From Acorn To Arabella.
Steve and Robin recently spent some time hiking across northern England, following Alfred Wainwright’s 190-mile-long trail from coast to coast, through three national parks: the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and the North York Moors. The trail can be walked in either direction, though it is most often hiked from west to east—from St. Bees Head to Robin Hood’s Bay. And that’s exactly what they did…
The crew consisted of Steve and Robin, Robin’s mom, Wendy, and Robin’s honorary aunt, Debbie. Before beginning their hike, the crew headed down to the beach to dip their boots in the ocean, and choose pebbles that they would carry with them all the way to Robin Hood’s Bay. Once in Robin Hood’s Bay, they would toss the pebble back into the ocean, signifying the end of their journey.
Steve and Robin couldn’t help but imagine Arabella anchored off the rocky shoreline of northern England. Sigh. Someday…
The first five days of the hike took them through the Lake District, marked by steep, technical climbs and lots of scrambling—but with plenty of breathtaking views to distract them from their burning quads! Steve and Robin broke off from the group to explore some higher summits and narrow ridge lines, and Robin did some even more advanced exploring, visiting the summit of Helvellyn—the third highest summit in the country.
After the Lake District came the Yorkshire Dales, where Robin and Steve were able to tour the Richmond Castle. This castle was built sometime around 1100, and is one of the best-preserved early Norman castles in England.
Next came the North York Moors, which were exactly what Steve and Robin expected them to be: windy, misty, disorienting, and just a little bit eerie. The Moors definitely lived up to their reputation!
Each night, they stayed in quaint villages, at the most hospitable Bed & Breakfasts, eating dinner at the most local of local pubs.
The journey was characterized by sheep, sheep, and more sheep, plenty of challenging navigational hurdles, complicated gates, hundreds of miles of stone walls, and just a tad bit of mud…but the weather was uncharacteristically pleasant! They enjoyed panoramic views, endless visibility, sunshine, and friendly temps for almost the whole journey. Almost…
The crew arrived together in Robin Hood’s Bay—a town with a rich archeological history—two weeks after starting their journey. There, they dipped their boots in the ocean, tossed their pebbles, and sat down for a well-deserved cup of tea, with scones and clotted cream.
With their coast to coast hike behind them, it’s time for Steve and Robin to get back to sailing—it’s time to move Arabella from its winter home in Harwichport, and get going to wherever their next home-for-the-time-being will be. Join us as the adventure continues!
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Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38′ wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin’s Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel’s gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat—sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they’ve built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
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