A day of fun and danger

Some of you were worried about dangers on the walk. Well, there were some:















Fortunately, the warnings helped us avoid attack.

Also, we witnessed some serious indignities:



It must be a girl thing. Here are Mandy and Tanya taking a picture of me taking a picture of them:



Maybe I posted that one already.

So, I think that brings the photo additions up-to date.


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Bampton Grange

Bampton was one of those layovers not taken by the hardy who prefer to walk twenty miles a day, but it is a pleasant stop, as you can see:





The dry stone walls are gorgeous. Maybe the moss and ferns growing out of them are not good for the structure, but they are pleasing to the eye:





Some of the gate are beautiful, too:







The room at the B and B was spare. No kettle (all rooms have a kettle), no table or chair, no amenities at all except for this phone!




Being able to get one's pint is serious business:






You would not believe what this truck is really for. Just to impress the point, here are two shots, front and side:









The answer will be at the end of the post.

Some establishments have limited hours:





Again, just to give a sense of the surroundings:






And the other direction:





Identity of the truck: It is the local fire truck!

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On the Way to Ennerdale

This is when the kvetching and the rain begin--in reverse order. What kills me is that the rain does not show in photos, but this "stream" is supposed to be dry, and don't think it was easy getting across. No, I did not manage without help:





The B and B in Ennerdale did not have private bathrooms. One bathroom had a tub, but the owners had removed the hot water tap and there was no plug for the drain! This is how the toilet flushed:





Don't you love it!

This poor sheep really got a radical shave:



And this is a section of the "path" in the rain. It really did not matter if your boots were waterproof because the water came over the tops.


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Location:Bishop St,New Haven,United States

First day of walking

This sign is probably not legible, but it announces the official beginning of the walk, even though the walk itself is not official. In other words, it is not a National Trail, so it doesn't have to have a lot in the way of signage, nor does it get maintenance except for what locals or walkers offer.



Typical view:




Uh-oh! What a big gate! Can't get over it, can't get under it, can't get around it...



But lookee here, a style, way off to the side:





Isn't this the sweetest bridge? One feels quite like Olga Korbut crossing it.




Just for those of you who think that this kind of a walk is like an amble through East Rock Park, here is a bit of evidence to the contrary:






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Addenda to St. Bees

It is not quite the same writing from home, but welcome back to St. Bees.

How does the technologically savvy (hah!) traveler prepare?




Not to mention extra batteries for GyPSy (AA), the keyboard (AAA), and the camera. Having acquired a cheap cell phone for the UK ahead of time was most convenient. You can see its big fat charger plug in the photo. Having an Oyster Card for the Underground (not in the photo), though with more rides on it than was necessary, also saved time and hassle. I am keeping it for next year.

And here is the well-packed suitcase in the process of being unpacked. Those Eagle Creek zippered bags are great. Of course, you do have to remember what you put in each one!




Doesn't Abbey Farm House have a pretty garden?



The Irish Sea looks so different from the North Sea. True, this photo was taken at low tide, but still....





This next picture is for the crossword crowd. It is a picture clue at a Monday level of difficulty. The first part has twelve letters. The second part has eight letters but the ninth letter of the first phrase crosses with the sixth letter of the second phrase. (That is legitimate, isn't it?) Oh, and one more thing, Rex would hate it, but then he would never sanction a picture clue, no, not our Rex. But maybe Puzzle Girl would.




I am sorry to say that there is no prize--unless I can think of one--for the person(s) who figure out the answer.

I am such a sucker for flowers. But really, hydrangeas love living in England:




And for other things British, such as Her Maajesty's post boxes built into walls:




Meet the eponymous ancestress of St. Bee's. This is her best side, and if you care about her story, you can read it below.







There is a church in the town; I don't think there is a town without a church, but this one has a cemetery with gardens:




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NZ 95348 04847

I can't believe it is over!

But first two more items from yesterday.

I heard someone use "snicket" in a sentence, as in "turn left and go through the snicket." That is one wonderful word.

As I was leaving the nature preserve, I encountered a long line of people filing in. We got to chatting and someone asked me if I was doing the Coast to Coast.

"Yes, I am," replied I.

"Oh, one of our members just finished. Ray." "Right, Ray," said another.

"Ray? Ray Croft," I asked?

"Yes, that is the one."

"I know him!"

"Oh you are the lady he was talking about!"

"He helped me out along the section to Patterdale!" And here he is after we had our tea:





This morning I had a moment of panic. Left the farm, turned on GyPSy, and there was nothing but a black screen with the word Garmin showing. No search for satellites, nothing. I pressed every button, turned it off, turned it on, changed the batteries even though I had changed them last night. It had to happen today, the day I was on my own! As soon as I moved away from the big tree under which I was standing, she started to gear up! Phew!

I was glad that I walked through the first section yesterday because in the early morning it has a kind of you-are-in-a German-forest kind of feel, if you know what I mean.

This is what stepping stones look like when they are not under four feet of water:





Note that you can actually use them, as opposed to these, from one of the horrible rainy days, when you could not:





Yes, that is I, and that was one of the easier crossings that day.

There was a bit of tricky navigating through some boggy moor land, but I made only one tiny mistake. Yeay, me!!

Here is a shot of the North Sea. Since it was almost high tide, it looks a lot less dramatic than it would at low tide:





Can you see the gulls bobbing about?



You know who this is? It is Wilbur's cousin. He is the you-know-what of the family. He does not do the happy dance, and he did not get a special bell from his maaaa-maaaaaa. Hmmm, maybe that is why he does not do the happy dance.




Would you believe the mother-daughter "outfits" here?




No flags were flying when I arrived in Robin Hood's Bay, so I checked into my B and B and happily changed my boots for shoes, which I had carried with me, knowing that the suitcase would not arrive until late.

The bathroom is---well, see for yourself. Here is a picture called Socks In A Sink With Running Water:




Robin Hood's Bay is a cute town:





Some of its citizens are pranksters, though:






Most people celebrate the finish of the walk with a beer. This was my treat:





It was good to the last drop:





The young girls who worked in the shop thought I was a complete nut case taking pictures of the latte, but Alex A said that people like pictures of food!

Wouldn't it be awful to crash into these rocks?



Apparently, it was not so uncommon. If you have a minute, and if the plaque is legible, read this account of a rescue:





The tide being at its height, I could not pick up the obligatory pebble, but here is NZ 95348 04847, the official end:




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Location:Robin Hood's Bay