Day 18 - Sutton Bank

Distance Walked: 18.5km, Actual Time Taken: 4h 20m, Estimated Time Taken: 5h
Ascent:  687m, Descent: 529m, # Times Lost: 0
Beer: 1 pint Black Sheep (Harmless), G&T: Masons Yorkshire Gin (You Can Drink It)

I haven't suddenly developed a surge in speed.  The estimated time taken is high because the route notes over-estimated the distance.  Then I added a 2 mile detour to Rievaulx Abbey and the 1 mile detour to my B&B in Kilburn.  I guessed with a break for lunch and a amble around the abbey it would take me 7 hours door to door.  In the end it took me a little under 5 1/2 hours.  Even if the routes notes assumed you'd take the detour and added the distance to the B&B their numbers still don't add up.  

I didn't amble around the abbey in the end.  When I got there a school bus full of schoolgirls pulled up.  Also, they wanted 12 GBP as an entry fee.  I was too misanthropic and too cheap to go in so you'll have to settle for the photo I took from the road.  Or would but I seem to have accidentally deleted it from my phone.  Look at the pictures on the website.  They're better than mine was anyway.

I met up with a pair of men in their 60s (70s) at the abbey.  They were very friendly and chatty.  They are from Captain Cook's home town and were rather offended that Captain Cook monuments in Australia are not always treated kindly.  They didn't really grasp why celebrating the day he invaded might be considered a little tactless by the original inhabitants of Australia.  They were friendly enough inspite of that.  

They were very impressed that I was doing the Cleveland Way by myself.  I don't know why people think it is a big deal.  The path is clearly marked and you are never far from other people, roads or farms.  Plus the people here are very friendly and always seem willing to chat.  Soon after I left the abbey I met a solo woman hiker (about my age) headed the opposite way.  She stopped to chat.  She was headed for the abbey but when I told her about the schoolgirls she said that as an ex-school teacher she'd pass too!  Later on a met a pair of young men (they were in their 30s!)  headed the same way as me.  We chatted while we had lunch.  They are trying to do the whole way in 5 days.  I'm doing in 9 days of walking plus 1 rest day.  Plus they are camping so they are lugging all that gear around.   I wished them good luck.

A little further along the path dropped into woods with ponds full of ducks and undergrowth full of grouse.  I thought "how sweet" until I heard lots of bangs.  Turning a corner I came across three hunters shooting at anything that flew overhead.  They had their backs to me luckily.  Clearly they knew better to shoot towards the national trail.  Still, I was glad I was wearing a bright orange rain jacket.  The ponds between the path and the shooters was crammed full of ducks.  They seemed to have worked out they were safe there.  I felt a terrible hypocrite.  I'm certainly not a vegetarian and I'd happily eat duck if it was on a menu but I was hoping the ducks would be smart enough to stay put.

A little futher along things got rather weird.  In the middle of a forest clearing there was a brand new building, which appeared to be a cafe.  While the path was wide enough and firm enough underfoot that a quad bike or perhaps even a 4 wheel drive could get up there, there wasn't any cars around.  It was also rather off the beaten track.  Even on the Cleveland Way how much passing trade could they get?  Even weirder, about 20m away from the cafe, on the edge of the clearing was this child's cubby house.  I would have to crouch to get in the door.  The whole thing screamed "wicked witch".  In hindsight I wish I'd stopped for a coffee.

I had dinner at the Forresters Arms.  It is the only place to eat here.  They had standard pub things on the menu plus more fancy pants stuff.  I went for the fancy pants dishes and they were delicious.  It was all Not Bad.  The best meal I've had here.  

For starter I had roast butternut squash soup with rosemary croutons, fresh house baked bread with fresh churned butter.  For main I had pan fried duck breast (so much for wanting the ducks to win) in a sour cherry jus with dauphinois potatoes and asparagus.  For dessert I had lemon posset with raspberry sorbet and shortbread. They had decorated the shortbread with dabs of posset and fresh raspberries.  It was only through great strength of will I didn't order a second helping.