A wonderful two and threequarter hour walk along an immaculate beach from Skipsea to Bridlington. Bridlington was buzzing and I buzzed off as quickly as I could.
I was aiming for a site at Reighton but it was about twenty miles. At Marton there was a Brown Sign pointing to Bempton which was on my route and about five miles short of Reighton. The sign said "camping and caravan - Bempton - 1.5miles". That looked like good news. Arriving Bempton there was a very posh caravan site that didn't take tents, and a bit further on a Caravan Club CL which didn't take tents because it had no toilet facility. Having been wrongly informed by the Brown Sign I marched on towards Reighton on a moderately busy B road. One mile short of Reighton I found a C and C. Club CL, and there is a reputedly decent pub about three hundred yards up the road.
From brief conversation with people I have had today there is no doubt that I am back in Yorkshire.
Coming out of Bridlington toward the cliffs there is a line of seats along the path all with sea views. This line of seats extends for perhaps half a mile with seats at twenty foot intervals. All the seats are dedicated to loved ones who have passed away many with maudlin statements. I don't know how this is arranged but I found it a bit depressing.
I made a short cut today from my original route planning by missing out Flamborough Head.
Stile count still at sixteen.
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Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Monday, 28 June 2010
Day 17 - Hornsea to Skipsea
After yesterday with more than twenty miles on the hottest day so far, I decided to have a short day today.
I shopped in Hornsea for tent pegs. The original Terra Nova ones lost their steel tips then the carbon shafts just split. I bought some small biodegradable plastic pegs in Lowestoft and they just snap into pieces with any pressure. I have had to settle for some rather large, red plastic pegs. The trouble is that the ground is so hard with lack of rain it is difficult to put pegs in at all.
It has been good to be back with the sea again, and the cliff path mostly delightful, but every so often the landscape is blotted with very badly planned, and often ramshackle static caravan sites. The last one at Skipsea, where I am now, took over the Coastal margin for a kilometer, so I had to walk inland where I have discovered this very well administered camping and caravan site. The lady gave me first hand information about walking to Bridlington on the beach, and she checked the tide tables for me.
I have had a shower and washed all my clothes and now intend to explore the village.
The stile count has mounted up a bit and now stands at sixteen.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I shopped in Hornsea for tent pegs. The original Terra Nova ones lost their steel tips then the carbon shafts just split. I bought some small biodegradable plastic pegs in Lowestoft and they just snap into pieces with any pressure. I have had to settle for some rather large, red plastic pegs. The trouble is that the ground is so hard with lack of rain it is difficult to put pegs in at all.
It has been good to be back with the sea again, and the cliff path mostly delightful, but every so often the landscape is blotted with very badly planned, and often ramshackle static caravan sites. The last one at Skipsea, where I am now, took over the Coastal margin for a kilometer, so I had to walk inland where I have discovered this very well administered camping and caravan site. The lady gave me first hand information about walking to Bridlington on the beach, and she checked the tide tables for me.
I have had a shower and washed all my clothes and now intend to explore the village.
The stile count has mounted up a bit and now stands at sixteen.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Day 16 - Humber Bridge (south) to Hornsea
Last night was dreadful. On getting back from the pub meal at about 8.15pm the people in the next tent were playing heavy beat music and drinking and talking. As far as I could tell they were husband and wife and a visiting male friend. Thankfully at 9.00pm they turned the music off... but at 10.20 it came back on. I stuck my head out of my tent and asked them to turn it off. There were mutterings and drunken laughter but it was turned off, then I started to worry about a possible reprisal. They were talking about their hi fi at 1000 watts and his brother's at 2400 watts. The husband's language, with hardly any exageration, included the f word in between practically all other words. They then started boasting to each other about fights they had been in, and being arrested and all sorts of altercations with police. These were very unpleasant people and I became more worried that they may try something on. There was not much I could do, but I fixed my phone so that the key pad was at default with a view to ringing police if neccessary. They went on making noise and doing exagerrated belches etc. Until 1.15 am. As far as I know i never slept all night. I was up at 5.30 and away by 6.15.
The crossing of The Humber Bridge took 40 mins. Exiting the other end was a problem because a marathon was being run and various walkways were closed, so I lost about twenty minutes finding my way. The walk along the Humber shoreline to Kingston was long and hot.
I was following The Trans Pennine Trail which follows an old railway line right out of K on H, and then all the way to Hornsea. I had found a cafe coming out of the town and had two bottles of Lucozade but bought more at a pub on the way. It was one of the hottest walks I can remember.
Arriving at Hornsea the site I was aiming for had closed years ago. The taxi driver I asked pointed me to a Caravan and Camping Club CL site that I must have walked near to on the way in. He instructed his assistant to take me there for free and I agreed. As I had already walked past this point earlier, and will continue from here in the morning my consience is clear about potential cheating, and in any case I am the one making the rules.
At the site nobody was at home save for one caravan on the site. I sat and waited in the shade. After fifteen minutes the guy from the caravan came and told me the owners were away, so after some discussion I decided to pitch. Brian and and Sue invited me to their van for tea and cake and we chatted happily for a couple of hours. They were pleasant and interesting people, and it is these kind of happenings that make these trips memorable.
It is now 7.00 pm and I have put the tent up but there is no shade and it is too hot to cook inside so I am now considering cooking outside.
There is no signal here so this will most likely get posted tomorrow.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
The crossing of The Humber Bridge took 40 mins. Exiting the other end was a problem because a marathon was being run and various walkways were closed, so I lost about twenty minutes finding my way. The walk along the Humber shoreline to Kingston was long and hot.
I was following The Trans Pennine Trail which follows an old railway line right out of K on H, and then all the way to Hornsea. I had found a cafe coming out of the town and had two bottles of Lucozade but bought more at a pub on the way. It was one of the hottest walks I can remember.
Arriving at Hornsea the site I was aiming for had closed years ago. The taxi driver I asked pointed me to a Caravan and Camping Club CL site that I must have walked near to on the way in. He instructed his assistant to take me there for free and I agreed. As I had already walked past this point earlier, and will continue from here in the morning my consience is clear about potential cheating, and in any case I am the one making the rules.
At the site nobody was at home save for one caravan on the site. I sat and waited in the shade. After fifteen minutes the guy from the caravan came and told me the owners were away, so after some discussion I decided to pitch. Brian and and Sue invited me to their van for tea and cake and we chatted happily for a couple of hours. They were pleasant and interesting people, and it is these kind of happenings that make these trips memorable.
It is now 7.00 pm and I have put the tent up but there is no shade and it is too hot to cook inside so I am now considering cooking outside.
There is no signal here so this will most likely get posted tomorrow.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, 26 June 2010
Day 15 - Barnetby le Wols to The Humber Bridge (south)
A fairly short day. Departed Barnetby 9.0am, arrived THB 3.15pm. The reasoning was that there is a campsite this side of the bridge and none for a long way after, so tomorrow I can get well clear of Hull before considering accomodation. I stocked up on two days food yesterday and now find there is a pub round the corner, so it looks as though I will have carried more food for further distance than intended.
I spent about ten minutes today watching an enormous hare working it's way accross a field without concern for me. It was so big I thought it was a fox at first. A lot of today has been accross agricultural land which I reckon is only one stage removed from walking on busy roads. I have been following an LDP called The Viking Way for the last few days, and whilst it provides a satisfactory integral part of my route it is not a walk I would recommend in it's own right. I have met very few people today and never anybody seriously walking the VW - I have walked on quite a number of these invented LDPs and wonder how often they are walked- some of them are very contrived and leave a lot to be desired.
For Gayle. I have now categorised another faff after mini, midi and major faffs - it is the multiple faff. This is when you decide you need to remove an irritating stone from the cleat of your boot sole, and also take a drink of your precious water, and maybe take a GPS reading because you have had a nagging feeling for the last fifteen minutes that all is not right in the navigation department. So you can stop and have a multi faff.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I spent about ten minutes today watching an enormous hare working it's way accross a field without concern for me. It was so big I thought it was a fox at first. A lot of today has been accross agricultural land which I reckon is only one stage removed from walking on busy roads. I have been following an LDP called The Viking Way for the last few days, and whilst it provides a satisfactory integral part of my route it is not a walk I would recommend in it's own right. I have met very few people today and never anybody seriously walking the VW - I have walked on quite a number of these invented LDPs and wonder how often they are walked- some of them are very contrived and leave a lot to be desired.
For Gayle. I have now categorised another faff after mini, midi and major faffs - it is the multiple faff. This is when you decide you need to remove an irritating stone from the cleat of your boot sole, and also take a drink of your precious water, and maybe take a GPS reading because you have had a nagging feeling for the last fifteen minutes that all is not right in the navigation department. So you can stop and have a multi faff.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday, 25 June 2010
Day 14 - Market Rasen to Barnetbt le Wold
First a little anecdote from last night.
I had eaten my main course, and as a regular custom decided to do the washing up before I had my fruit salad and coffee, this being the treat for doing the dishes. I put water on to heat for washing up, then turned the stove off. Next I managed to drop my only gas cigarette lighter into the wAter - it was looking bleak for coffee. A bit of an anti climax, but I went and borrowed some matches from one of the caravans. Next morning the lighter was functioning ok.
-------------
This was going to be a long day. I was off by 7.00am.
Arriving at the village of Claxby I ascended the first hills on this trip. These are The Wolds and at about 600ft there is a road running along the top. The views to the north and west are great: Lincoln Cathedral, Brigg Power station, and, I was told "on a clear day", which it was, the Derbyshire hills. I had met an elderly gent up there who walked half a mile each way from his car combatting his bad knees. I met him at his turning point and we walked back slowly to his car whilst he pointed out all the landmarks to me. There is a radar ball on the top, and he said jets and military helicopters approach from the plain and pull up over the ridge of The Wold at the last minute, I suppose to see how near they can get without being detected. He said a lady horse rider had been killed when her horse bolted as a result of that activity.
Descending into Caister I found The Tea Cosy where I had a bacon butty, a very large pot of tea with hot water, and some Swiss Roll - it was heaven. I then shopped for two day's meals not being sure what I am going to encounter before and after the Humber crossing. I continued with a heavy rucksack through mixed agricultural and ordinary footpaths. At one stage I had to stop for about twenty minutes to rid my socks of all the embedded grass seeds of many different species.
At My destination the pub that had been recommended by some cyclists I met was full of contractors again. I have found The Holcombe Guest House where I have been given an annexe, but what is actually a house in it's own right on the other side of the road , and I have it to myself. There is a full kitchen including washing machine and tumble dryer which I am using, yipee! This Is all for £32.50 including breakfast.
I'm off to the full pub to eat (if they have room).
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I had eaten my main course, and as a regular custom decided to do the washing up before I had my fruit salad and coffee, this being the treat for doing the dishes. I put water on to heat for washing up, then turned the stove off. Next I managed to drop my only gas cigarette lighter into the wAter - it was looking bleak for coffee. A bit of an anti climax, but I went and borrowed some matches from one of the caravans. Next morning the lighter was functioning ok.
-------------
This was going to be a long day. I was off by 7.00am.
Arriving at the village of Claxby I ascended the first hills on this trip. These are The Wolds and at about 600ft there is a road running along the top. The views to the north and west are great: Lincoln Cathedral, Brigg Power station, and, I was told "on a clear day", which it was, the Derbyshire hills. I had met an elderly gent up there who walked half a mile each way from his car combatting his bad knees. I met him at his turning point and we walked back slowly to his car whilst he pointed out all the landmarks to me. There is a radar ball on the top, and he said jets and military helicopters approach from the plain and pull up over the ridge of The Wold at the last minute, I suppose to see how near they can get without being detected. He said a lady horse rider had been killed when her horse bolted as a result of that activity.
Descending into Caister I found The Tea Cosy where I had a bacon butty, a very large pot of tea with hot water, and some Swiss Roll - it was heaven. I then shopped for two day's meals not being sure what I am going to encounter before and after the Humber crossing. I continued with a heavy rucksack through mixed agricultural and ordinary footpaths. At one stage I had to stop for about twenty minutes to rid my socks of all the embedded grass seeds of many different species.
At My destination the pub that had been recommended by some cyclists I met was full of contractors again. I have found The Holcombe Guest House where I have been given an annexe, but what is actually a house in it's own right on the other side of the road , and I have it to myself. There is a full kitchen including washing machine and tumble dryer which I am using, yipee! This Is all for £32.50 including breakfast.
I'm off to the full pub to eat (if they have room).
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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