C2C Day 11: Mother Nature Shows Off...

After dinner, Mother Nature gave us a show with a double rainbow.

Unfortunately, my photos don’t really do it justice.

The sunset wasn’t particularly colorful, but it was still impressive.

C2C Day 11: Rawcar Farm...

Our 11.8-mile (19K) walk ended outside of the small village of Danby Wiske at an organic farm called Rawcar Farm, another bed and breakfast that ranked as one of our favorites.

The bed and breakfast had just two bedrooms, each with a huge bathroom. After some afternoon tea and cake, it felt great to take a nap.

The dining room, where we were served a delicious three-course gourmet dinner (the boys had organic beef from the farm) and a hearty breakfast the following morning, was in a converted barn that was previously used for lambing (like a delivery ward for sheep in labor).

The living room, with its 180 degree views of the farm, was built over the footprint of the original wheelhouse, which was used to grind corn with the help of horses.

It was a warm and inviting place to spend the evening.

Before dinner, Jimmy and took a walk around the grounds and met some of the cows...

...and sheep.

We also learned about composting dog poo using worms, which we thought was an excellent idea. 

C2C Day 11: A Most Unusual Spot for Lunch...

Stage 11: Richmond to Danby Wiske

It was raining lightly, so we decided to stop at St. Mary’s Church in Bolton-on-Swale to dry off.

Seems like the cemetery had seen better days.

Imagine our surprise when we found a note outside with instructions for turning on the lights so we could see while we enjoyed drinks from their honor bar (non-alcoholic, of course) with our packed lunches.

Originally built in the 1400s, the church was charming. We were so impressed that as strangers just passing through, we were trusted alone in this small village’s house of worship.

We picnicked next to a bulletin board about Flat Jesus, presumably a take-off on Flat Stanley.

Yes, that is a bottle of wine on the table, but we opted to drink it later and stuck with juice and coffee inside the church.

Our timing was perfect because the skies were clear when we left and we stayed dry the rest of the day.

C2C Day 11: Through the Fields...

Stage 11: Richmond to Danby Wiske

As you can see, there was no expense spared for some of the signs.

We went through yet more fields...

...and saw more sheep.

The big change today was that for the first time we went through fields growing cash crops rather than the usual livestock feed.

How nice to know that we were legally able to cross the farms without fears of some crazy farmer threatening to shoot us as trespassers as would likely happen in the US. 

We enjoyed the change in scenery as we tried identifying the various grains and veggies.

C2C Day 11: Along the Riverside...

Stage 11: Richmond to Danby Wiske

After another breakfast of kippers, we set off hiking along the River Swale with a lovely view of Richmond Castle.

We crossed several bridges...

...saw some sculptures...

...and encountered yet more stiles.

C2C Day 10: Richmond Castle...

We were glad to arrive in Richmond early enough that there was time to visit Richmond Castle. The keep was likely built in the mid-1200s and this impressive room probably served as its great hall.

As usual, I enjoyed trying to capture photos from the small windows used to defend the tower by archers and others.

From the top of the tower we caught a nice view of this historic market town and home to around 9,000.

We also had a great view of the remains of the castle fortifications, called the curtain, which would have contained all the main domestic buildings built in the 11th century.

The Norman keep is 100 feet (30 meters) high and topped with four square turrets.

This 11th century ruins has been known as Scolland’s Hall since at least 1400, and is one of the most important surviving examples of early medieval domestic architecture in England.

There was a nice view down to the River Swale, which we would be hiking along the following day.

After visiting the castle, we enjoyed some cocktails and dinner at a hotel restaurant in the main square.

C2C Day 10: Into Richmond...

Stage 10: Reeth to Richmond

This tree was nice and dramatic and presumably dead since it had no leaves in July.

Jimmy had a good laugh when he sat on this bench for a view of Richmond that was completely blocked by overgrown bushes.

Later there was a clear spot that we could get a view of the largest city that we’d visit on the entire route.

After 11.2 miles (19K), we arrived in Richmond. While the city center was basically flat, our guest house was at the bottom of a steep hill.

The Old Brewery Guest House might have had only three stars, but our room was very nice and we really liked it.