Joanna On The Trail

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

💡PRO TIP: Wilderness Wash isn’t just for camping. On this trip, I used it to wash clothes in the sink, wash my hair and body, and wash my water bottle and coffee cups. It’s gentler on my hair than the combined hair/body product provided by most B&Bs (I left shampoo at home due to weight constraints). It’s super concentrated, low sudsing, easy to rinse out, and environmentally friendly. As much as I used it, I still have half of my 100ml bottle left. Worth its weight in gold.

10.58 miles / 1,389 ft elevation gain

Wow, I can’t believe I’m already 10 days into my 15-day walk! Besides the foot pain, I’m feeling great. Today I experimented with putting both pairs of insoles in my boots, to better protect against the rocky terrain and pavement (there’s more road walking today). My toes and forefoot felt a bit squished, but overall it seemed like an improvement.

It was forecasted to be a hot, sunny day (and tomorrow will be even hotter). I got a little sunburned yesterday, even though I’d put on sunscreen, so today I put on 2 kinds, plus my sun hat and buff to protect my neck. I promised myself I’d reapply more throughout the day.

Leaving Reeth

The morning started with a fabulous breakfast at Ivy Cottage: scrambled eggs, hash browns, and veggie sausage. The common area was quaintly decorated, with lots of sheep-y things and a mural of the C2C on the wall. After settling up, I left a little before 9am, following the path out of town. Thankfully it was much nicer than the path in. It first crossed a tributary (Arkle Beck), then ran between some pastures, before crossing over and continuing alongside the River Swale. Lots of people were out walking dogs, and I even got to pet 4 at once, all shapes and sizes. It was a great start to the morning, and I was sure it was going to be a good day.

Marrick Priory and Steps Woods

Much of the first few miles was on small roads, leading up to the remains of Marrick Priory. The priory is now part of an Outdoor Education Center and no longer open to the public. The book says they don’t mind if you stop by to see the remains, but the closed gates and signs seemed pretty clear I wasn’t especially welcome. Just before I reached the priory, I passed a guy on a 4-wheeler and another in a car, stopped to chat with each other. I said good morning, kept walking, then looked over to the pasture on my right just in time to catch some amorous cow activity going on! 🙈

Just after the priory, the path turns off the road, up a hill, and through Steps Woods. The woods are named for the Nuns’ Steps, a 375-step walkway supposedly built by the nuns themselves. It was already warm, and the shade of the woods felt great; the steep climb, not so much. Exiting the woods, I ran into the Dutch family, and finally learned their actual names: Thomas (the son), Georgette, and Jimmy. Jimmy mentioned they’d been talking about their next trip, considering the Tahoe Rim Trail, and asked if I knew anything about it. I told him I’d looked into it a bit myself, and that someone I knew was planning to hike it in September, so I’d see what I could learn from them. After chatting for a while, I continued on through the village of Marrick, and then through a series of pastures beyond it.

A Marriage Proposal

A little while later I caught up with another solo hiker. He’d been doing the trail over the last 3 years, a bit at a time, camping and carrying all of his own stuff. He was an older gentleman, a former rugby player, moving fairly slowly, but I walked and chatted with him for a bit. He asked why I’d picked this trail, and what I did back in the US. When I mentioned I’d just retired, he asked how old I was, then said, “that must mean you’re rich, do you want to get married?” I laughed and told him my husband might object, to which he replied, “it’s not a problem for me, just tell him I’m Mormon.” 😂

After chatting a bit more, I said goodbye and picked my pace back up. I’d been hoping to stop at Elaine’s Farmhouse Kitchen at Nun Cote Nook Farm for coffee and second breakfast (the book raves about her award-winning scones, and I hadn’t had a single scone yet on this trip), but there was a sign saying it was closed. Continuing on, I came to a cow pasture with a sign for an “Optional cattle-free alternative path,” and, applying my Day 6 lesson, I took it.

A Very Friendly Cow

About 15 minutes later, I entered a pasture (no alternative offered this time) with a small herd of black and white cows. Compared to the Day 6 cows, these were much smaller, probably young weanlings. Instead of staying on the path that cut diagonally right through the herd, I went around to the left. Some of them turned to look at me, and then one came marching right up to me. I quickly tried to read her intent, and she seemed just curious.

Sure enough, she licked my hand, then my arm, then seemed to be trying to get my whole hand in her mouth. I don’t know if she was trying to nurse, get the hair tie off my wrist, or just enjoying the taste of salty sweat, but it was a bit much. I kept walking across the pasture, hoping she’d lose interest once we got further from her friends. She had other plans, staying right with me and getting more insistent. Whenever I tried to pull my hand away and tell her “no,” she’d run in a little circle, jumping and bucking, then come right back for more. We went through this cycle a few times in the time it took me to cross the pasture. Finally, I reached the far corner at the same time as a couple I’d seen earlier in the day was walking up along the fence, which caught the cow’s eye. While she was distracted, I climbed over the stile.

Someone once told me that cows without calves are a lot like dogs, generally curious and friendly, but still capable of hurting you. This one certainly seemed like a giant puppy!

Marske, a Martyr, and a Stallion

A few minutes later I found myself on a road leading into the village of Marske. It was around 11am, about 5.5 miles into my walk, and I remember thinking how nice it was to have an easy day, the miles just seemed to be ticking off. In Marske I stopped into the church (which thankfully had instructions posted for how to actually open the door), also home to a tuck shop but unfortunately no toilet, to explore and cool off. The church is named after St Edmund the Martyr, a Saxon king killed by Danes around AD 870. It was built on the site of an 11th century church, and the current structure dates back to at least 1597, when the estate was purchased by the Archbishop of York as a gift for his son. Apparently this family also bred a famous stallion called Marske, sire of Eclipse, from whom most British racehorses descend. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet any racehorses myself while in Marske.

After Marske, it was through more pastures, across Paddy’s Bridge/boardwalk over Clapgate Beck, then through scrubby fields below Applegarth Scar. Paddy’s Bridge had some brass plates with names and dates of people who’d completed the C2C, but must be a well-kept secret, since there were only a couple dozen of them, some dating back to the 1990s.

Into Richmond

The path continued through woods before emerging onto a road leading into Richmond. By then my feet were pretty sore, so I sat on a park bench in Westfields, overlooking Richmond, to rest before the final mile or so into town.

Compared to every village so far, Richmond feels like a big city. I arrived around 1:15pm and went straight to The Fleece. I couldn’t check in until 3, but I changed out of my sweaty clothes, put on my running shoes and grabbed my bag of dirty laundry from my luggage to take to Johnson’s laundromat (it needed there before 2pm for same-day service). I then went to Deja Brew for a decaf latte and a cheese savoury sandwich (not the best one I’ve had, but I was famished) and chatted with Lee until they closed at 3pm. Since I still hadn’t heard from the hotel (she’d promised to call once the room was ready), I went to Mocha Chocolate Shop for Kinder Bueno ice cream. Yum!

Still no word from the hotel, but I went back around 4pm anyway and checked in. The room was really nice, a proper hotel room, large, with a bathroom that had both a big tub and a separate shower. I showered, got dressed, and went downstairs to sit in the bar and work on my journal and blog. I’d considered going out for dinner, but I was too comfortable to move, so I just stayed put. Dinner was seared scallops in asparagus purée, and linguine with sun-dried tomato pesto. The scallops were great, the pasta just okay. Staying in and getting to bed early was fantastic.

I didn’t do any sightseeing in Richmond today. I’m planning to sleep in and explore tomorrow before checkout, which isn’t until 11am.