Day 16, Sat. Aug. 31, Wainstone Hotel, Great Broughton

Hiked 12 miles, 154 miles down, 38 miles to go

Today was another gorgeous day for hiking. I started out extremely optimistic. I decided to have my own AAA road plan and I strapped my Tevas onto my backpack in case the blisters became horrible. I also put in the new insoles I had gotten at REI that I had used early in the trip. I also have an elaborate method of taping for blisters. I was set. The first 5 miles were great. I went up hills better; my legs felt strong. The heather was in bloom;

all was well. Then we started crossing valleys. We would lose all of the elevation we had gained and another big hill would appear. It was very windy on the top of the moors. The ups were steep and the downs seemed steeper. After about five major climbs we hit a descent that was so steep I went down on part of it on all fives. A hiker who was coming up asked me if my knees were gone. Just nodded yes and didn't have the heart to tell him that my my legs were shaking so much that I had to do part of the trail on all fives. When I'm scared Ron always asks me if I have sweaty palms. Today my palms were so sweaty that I could hardly grip my hiking poles. Then we reached Wainstones -- a huge pile of boulders that are used for rock climbing -- when the trail seemed to disappear. Other hikers went on a very narrow cliff trail with a very steep drop off. I wasn't about to go on that trail. Finally some rock climbers scrambled down and told us to use the "trail" up through the center of the Wainstones. So we climbed through using hand holds but at least there was not a drop off. That was about the closest I have been to crying on this trip. I thought what is a klutz like me doing on this trail? And what was I thinking when I decided to do this hike? (first view of North Sea!)

When I imagined doing the Coast 2 Coast I envisioned stopping at small villages for scones. I didn't imagine a day with 3300 ft. of ascent and descent on trails that go straight up and down We started hiking at 8:30 am and got to the car park at 5:45 p.m. where we called our hotel to get us since it is 2&1/2 miles from the trail. When we were in Manchester I had gotten a SIM card for my old Malaysian cell phone, I purchased some pay-as-you-go minutes. It was well worth every pound just to have a ride today. The hiking was so stressful I didn't even think about blisters. The trail was not one that could be hiked in anything but sturdy boots. Since we were in the middle of nowhere, the only choice was to keep going. Tonight I am so tired. After dinner it will be early to bed. - Nancy (The picture below was taken when Nancy and Kathy came across some men hunting grouse. - rw)