The final stretch -St. Bees to Whitehaven

leaving St. Bees

Amazing walk today, over the cliffs to Whitehaven. Only 6.5 miles but it felt longer (it always does) as you were constantly going up, sometimes very steeply and then down just as steeply. Once we had rounded North head, Whitehaven lay twinkling enticingly in the sunshine, but we never seemed to get any nearer.

We saw colonies of guillemots, thousands of them squeezed together on the cliffs and many cormorants but sadly no puffins.

The whole walk has been beautiful (apart from some parts of Barrow and that awful view of Sellafield!) I couldn't have wished for better weather, if it had been raining, some parts would have been impassable.

I feel really good to have completed the walk and I hoped that by doing it I would raise a decent amount of money for ABANA. Some people, including the lovely owner of the Manor Inn Hotel in St. Bees have already made donations and some dear friends have already made donations via Charity Giving.
Just before I set out yesterday, I heard that Charity Giving has been forced to suspend activities because a lot of money is unaccounted for - I couldn't believe it! I have always received my donations to ABANA with no problems
If you made a donation via the fund raising page after the 12th of July, the amount should be returned to you immediately. If you made one before that date, the amount will be paid to ABANA.
So please, if the money you donated has been returned to you or if you were thinking of making a donation and haven't yet done so , please still donate via this official account: ABANA account number 33813371 sort code 20-69-85
Your small donation means so much.

Seascale to St. Bees

Todays walk should have been easy (along the coast) and short (8.5 miles)it started off beautifully, we were walking through the most beautiful wild flowers imaginable,

but when we got to the far side of the Sellafield perimeter fence where we should have carried on, we were forced to ta.ke a massive detour because Sellafield was carrying out some work. The detour was signposted once and we ended up waist high in cornfields, on top of cliffs and going through dangerous no entry areas. Amazingly, we eventually made it back to the coast and plodded on - the coast is beautiful but it is very hard work walking on stones - ouch! I brought many of the stones home with me so my bag became heavier and heavier.
How wonderful to finally arrive at St. Bees head and sit down with a refreshing drink. I think the walk must have been at least 12 miles in the end. When tomorrow is over, I will never suggest walking again!

Silecroft to Ravenglass. Ravenglass to Seascale

Yesterday was a very difficult day and in retrospect, I wouldn't like to have done it alone. So glad John came with me. Once we got to Bootle we had to walk all the way round the Esk estuary to get to Ravenglass and there were many gullies and ditches and places almost impossible to cross. Also, the way was badly marked and sometimes we couldn't believe we were expected to go that way! very beautiful though

very weary when we reached Ravenglass but still managed to appreciate a superb roman bath house, Ravenglass was an important roman fort.

Todays walk was shorter and much easier and mainly along the coast and we made good time. The weather of course was absolutely gorgeous.

We lived in Whitehaven for three and a half years and we know that this beautiful coast contains a down side - Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant and all the pollution that goes with it - it was one of the reasons why we left, it dominates everything.

Sellafield with Seascale in the foreground. 

days 3 and 4 Barrow to Millom

This was the first decent sign I saw - in Broughton in Furness, generally the route is VERY BADLY SIGNPOSTED, if at all and has resulted in me getting lost a couple of times.
Yesterday was the most difficult day of all. Getting out of Barrow was just as complicated as getting in and seemed to take forever! but  it was all worth it when I reached Roanhead which is absolutely beautiful.

The beach is lovely, with the Cumbrian hills in the background and there were some pools where natterjack toads breed; I saw lots of toadpoles - they should have been toadlets but like everything else this year they are behind.
The walk to Askam was superb. I was nearly in Kirby in Furness when things went a bit wrong and I ended up nearly stuck in the marshes and had to retrace my steps somewhat. I was exhausted by the time I met John. we stayed in a lovely B and B - the square café - really lovely people and felt fairly refreshed this morning for my walk to Millom.
I spent most of yesterday looking across the estuary at Millom, which seemed so close and most of today looking back at the other side and still not getting any closer. 
I am exhausted now and having a day off tomorrow to rest my poor feet.

 

Day 2 Ulverston to Barrow

Not quite as long a day today - only 14.5 miles but in the heat it was difficult to walk fast. Also, I walked for about 8 miles along the shingle beach and that really took its toll on the bottoms of my feet.
It was very beautiful walking on the beach, just me and the sea and the birds. I passed the Conishead priory now a Buddhist temple and a lovely, ancient little church dedicated to St. Cuthbert.
 This changed as I started my approach to Barrow: still on the coastal path with the sea and the tide fully in but on the other side- the offshore gas fields the onshore gas fields (I don't know what you call them), the power station, the slag heaps and the sewage works - not lovely.
I made good time though and reached the railway station about 3 pm.
Tomorrow I shall be staying over in Broughton in Furness, if I reach it!

If you haven't read this blog before, go back and read some of the posts from 2009, when we were living in Rwanda - it makes for fascinating reading, even for me. I seem to be a long way from that life now and not in a good way. I thought I would never go back to living a materialistic, wasteful western life after experiencing the way most Rwandans have to live - how quickly we forget!

walking for ABANA from Silverdale to Whitehaven day 1-

Set off at 7.30 this morning to walk to Silverdale station to catch the train to Kent's Bank - having already done the first part of the walk - across Morecambe Bay with Cedric Robinson a couple of weeks ago.Today's walk was 17.5 miles and it was sooo hot!
My first challenge was 3 fields all with cows and bullocks in and I am rather nervous around these creatures but they weren't really interested in me and all fields were passed without incident.
The walk went through fabulous countryside from start to finish - along country lanes, through forests, over moorlands, over rivers, up to the wonderful Bigland Tarn where we cooled our feet. At one point I came upon the Cartmel sticky toffee pudding factory - tempting!
I met up with Margaret (my sister) in Cark when I had been walking for 2 and a half hours. We plodded on together and reached Ulverston about 5 30 - very hard work but worth it.
Hope I am not too stiff to carry on tomorrow.