It all caught up with me today. I was probably the slowest walker in England. Wendy left us this morning so there are now only three left. My feet survived their two dozen hotspots of last night with only one blister- which I think is a minor miracle but I was so focused on my feet, I forgot about my legs which were stiff and really hurt this morning.
We started out on a logging track walking in tried muddy paths built by heavy equipment up a hill. The only part of the path they seemed to have built was to cut down the larger trees, leaving smaller branches for us to trip over and some places to wade through. Definitely watch your footing and while we had a few stumbles, we did not have any tumbles. Ultimately we hit the top of the north Yorkshire moors which I think is the prettiest part of the trip so far. The hill tops have a combination of fields and heather and forests and we alternated walking though all of it repeatedly. The views from the top were incredible, all the way back to nine standards of a few days and dozens of miles ago. The forest paths had more garlic and lots of bluebells on either side, Fields had farms with cows and lambs.
Most of the day was relatively clear but we watched rain showers gather around us and finally give us a slight shower. It is always neat to watch a storm come in from a mountain top. The paths, after the first bit, were relatively good, many were prepared by the national park service but my legs were still so weak from yesterday downwards, still steep, was practically at a crawl so I could minimize pressure on the thighs. Everyone was very understanding. We went up and down five hills, and around a sixth before finishing for the day and visiting the remains of a local abbey. Henry VIII got to this one too but it remained relatively well preserved. Sleep tonight is at queen Catherines in osmotherly. Hopefully the legs will be ready in the morning.
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