What I did on my summer vacation

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Racine_Ron.jpg” caption=”Ron Racine takes a break while on an adventurous hike across England with his wife Yvonne. “]When most people think of vacation, they think R&R – rest and relaxation. However, Ron Racine, chair of the psychology, neuroscience and behaviour department, and his wife Yvonne are always on the lookout for challenging trips. The Racines' vacations usually involve either biking or hiking, although they have also done canoe, kayak, horse, and camel trips. This summer, fueled by Guinness and assorted English ales, this adventurous pair hiked across England.
Below, Racine shares some of what he did on his summer vacation.
My wife Yvonne and I love active vacations and a little adventure, although as I get older the label 'soft adventure' is probably more accurate. We also love good food, and that was the one downside of hiking in England. The walk itself is wonderful – one of my favorites, so far. It runs from St. Bees on the Irish Sea to Robin Hoods Bay on the North Sea. It is 307 kilometres long and cuts through the Lake District in Cumbria and two Yorkshire national parks. However, (and my apologies to my English colleagues) I should get the dining part of this trip out of the way first.
Although I should have known better (my wife is from Glasgow), I ordered the full English breakfast the first morning of the walk. These breakfasts have always been a cardiologist's delight, but the English seem to have embraced the 'supersize me' concept. Imagine a large platter containing a huge piece of Cumberland sausage, several large strips of back bacon, two greasy fried eggs, about half a litre of beans, and a pile of fried potatoes. Then add some boiled mushrooms and a grilled tomato, not to mention plenty of toast, butter and marmalade. It was then I knew that this was actually high-risk adventure! Maybe I am exaggerating a little, but let's just say that the establishments where we dined will probably not be showing up in any Zagat reviews. Fortunately, the walk, the scenery, the people, the history, and the English ale made these considerations insignificant.
The route was initially worked out by Alfred Wainwright, an avid explorer of the English countryside. The tradition for this walk is to dip your boot into the Irish Sea before starting out and again in the North Sea at the end and to carry a pebble from one coast to the other. After walking a mile from the B&B (weighted down by my full English breakfast), we found that the tide was far out, with the shoreline somewhere beyond the misty horizon. We stood for a while debating the value of tradition, but made the trek, dipped our boots and got underway.
Wainwright put the walk together largely from portions of local trails and right-of-ways over private property. The trails in the Cumbrian section are the most spectacular, running through the peaks of the Lakes District. There are wonderful views when it isn't raining, and even in rain and mist you have a sense of the wild beauty of the area. The Yorkshire moors are no less dramatic, with much more colour than we expected.
The Coast-to-Coast hike is not yet an official National trail, so it's a bit light on sign posting. Trails are apt to disappear, especially in the boggy areas of which there are quite a few. Our guidebook was written in the local vernacular, so initially we had some difficulty with directions that told us to go between the 'gills,' cross the 'beck,' or pass the 'scar.' If you add bad weather to the mix, finding your way can be quite a problem. Fortunately, I make up for my abysmal sense of direction by having good skills with map and compass, which was essential on this hike.
The weather turned out to be very good for our first three days in the peaks. It was occasionally a little misty, but that just made the already green landscape more vibrant. The terrain was a lot rockier than I expected and the trails, especially the descents, quite a bit steeper – I'm not sure that the English have grasped the notion of switchbacks. There was only one truly flat section in the whole walk.
The continual up and down took a toll on my already gimpy knees – an experience shared by many Coast-to-Coasters. Every little general store in even the smallest village seems to carry knee braces. To add to my orthopedic stress, many years of aerobic step classes seemed to unleash a competitive streak in my wife. Any unduly perky hiker that we encountered, especially going uphill, was quickly pursued and overtaken if at all possible.
We met surprisingly few other walkers. There were a number of days when we didn't see anyone, and we never encountered more than half a dozen other hikers, a surprising number of whom turned out to be clergymen. The exception was at the end of the fourth day, as we were nearing Pattersdale. Despite the knee threatening descents, this area is fell-walking and fell-running country. These folks are frighteningly fit. I was soon disabused of the notion that we were setting a blistering pace as a number of these athletes passed us on the run on a very steep stretch. Fortunately, Yvonne had enough sense of self-preservation to let that lot go.
We stayed in B&Bs located in small villages at the end of each day. A much more important establishment, however, was the pub – one of England's great cultural achievements. This is where we ran into most of our fellow hikers, and where we fueled up on ale. Some of our most enjoyable pub experiences were with two Australian women also doing the walk. They had a knack for insult humor and trash talking that made me feel right at home.
For the first half of the walk, nearly every house, church, fence, barn or shed was made from stone. There were many sheep pastures, all enclosed by stone walls. Most of these were first built in the 11th century, according to the locals. Many of these walls went straight up the sides of steep slopes. Judging from the rock-strewn terrain that we crossed, they didn't have to go far for materials.
The slopes were gentler coming out of Cumbria. The walks were physically less challenging, but the scenery was still enchanting. The grasses and heathers make the treeless hills look like they're covered in velvet, particularly after a rain.
Oh, did I mention the change in weather? Days four to six were cold, windy, and wet – full rain gear required. After that, we experienced a few of the hottest days in local memory.
All-in-all, this trip was even more enjoyable than I had expected. Even though we walked for two weeks, I would have been happy to add another week, and include some side hikes.
For next year, we are considering either Tuscany or Patagonia. I would like to go to Patagonia, and my wife would like to go to Tuscany. I think we'll be going to Tuscany.