Saturday was THE hardest walk we have done so far, not so much due to terrain or distance, but heat. It started with a vertical climb up out of Millington to get back on the Wolds Way and ended with a downhill shuffle on the road to Thixendale as our tired and very wet bodies could simply not face another up, down valley walk.

But what an amazing walk. We trailed ancient earthworks at the top of Silvian Dale, traversed a Roman road (nothing to see), ambled across the tops peering down into Millington Dale, Nettle Dale, Pasture Dale (get the picture, lots of hung valleys and very dramatic scenery). Did we mention it’s bloomin hot?? Too hot for walking. We saw loads of wildflower meadows, wild orchids and amazing flowers and grasses.

We stopped for lunch at a valley called Horse Dale (no horses, just cows) and admired incredible scenery, before a very hot and long trudge to FridayThorpe.

Our lunch spot:

Who knew the petrol station at Fridaythorpe would feel so brilliant – they have AIRCON! Whoop!! So a refuel of water, rest stop and then 20 minutes sitting in the local bus shelter – which I have to say is the poshest and coolest we had ever seen.

Then it was the final 4 miles to Thixendale and boy were we tired. Too hot, feet hurting, more up down before we reached the road to Thixendale and said “screw it”. So we walked the 2 mile road rather than the 2.5 miles up down track. It’s not cheating, it was sensible in what felt like 39 degree oven heat.

Cue arrival at the cute pub at around 4:30pm, phew. How lovely, our host Steve brought us beer straight away and sat chatting. And the pub doesn’t open until 6pm.

Incredible little place here, so impressed. But no mobile signal at all and no WiFi, nada, zip. Unsurprisingly the that Mr Fogg called to check we had actually made it given the news was saying 35 degree temperatures during the day (sorry mum and Mr Fogg, we should have called but the large cool beer drew us in)

Dinner was rump steak, washed down with chocolate pudding. We think we earned that!

So early to bed tonight as Sunday is The Long Walk. Our hosts here kindly tell us it is 17 miles to our next accommodation. Ouch.

Numbers for Saturday:

3 blisters now

12 mile walk

29 degree heat

And Hikers do the Wolds in 35 Degrees Centigrade. Let’s hope they got water!

Bolstered by a hearty breakfast this morning we left Market Weighton with a spring in our step. The weather was overcast and cool and perfect for a walk. It started with trails through crop fields.

Today our 10 mile walk (I miscounted!!) would take us through the Londesborough Estate, across and through Nunburnholme, past Kilnwick Percy and down into Millington Bottom.

So far this has been the best of the two days. Rolling valleys, huge fields of maize, spring barley, kale and wildflower meadows with sweet grass ready for the farmers to harvest.

Londesborough is beautiful. Unfortunately the church is locked so we did not get to wander in. And there are no deer in the deer park either.

There were some long inclined today that really tested our stamina, but we did find somewhere dead quiet for lunch in Nunburnholme:

The views and heights today were pretty spectacular.

At one point today we only had 43 more miles to go to Filey.

And then we neared Millington. Oh boy. You walk on the very top of the hill and drop 120 metres in 1/2 a mile to Millington Bottom. And tomorrow we have to go back up to the top..,,

In the picture above, this is from Millington village. The hedge on the top of the hill is our path we came from and very top left of the picture, way at the top is actually horses, not dots. We walked down that left hand hedge line to the bottom.

So tonight the Gait Inn beckons. I think we need beer.

In numbers:

10 miles today

Another 29,000 steps (I think even the Fitbit gave up counting)

Still just one blister

And one slight groin pain for Dad

And both of us with very tired red hot feet

Oh and a stack of cashew nuts consumed, two protein bars, one banana, one pear and about our own body weight in water.

And tomorrow it’s going to be hotter….and we go all the way back up to the top. Yeah!!

So while “WalksWithRucksack” and Pops enjoy spending hours walking a route that takes 6 mins in the car, I’ve had to hike all the way up the field with lil miss Willow and have been forced to have a sit down with a cool bottle of something

So on Thursday, Mrs Fogg and Pops start to walk the Wolds Way, a mammoth 80 miles from South Cave to Filey.

Rucksacks packed, rough directions agreed and toilet-roll at the ready, then they’re off.

See ya in 6 days.