Joanna On The Trail

Monday, August 17, 2026

💡PRO TIP: Plan some kind of celebration for when you complete something amazing. Finishing a thing you’ve been dreaming about for a long time is a proud moment, but it can also feel like an emotional letdown once it’s actually over. Having someone special to share it with, somewhere special to stay, or something special to do afterward makes all the difference, so much better than just heading straight home.

15.86 mi / 2,409 ft elevation gain

Today was a really special day, being the last day of the C2C and having Lee walking with me. I was so excited to dip my toes in the North Sea, but I also didn’t want it to end. I’ve actually had this urge to go back to the beginning and do it all over again, kind of like rewatching a movie, so I could catch all the things I missed the first time.

Leaving Grosmont

Lee and I wanted a fairly early start, since we weren’t sure how long today would take. This was Lee’s first hike of this distance, so we knew we’d be taking lots of breaks, and I wanted to be able to savor the experience anyway. Breakfast was at 7:30; we chatted with Jayne while she cooked and we ate, and Lizzie stopped by to say bye before she set off. Lee and I both had yogurt with muesli, eggs, and sausage (veggie for me). By 8:30 we were packed up, luggage downstairs, and on our way.

Some people choose not to stay in Grosmont, specifically to avoid the 700 ft climb (described as “calf-popping” in the book) that starts right in the village and goes up onto Sleights Moor. Instead, they stop in Egton Bridge, like the Dutch family did, to warm up before tackling it, or push on to Littlebeck to get the climb over with the day before and have smooth sailing into Robin Hood’s Bay. We, of course, stayed in Grosmont, so up we went.

For the first 2 miles we followed the road heading east out of the village. The book warns that finding the route out of Grosmont can be confusing, which was confusing to me, since it’s just following the road. Either way, we quickly hit a “road closed” sign, assumed it was for vehicles only, and kept going. Off to our right, we spotted a huge herd of animals up on the hillside, maybe 40-50 of them. From a distance they looked like deer, though neither of us had ever seen a herd that large. As we got closer, it was confirmed: a herd of deer, some with their heads up watching us, the rest grazing. A little further on, we discovered the actual reason for the road closure, workers were repairing a cattle grid.

Views of Whitby

Near the top of the climb, approaching the High Bridestones, we passed a herd of remarkably un-skittish sheep, who just watched us walk by and kept grazing among the Bronze Age relics. Our happiness at the path finally turning off the road lasted exactly 8 minutes, before it dumped us right back onto a road, cars whizzing past, not unlike leaving the Lion Inn. Luckily we didn’t have far to go before ducking back onto a footpath.

Keeping an eye toward Whitby, Whitby Abbey, and the North Sea as we walked, we noticed a distinctly military-looking structure, which of course caught both our interest given our Lockheed Martin backgrounds. Turned out it was one of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) shafts for Woodsmith Mine, being built to mine potash and polyhalite, surprising to see within a national park.

Continuing down across a heather field and then a quiet road, we eventually reached a narrow path leading into the tiny village of Littlebeck.

Little Beck Wood

The path quickly turned away from the village and into Little Beck Wood Nature Reserve, said to be the prettiest stretch on the whole C2C. We took our time strolling through, pausing at a log inscribed with part of the poem “Peace” by Georgia Douglas Johnson, the manmade cave known as Hermitage, and the 20 ft waterfall called Falling Foss. Word must be out on how nice this walk is, because even on a Monday there were plenty of day walkers on the path.

Unfortunately the waterfall’s namesake tea garden, where we’d hoped to stop for coffee and cake, only opens on weekends. Instead we sat on some rocks by May Beck to stretch our feet and have a snack.

Walking Through the Burn Scars

Following the path and a boardwalk a little further, we exited the preserve and followed a road between cow pastures, one holding a bull with an enormous head, lying down. Luckily there was a fence between us, and none of the cows seemed remotely interested anyway.

Soon we turned onto a footpath crossing a field to a gate posted with a warning about damage from last year’s wildfires. For the next hour we crossed multiple moorland fields, all devastated by fire. It was truly heartbreaking. In a few places, stacks of flagstones sat waiting, presumably for future path paving. We stopped to sit on one of them for a snack, including the prawn cocktail crisps I’d bought back at the Sunbiggin honesty stall on Day 7. They did not exceed expectations in the taste department, and we didn’t finish the bag. While snacking, we admired Whitby Abbey and the North Sea, noticeably closer now than they’d been this morning.

Lunch in Hawkser

By 1pm we were on the road into Hawkser. Starving, we stopped as planned at The Hare & Hounds for lunch. I had the flatbread special with halloumi, hummus, and tzatziki (and chips, of course); Lee had the curry special with prawns. Both were delicious, and it was so warm and cozy in there we didn’t want to leave. But the North Sea was calling, less than a mile away now.

The Coast at Last

We followed the road to Northcliffe Holiday Park, stopped at its Coast Cafe Bar for coffee and hot chocolate, then walked through the caravan park to pick up the path running along the North Sea coast. A strange way to approach the coast, cutting through a caravan park, but I was overwhelmed with happiness once we actually got there. The view was stunning. I’d expected the North Sea to be choppy, but it was smooth as glass, low tide, barely any wind.

We took our time along the 3 miles of coastal path down to Robin Hood’s Bay, stopping often for photos. Along the way we watched seabirds working the cliffs and coves, and spotted a bunch of seals playing in the water and hauled out on the flat rocks exposed by the low tide. To our right, it was all farmland, and I realized this was the last time I’d be among sheep for a while.

Robin Hood’s Bay, The End

Finally we rounded a corner and there it was: our first glimpse of Robin Hood’s Bay. We still had 30 minutes to go, following the shoreline around, into town, past our hotel, down the incredibly steep road into the old village, and past all the touristy shops, before finally arriving at the official end of the C2C, The Bay Hotel.

I took a selfie by the “The End” sign, then it was time to toss the pebble I’d carried all the way from the Irish Sea into the North Sea. With the tide out, that meant carefully picking our way across coral and seaweed-covered rocks to actually reach the water. I’d pictured myself hurling that pebble out to sea like an NFL quarterback. Instead, far clumsier than imagined, it just dropped a few feet away. I chalked it up to exhaustion, and to still having my 20 lb pack on, having ignored the book’s advice to drop it off at the hotel before the very, very steep descent into Old Town.

Now that I’ve made it to Robin Hood’s Bay, I can finally say it out loud: I completed this walk with ZERO BLISTERS!! Didn’t want to tempt fate by mentioning it any earlier. On Day 12 I put on a Compeed after feeling a little rubbing on the climb into Osmotherley, but otherwise, not even a hotspot.

A Quiet Celebration

I’d been expecting other finishers there, some sense of shared celebration, but I didn’t see a single other C2Cer, and didn’t even get a “congratulations” from the bartender at The Bay Hotel when I went to buy a completion certificate. Robin Hood’s Bay is really touristy and lots of people were there on holiday, none of whom seemed to have any clue about the C2C. Oh well. I had Lee there to celebrate with, and that was all I really needed. I’d been a little worried about how he’d handle nearly 16 miles today, not having done such a long hike before, but he had no trouble at all. I’d missed having him there for all the amazing experiences over the last two weeks, and having him with me for this entire final day’s walk was so much more special than if he’d just met me at the finish.

After finishing half our celebratory beers, we trudged back up the steep road and checked into the Victoria Hotel. We’d booked one of the nicer rooms, with a big balcony and two Adirondack chairs overlooking the sea. We were already looking forward to sitting out there tomorrow, listening to the sounds of the sea. First, though, we cleaned up and headed downstairs to the bar for dinner: mushroom & parmesan arancini, cheddar & onion croquettes, steamed mussels, and roasted squash ravioli.

We were both worn out, so it was an early night. Tomorrow we’ll rest and explore the village, then have a celebratory dinner with the Dutch family after they finish their C2C. We’ll spend the rest of the week in England, two nights each in Robin Hood’s Bay, York, and London (staying at my favorite hotel, The Langham, and celebrating our wedding anniversary and Lee’s birthday), before flying home on Sunday.

What’s Next?

This is the final post of my C2C daily journal. In the coming weeks, I’ll share a post reflecting on the experience, finally get my packing list published (including gear feedback), and maybe write a bit about our post-C2C travels around England.

It’s safe to say I’ve caught the long-distance walking bug, and I’ve already started researching where to go next. I haven’t picked a trail yet (open to suggestions!), but I’ll share more as those plans come together.