Slept well and woke just before 7:00am. Packed and went to breakfast at 8:00am where we met Angela and her husband who had also stayed the night. The night before last they had stayed at Oak Lodge, Ellerton Hill where we were heading today. paid the bill (Ł60) and were away by 9:08am. The weather was still cloudy but dry. A short stroll and we were negotiating the crossing of the A19. We were lucky and negotiated the first carriage way almost immediately and after a short wait on the central reservation a gap appeared big enough for us to reach the safety of the other side. We bought some sandwiches, crisps, orange juice etc from the service station for our lunch and were on our way by 9:30am. An hour passed before to our surprise we met the first coast to coaster of the day followed shortly afterwards by two more all who had stayed the night at Lovesome Hill. At 11:00am we stopped for a break at the corner of a field that two tractors busily drilling and rolling. The first two overnighters from Danby Wiske arrived followed closely by two young men who had camped at the pub there. Although it is currently closed it is still open for campers. They both looked tired and Gemma offered them biscuits to try to raise their spirits. More Danby Wiskers followed. We had the 'excitement' of the railway crossing and then passed three Australian women who were the last of those who has set off from Danby Wiske that day. At Northfields House we were not 'attacked' by dogs, as on my previous walk, but instead there was a basket of fruit on offer. We bought two bananas (20p each) and ate them. The weather had brightened and in comparison with the previous day it was becoming quite warm. By Moor House, at around 12:30pm, we encountered Lorraine and Mark who had spent last night at Oak Lodge and a Danish girl on her own, camping and carrying all her own gear. All were headed for Ingleby Cross that day. We passed the bus stop on Oak Tree Hill where my father had waited forlornly in the rain 29 years earlier for a bus into Northallerton to seek the refuge of a B&B for Ł7!! About a mile from Danby Wiske we stopped in a gateway to a field and ate lunch. The cloud had broken and it was pleasantly warm. Several coast to coasters passed us having started the day in or near Richmond and heading for Ingleby. An hour later we set off again into Danby Wiske resisting the temptation to stop for a cup of tea and the cakes on offer. 4 Coast to Coasters were standing on the green opposite the pub but they had reached their destination for the day already. In total we had passed about 25 Coast to Coasters today. We pressed on and at Whitewell Moor I had planned a deviation from the route which in retrospect was not to be recommended! We took a bridleway on the left. At a corner in the field it disappeared with the only trace being horses hoof marks heading diagonally across the newly sown crops. It was rough going. Eventually we emerged onto the B road with traffic speeding along it including a police car with siren and blue flashing. It was only three quarters of a mile before we took another bridleway right up to Oak Lodge but it seemed a lot further! We arrived at our B&B at 17:00pm. It had been the longest day so far in distance and Gemma had felt tired most of the day. Tomorrow we would reach Richmond and the decision on whether to continue needed to be made. Gemma felt that she had experienced the Coast to Coast sufficiently over the last 6 days and more was not for her.

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