Stop, look, listen


Day 9 would take us to the bustling metropolis of Richmond.

At just (!) 10.5 miles mostly over farmland, it wasn’t a particularly long or taxing walk by Coast to Coast standards. However, I was definitely off my usual pace, the efforts of the last week or so finally taking their toll.

All my friends teach me different things and today I was particularly grateful for Liz’s serenity. With her by my side, I remembered to stop, to look, to really listen and what could have been a more monotonous walk after the drama of the previous few days turned into anything but.

We visited a beautiful little Norman church in the village of Marske where they had kindly provided refreshments and an honesty box for walkers, drank tea and ate Liz’s homemade flapjack in the shade of a beautiful oak tree and paused in the woods to enjoy the birdsong. Slowing down has much to recommend it.

Despite taking it gently, we still reached Richmond in good time and made straight for the nearest tearoom for my second cream tea of the week. We then had a very pleasant stroll through the town, as always bumping into other coast-to-coasters who were busy stocking up on Compeed and cereal bars!

I have a rest day tomorrow. Part of me regrets this now as I wonder if I will lose momentum and it means that I will no longer be seeing many of the faces I’ve grown accustomed to along the route. However, my feet and legs will definitely thank me for the brief respite and I am looking forward to seeing Brian and Inge who will now be able to catch me up.

I will also say goodbye to Liz and hello to Dan. This little rota thing I’ve got going is working out incredibly well!

Day 9:
Walked: 29,128 steps (10.5 miles)
Stayed: The Old Brewery Guesthouse, Richmond

Ate: Alessandro’s Sicilian

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