For the last day of my holiday I had a short walk from Grinton Lodge Youth Hostel to the castle town of Richmond. This was mostly a dull walk under stunning weather with just a few of highlights. The first was Steps Wood on a path between Marrick Abbey and the village of Marrick. This ancient path passes through a wonderful wood that was resplendent in a dense covering of woodland plants that were sadly not yet in bloom. This clearly defined path was still a pleasure to walk up as Steps Wood is one of those beautiful, ancient woods that are tragically fast disappearing from our countryside. Another highlight of the walk was Applegarth Scar, below which is an extensive view across Swaledale. The path continues below Whitcliffe Scar before entering Whitcliffe Wood, another delightful walk through a wood that was also bedecked with woodland plants, which is a sure sign of health in a wood (as well as the welcoming sound of birds).
After a dreary farmland crossing between Marrick and Applegarth this was a wonderfully relaxing way to end the walk under a warm sun. Emerging from the wood I walked along a road all the way into Richmond which has some interesting historical buildings but was just too crowded for my tastes. After a wander around the castle walls I caught a bus to Darlington and thence a train home. This was a good week's walk with a wide variety of walking. The change in scenery as I have crossed the country was dramatic. My heart belongs in the Lake District, so that was easily my favourite part of the holiday and the rest of the walk couldn't hope to compare. But that is one of the attractions of the coast to coast, that it passes through such a wide variety of landscapes, some of which will naturally appeal to you more than others. Besides the mountains of the Lake District, the mines of Gunnerside on the day before this walk were really fascinating and I wished I'd been able to spend more time exploring them. 
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