We walked about 6 miles along the coast from Whitby to Robin Hood's Bay with the sea breeze blowing in our faces, the sea gulls soaring overhead, and the sun again warming our path.
After lunch, we took the bus back to Whitby and toured the ruins of the abbey there. That night we had our farewell dinner where we said our good-byes and exchanged email addresses.
What will I take away from this experience? That the best way to get to know a country and a people is on foot. That I can indeed walk 17 miles on vertical rocky surfaces while being battered by a cold wind. That heather has an exquisite scent. That some people are really into identifying critter feces. That internet access is ubiquitous. That 70+ year olds can kick 50+ year-old butt when it comes to hiking. That the sport of grouse hunting is the strangest thing I've ever witnessed.
That you never stay at a B & B owned by a skinny proprietor. That one of the smartest and funniest innkeepers on the planet lives in a wide spot in the road of the Yorkshire Dales. That the moors are not as romantic and desolate as Bronte makes them out to be when the weather is warm and sunny with not a fog or mist in sight. That the British are intensely proud of their history. That lead mining bores me. That neither Richard III or Henry VIII were 100 percent all bad. That there are enough varieties of sheep that you can buy a book on the subject. That if you hold out a handful of British coins the people at cash registers will take pity on you and use up the greatest number of coins to total the amount owed them. That every hotel, inn, and B & B in England seem to have at least six artisanal beers on tap.
That I am already planning my next hike with the Sierra Club. Cheers!
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