ve failed to mention it in a post so far is how dog-friendly restaurants and pubs are. Nearly every casual dining or drinking establishment we’ve visited has had at least one dog. Tonight, we were surrounded by 3 friendly dogs as we munched down our fish and chips.

Most dogs we’ve encountered are incredibly well behaved. Keppie and Tycho would be going bonkers if we took them into a pub.

We wrapped up our evening with another walk up to the abbey for the perfect view of the North Sea and the sunset.

199 steps from the town below to the abbey

View of the port town of Whitby from the cliffs above

It was a pleasant day of recovery. Tomorrow, we’re catching a train to Glasgow and the next morning we begin the West Highland Way walk.

I’ll post Day 15 photos to the gallery shortly.

Good night friends!