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Across England

May - July 2018
A 38-day adventure by Cathy Read more
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  • 34.6kkilometers
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  • TravelerAcross England
    Day 2

    Flying JAL

    May 30, 2018 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Wonderful Japanese service and the plane was not full so I had plenty of room. We left late, about half past midnight so I didn’t bother with movies and tried to sleep. Breakfast a couple of hours before landing wasn’t great, perhaps I should have tried the Japanese option. Landing in Tokyo soon then a quick change to a flight to Helsinki.

    Update
    A long walk to the next gate so not much time for looking around, but very efficient and easy to find your way. About to board for Helsinki.    Read more

  • TravelerAcross England
    2
    Day 5

    Manchester

    June 2, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Manchester is not one of the worlds great cities, but the perfect starting point for the trip. However it is bike friendly and has lots of trams.
    I’m staying just near the station and an easy walk to the centre of town. Plenty of time for all the last minute organising such as getting a UK SIM card and plenty of cash for traveling through small towns that have no ATMs and don’t take cards. I’m expecting that will be an exaggeration but we’ll see. I also found another book about the walk so now I’ve got more than enough to read each night about the next day’s route.
    I’m having a bit of trouble with the local accent, even hearing aids don’t help. I missed most of what the guy in the phone shop was talking about.

    This morning I walked around the city to check out a few interesting sites. First stop was an odd little park opposite the University, Manchester is not much into green spaces. In it was a statue of Alan Turing, an AIDS/HIV memorial and small rainbow mosaics set into the paths. It seemed a sad little park, full of rubbish. Then I walked up through the “gay village”, basically a couple of block with a few seedy looking bars flying rainbow flags, then on through China town, with its typical archway. This is supposedly the largest China town in the UK.
    Then I headed for the Northern Quarter. This is where all the good coffee shops and cafes are. There I found the Manchester Design and Craft Centre. This centre has a whole lot of tiny craft studios with little shop fronts set around a light filled space with a little cafe in the middle, a great spot for lunch. Then back through the middle of town where there is the most awful statue of Queen Victoria I’ve ever seen.

    I gave the Football Museum a miss, but the little People’s Museum was great, full of stories and paraphernalia of causes and struggles, voting rights, chartists, suffragettes, unions and workers rights. In one square I found a statue of Abraham Lincoln, in recognition of the support Manchester workers gave to the cause of abolition of slavery.    Read more

  • TravelerAcross England
    Day 6

    Gathering in St Bees

    June 3, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Just arrived in St Bees, some are already here and more of the group due later today, we gather for dinner tonight before group 1 sets off tomorrow. We in Group 2 leave on Tuesday.
    I have the best view from my room at Lulu’s, the St Bees railway station, I hope there aren’t too many night trains. It’s a very cute place though, I’m in a little attic room, right next to the breakfast room.

    Meanwhile back at home Harvey goes to the G to see the Pies play,    Read more

  • TravelerAcross England
    Day 7

    Ready to go

    June 4, 2018 in England ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    All of group 2 are now gathered in St Bees ready to head off in the morning. I’m now with my roommate Francis.

    I had thought that St Bees was just a little town for walkers to stay, but there is an amazing old Priory here. There is a legend about an Irish saint, St Bega, that is supposedly the origin of the name of the town and lots of old history set up beautifully in this church, it’s like a museum but is still the active centre of the Parish. We interrupted a local meeting when we arrived this morning. There is also the story of St Bees Man, a well preserved body in a lead coffin that was found here.
    I walked into Whitehaven, the nearby big town, with Angela and Julie this morning. Last minute supplies from Tesco! Whitehaven has a big harbour    Read more

  • TravelerAcross England
    Day 8

    Farewell Irish Sea, on to Ennerdale

    June 5, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The ritual at the start of the walk is to take a pebble from the beach at St Bees to carry with you to drop the sea at the end.
    Our route took us along the cliff tops around St Bees Head and past the light house, fantastic views across the Irish Sea, we could see the Isle of Man and the coast of Scotland. Then it was time to turn inland, through farms and small villages, then up our big climb for the day, Dent Fell. Apparently you don’t often get such fine days up there so we were lucky and made that our lunch stop. Then a steep route down to a valley and a creek with the great name “Nannycatch”. We followed Nannycatch along for a bit then on down to Ennerdale, our stop for the night. About 25klm, a great start.Read more

  • TravelerAcross England
    Day 9

    Coast to Toast

    June 6, 2018 in England ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    We had a Fawlty Towers moment at breakfast this morning, Angela had the temerity to ask for more toast, she really was going to share it with the rest of us but it created some suspicion. We thought the guy was going to get Sybil to come in from the kitchen and tell us there was an allocation of one slice per person. Luckily, where we are staying tonight there is a toaster in the breakfast room, we can have as much as we like. Our guide does a good Basil Fawlty impersonation.

    Well fueled with toast we set off for Stonethwaite. 25 kilometres long but fabulous. The first 7K was along a lake, then gradually up until we got to the head of a valley where there was a cute little YHA hostel. Great spot for lunch. Then we went up and up, over a saddle and down to this valley. Spectacular views from the top.

    Along the way we adopted Betty, from Moruya. She works in the Hospice in Canberra. She was walking on her own.

    I can’t post this tonight we have no phone or internet access, so the dates might get a bit confusing.    Read more

  • TravelerAcross England
    Day 10

    Up hill after breakfast

    June 7, 2018 in England ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    And after lunch, but finally a long steep down hill to Grasmere, about 16 K.

    It was a stunning day’s walk, we took the long route of course. We came up out of the valley we were in last night following Stonethwaite Beck, then up to Lining Crag, then Greenup Edge, we stayed on a ridge top and walked up and down along to Helm Crag before going down to Grasmere. The views were just amazing, it was a long hard day because of the climbing and tricky descents but the views were unbelievable. Our book describes today’s walk as a Lakeland classic. Photos can’t really show the amazing views.

    Of course there was unlimited toast this morning so we were in fine form.

    Our colleagues from Group 1 were there to meet us in Grasmere, looking very fresh and relaxed. We’ll have dinner with them tonight, they go on tomorrow while we enjoy a rest day.    Read more

  • TravelerAcross England
    Day 11

    I wandered lonely as a cloud.....

    June 8, 2018 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Wordsworth and all that. Wordsworth’s house, Dove Cottage, and his grave are here in Grasmere. It’s a gorgeous little tourist town, a bit “Cockington Green” like. Lots of galleries, craft shops, cafes and outdoor shops. Very relaxing day, late breakfast, washing, shopping and generally taking it easy.

    I’m not sure about the defibrillator in the old phone box; is it for elderly tourists or exhausted walkers?

    The sheep we have been seeing and hearing are Herdwicks, local indigenous sheep (they’ve been here since the 12th century), that apparently play a big role in maintaining the Lakes District environment. Beatrix Potter was a big fan of “Herdies”, she was President of the Herdwick Sheep Breeders Society when she wasn’t writing about Peter Rabbit.

    The town is also famous for its ginger bread, great stuff. I bought some but I don’t think it will last until I get home and I’m not sure I’d be allowed to bring it in anyway.

    Group photo courtesy of Angela, taken on our way up, (and up) yesterday.    Read more

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