I found the start of day 5 very difficult.  We left Ant, Jane and Nick for them to take Nick to Robin Hood's Bay and to take Ant off to A&E.  It felt wrong.  I was so much looking forward to getting to Robin Hood's Bay with all 5 riders together.  All I could hope for was that the visit to A&E would be quick and that everyone would be there when the 4 of us arrived.  Fortunately A&E in Whitby was very efficient and we were all together at the end.

We were immediately met by a 600 foot climb through a wood.  This was one of the last times we put our bikes on our backs.





The terrain and the countryside changed again when we got on top of the moors.  This is an incredible expanse of land that is so different from the peaks and lakes of the first 2 days.  It is miles and miles of rolling tracks over heather covered moors.







The nicely manicured tracks meant that riding was really pleasant and Robin Hood's Bay was getting ever closer.



We stopped off at The Wheatsheaf near Egton half way through the day.  The food was really nice and the landlord full of advice.



The last real test was the hill out of Grosmont.  It was on road, but totally impossible to ride, unless you're Scott, the Mountain Goat.  It fluctuated between 25% and 33% gradient.  Half way up the hill I got my first glimpse of the sea and asked a walker if the castle we could see was at Whitby.  This chap was on the penultimate day of the Coast to Coast walk that we was doing with his children, wife, parents-in-law and grandmother-in-law.  His grandmother was 82.  Amazing.

Our reliance on the GPS is shown by Buzz's confusion when trying to interpret road signs.  I think we need to turn right Buzz.........



Although, there are some signs that just can not be ignored........


 
The miles were soon disappearing and we reached the plateau before the descent into Robin Hood's Bay, but not before one last climb with bikes on backs out of the very small village of Littlebeck.



This road was called Lousy Hill Lane.  At least someone had a sense of humour.
 
I wanted to enjoy every last minute of this and take in every moment.  The adrenalin was flowing and the joy was mixed with a feeling of not really wanting the ride to come to an end.









Here we are dipping the wheels in the water, until a wave soaked us.



The seven of us got together on the walk way down to the beach and enjoyed a well deserved glass of champagne.







Robin Hood's Bay really is a beautiful place to finish the ride.  The bay at low tide is one of most fantastic sights on the whole of the ride.  You can really feel the history of this small fishing village.   We stayed in the Boat House B&B, which was really nice with excellent hosts.  It is an old building that has been renovated to respect the original shape and style of the location.  The breakfast was very nice as well.  I would recommend eating at the Bramblewick Restaurant which is opposite the Boat House. 



Hywel and I show how tired, sad, but happy (and in my case in need of a shave) we were.  However, once a couple of bottles of wine had been opened, things started to liven up again.









The emotions that you feel at the end of the ride are bizarre.  There is the obvious overwhelming feeling of achievement and the pride of having completed such a difficult and arduous journey.  This is also tinged with a little sadness with the fact that the time you've spent with a great bunch of friends is coming to an end and that going back to the daily routine is just round the corner. 

The Coast to Coast bike ride has been such an integral part of our lives for the past 8 or 9 months and now it was coming to an end.









If you are looking for a great way to spend a week and a challenge to put your biking (and walking) skills to the test look no further than this.

This really was one of the most bizarre, enjoyable, challenging and strangely emotional weeks of my life.