Post 200!: April 2000, Back in Time.
On Foot from Coast to Coast: the North of England Way – a walk for the Millennium and for others.
To celebrate the Millennium I planned to walk from Ravenglass on the Irish Sea to Scarborough on the North Sea, following the route again as outlined in my book On Foot from Coast to Coast: The North of England Way.
The theme of the walk was:
‘In the year 2000, walk 200 miles, view 20 churches, see 20 mountains, follow 20 rivers, visit 20 inns, drink 20 pints of Guinness (purely medicinal), burn 20,000 calories, and raise over £2000 for Hospice 2000.’
People could sponsor me for any of the above e.g. miles walked, churches viewed, pints drunk.
I had been looking forward to undertaking the walk for two years as an opportunity to celebrate the best of the English countryside in the new Millennium, whilst raising funds for a good cause, my local St Leonard’s Hospice.
Phil Lader, the US Ambassador to Britain and a keen walker said, ‘Not only is it a fitting means to celebrate the Millennium but it will provide support to a very worthwhile cause.’ The Ambassador had just completed a walk (with bodyguards!) from Land’s End to John O’Groats and said ‘Walking through the countryside has taught me far more than I ever dreamed about the people, history and culture of this wonderful island.’ The Archbishop of York said ‘And what support could be more active than the 200 mile Coast to Coast Walk across the north of England. I am especially pleased to commend this splendid initiative.’
I would not be walking with bodyguards, but I was thoroughly looking forward to a new journey in a new Millennium, although clearly I was not getting any younger. In the conclusion to my book on the walk I said that after completing the 200 miles in 1993 I felt twenty-one again despite being twice that age. It would be interesting to see if I felt the same again seven years on!
My summary of the walk was as follows:
I viewed over 20 churches: (1) St Michael’s Muncaster, (2) St Catherine’s Boot, (3) Holy Trinity Seathwaite, (4) St Andrew’s Coniston, (5) St Mary’s Ambleside, (6) St Mary’s Staveley, (7) St Oswald’s Burneside, (8) St Andrew’s Sedbergh, (9) St Andrew’s Dent, (10) St John the Evangelist Cowgill Chapel, (11) St Margaret’s Hawes, (12) St Oswald’s Askrigg, (13) Aysgarth Methodist Church, (14) St Andrew’s Aysgarth Falls, (15) St Oswald’s Castle Bolton, (16) St Mary’s Redmire, (17) Holy Trinity Wensley, (18) St Mary’s and St Alkeda’s Middleham, (20) Jervaulx Abbey, (21) High Ellington Chapel, (22) St Mary’s Masham, (23) St Michael Well, (24) St John Skipton-on-Swale, (25) St Laurance’s Carlton Miniott, (26) St Mary’s Thirsk, (27) St Felix with Holy Trinity Felixkirk, (28) York Minster (over 30 miles away from the White Horse of Kilburn viewpoint), (29) St Michael’s Cold Kirby, (30) Rievaulx Abbey, (31) All Saints Helmsley, (32) St Mary’s Lastingham, (33) St John the Baptist Levisham, (34) Lockton Church, (35) St Peter’s Langdale End, (36) St Peter’s Hackness, (37) St Laurance’s Scalby. Total 37.
I saw over 20 mountains: (1) Seatoller 2266′, (2) Scafell 3162′, (3) Scafell Pike 3210′, (4) Broad Crag 3054′, (5) Ill Crag 3040′, (6) Great End 2964′, (7) Esk Pike 2903′, (8) Bowfell 2960’, (9) Harter Fell 2340′, (10) Grey Friar 2537′, (11) Brown Pike 2289′, (12) Dow Crag 2556′, (13) Walna Scar 2033′, (14) Old Man of Coniston 2683′, (15) Brim Fell 2611′, (16) Weatherlam 2592′, (17) Pike O’Stickle 2323′, (18) Harrison Stickle 2401′, (20) Pike O’Blisco, (21) Crinkle Crags 2233, (22) Heron Pike 2001′, (23) High Pike 2155′, (24) Red Screes 2541′, (25)Yoke 2309′, (26) Ill Bell 2477′, (27) Froswick 2359′, (28) Great Coum 2254′, (29) Great Knoutberry 2204′, (30) Whernside 2419′, (31) Ingleborough 2373′, (32) Pen-y-ghent 2273′, (33) Wild Boar Fell 2324′, (34) Great Shunner Fell 2349′, (35) Cragdale Moor 2080′, (36) Buckden Pike 2303′, (37) Dodd Fell 2191′, (38) Sails 2185′, (39) Drumaldace 2015′, (40) Lovely Seat 2214′. Total 40.
I followed over 20 rivers, (1) Irt, (2) Mite, (3) Esk, (4) Duddon, (5) Brathway, (6) Rothay, (7) Gowan, (8) Kent, (9) Sprint, (10) Mint, (11) Lune, (12) Rawthay, (13) Dee, (14) Ure, (15) Bain (England’s shortest named river), (16) Cover, (17) Swale, (18) Rye, (19) Riccal, (20) Dove, (21) Seven, (22) Derwent. Total 22.
I visited over 20 inns (cumulative pints of Guinness drank in brackets. M = Murphy’s B = Beamish.): 1 Holly House Hotel (½B), 2 Ratty Arms (1½) Ravenglass, 3 King George IV Eskdale (2½), 4 Woolpack Inn Eskdale (4), 5 Newfield Inn Seathwaite (5), 6 Sun Hotel Coniston (7B), 7 Eagle and Child Staveley (8), 8 Jolly Angler’s Burneside (9½), 9 Dalesman Sedbergh (11½), 10 Sun Inn Dent (12½), 11 The Board Hotel (13), 12 The Crown (13½), 13 The White Hart (14), 14 The Fountain Hawes (14½), 15 King’s Arms Askrigg (15), 16 Palmer Flatt Hotal Aysgarth Falls (18), 17 Cover Bridge Inn (19), 18 Black Horse Inn Ainderby Quernow (20), 19 Golden FleeceThirsk (21), 20 Royal Oak Helmsley (22), 21 Blacksmith’s Arms Lastingham (24), 22 Horseshoe Inn Levisham (25), 23 Moorcock Inn Langdale End (25½M). Total inns visited 23.
I drank over 20 pints of Guinness. See inns visited above (in brackets). Total pints of Guinness drank = 22½. Total pints of Beamish drank = 2½. Total pints of Murphy’s drank = ½. Total pints drank (purely medicinal for blisters and aching muscles!) 25½. As an occasional drinker of alcohol this was a tough target!
I burnt over 20,000 calories at an average of 100 per mile. I lost about 4lbs on the walk but consumed large quantities of food.
And with sponsorship I raised over £2300 for Hospice 2000
Miles Walked 200
A summary of the walk will be in the next blog………………….
If anyone is thinking they might like to walk the North of England Way to raise funds for their chosen charity, then I have copies available for £6 inclusive of p&p in the UK. RRP is £9.99. Please send an email to celiamaughan@btinternet.com.
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