Thought I'd give an update, now that I've finished walking the C2C. To be completely honest, if I had known beforehand what it would be like, I might not have gone. But since I survived it, I'm glad that I did. I found it to be a much, much harder walk than either the Camino Frances or the Portuguese Camino. I went with a Camino friend, 10 years younger than me, and his help got me through countless difficult spots. I can handle steep climbs and descents, up to a point. It was when the steep climb was on a narrow, rocky path, and became so steep that it was hard for me to find a secure foothold that I had problems--vertigo, fear of falling, severe anxiety, etc. On those spots my walking companion would hold my wrist and walk ahead of me, until it was slightly less steep and I could breathe again and go on my own. The other terrifying spots were when the trail was narrow and there was a drop-off on one side. That didn't happen often, but more than I expected. For those of you who aren't bothered by edges or scrambling or climbing up extremely steep paths, my fears probably sound silly, but they weren't silly for me.
But aside from that, the bogs and mud and countless stiles to climb and sheep dung to avoid and gale force winds one day and rapid streams to ford and even most of the climbs and descents--all that was difficult but, in hindsight, exciting and adventuresome. My son says that "adventure is misery recalled in comfort" and that describes a lot of the C2C for me. But the rest, the glorious views day in and day out, even in the rain, were worth any amount of misery.
I also had the misfortune to have two nasty falls in the last two days of the walk. The first was on a steep gravel hill, when my pole slipped and then my foot and I fell very hard on a knee and elbow. The second fall was on the final day, walking towards the North Sea. We came to a boardwalk and my foot caught on the edge, causing me to fall very hard on the side of my face. I had a bad cut next to my eye which was stitched the following day, as well as a mild concussion, and the aches and pains that a hard fall can give one. All the same, I was able to walk the final 6 or 7 miles along the North Sea, delighting in the view and knowledge that I was close to dipping my boots in the sea and throwing in my rock. It was a heady feeling to do that, and then to go to Wainwright's pub, sign the book, and enjoy a pint of lager.
Oh, and since I've been home, I've found out that I suffered a fracture in one foot early on in the walk. I thought I'd pulled a ligament in the foot, but the xray revealed the fracture. I'm glad I didn't know it at the time.
In spite of everything, I'm so glad that I did the walk and can say that I've walked all the way across England!