Kirkby Stephen to Robin Hood’s Bay
We arrived at Kirby Stephen in the afternoon; our taxi was waiting to take us to the town, about a mile from the railway station. We arrived too early to be let in to our accommodation so we crossed the road to a tea room where we had a refreshing pot of tea and a slice of homemade cake.
We checked into our B & B just after 4pm. After being shown around the property and discussing where to eat for the evening, it was time for a stroll around the town looking more in depth at the history of Kirkby Stephen as we had more time than on our last visit. Whilst out and about we booked a table at the local pub for our evening meal, as suggested by our hosts, then it was off to find the start point ready for tomorrow and to check out the historical sites. Kirkby Stephen is a little market town on the west side of the Pennines and it was granted a market charter in 1361. The cobbled square is where bull baiting took place until 1820 when, one day, a bull broke loose killing some bystanders. Another interesting tourist site is the 13th century red stone church but unfortunately it was closed when we visited. At the other end of the town, near our accommodation, we saw a road sign showing destinations in miles and furlongs. We ventured on to find Frank’s Bridge by the river; it’s thought to be named after a local brewer of the 19th century. After crossing the river we found the first sign for the Coast 2 Coast, so here was our starting point for tomorrow. We walked on along the path until we came to a seat which was overlooking part of Kirkby Stephen. We sat for a while, chatted, and spoke to some of the locals walking their dogs before making our way back to our B&B.
After the usual phone call home, announcing that we had arrived safely, we set out for our evening meal. The evening was very pleasant and the meal was delicious, washed down with a pint or two of “Black Sheep” beer. What could be better? Then off for our final stroll around Kirkby Stephen before a good night’s sleep ready for tomorrow.