Day 10 - Laundry Latency

After a really good Thai dinner in one of Richmond's finest eating houses our hotel which had been selected from the many available due to their laundry facility advised us that they had a bedding backlog and might not be able to do it. If you're walking this isn't good news as everything you've worn is still wet and has been hanging round in your luggage for the best part of a week. Think forgeting to wash your p.e. kit and you'll get the olfactory picute. Luckily mine was just about ready on time but Sherpa Kerrs sock collection was half way through a spin cycle when the baggage moving company (also called Sherpa) arrived. Luckily we were able to book it to catch up with us in two days time at Osmotherly so it got sorted in the end.

Due to this and the purchase of additional socks we left Richmond quite late and continued our progress down the river Swale. After a nice picnic lunch near Catterick Bridge we carried on the longish slog towards Streetlam. A lot of the days walking was on on roads,luckily these are really quiet (3 cars an hour sort of quiet). Having been walking of soft grassy type surfaces hard tarmacy surfaces do make your feet hurt though so even though you are yomping through the miles it is ouchy. We reached the White Swan Pub in Danby Wiske (which was a couple of clicks before where we were staying) and were very good and only had coffee,aren't we good. Our shortcut to Lovesome Hill Farm was along a footpath which had probably not been used for 3 years and required that we climb through a hedge (for real) but we were soon arrived at the farm where Mary took pity upon our dishevelled selves and furnished us with home made oatey biccies and proper hot tea made with leaves and not bags. Oscar the Cat was guarding our luggage in the bunkhouse and soon took a liking to us and kindly showed us to our room which Sherpa Kerr was happy to note was furnished with "proper mugs" and not "poncy teacups".