36,146 steps to Cockermouth.
Leaving St. Bees
At least that’s what the guy at the bar says.
It’s been a long hike from St. Bees to Cockermouth. I’ve got a bit of a blister forming, but nothing a bit of moleskin and a pint can’t fix. ;)
Mom at the sign
Today marked Day One of our Coast-to-Coast walk across England. After washing our hands in the Irish Sea, and picking a pebble off the beach to carry with us on our journey (the idea is that this be thrown into the North Sea upon completion of the walk), we covered some 25 kilometers and meandered ourselves through soggy farmers fields and up muddy crags.
Mom and Dad at the Irish Sea
We teetered at the edge of a cliff 100 meters above sea-level, wandered through kissing gates and over cattle grids, and walked confidently in the wrong direction on at least three separate occasions. The weather was misty. Grey. And rainy.
Rounding St. Bees Head
But as we ascended the grassy pimple of Mount Dent, five hours in to the day’s hike, the sun came out and made a wonderful setting for our picnic lunch overlooking Ireland and the Isle of Man.
Overlooking the Irish Sea
It was a lovely day.
And now we’re in Cockermouth.
Take a moment to appreciate that.
I did.
We paused for a pint at the Fox & Hound. ^^
So in the midst of a move from Korea to Turkey, I’ve joined my Mom and Dad on a Coast-to-Coast walk from St. Bees (a coastal town in the northwest of England) to Robin Hood’s Bay (another small village across the country in the northeast). Nothing could be more incredible. The trek covers the meanderings of a certain Alfred Wainwright, who supposedly navigated himself over these hills and through the same pastures a bunch of years ago. The walk is set to take 14 days. Today marked Day One.
I’ll try to keep you posted as the wanderings ensue, but internet is scarce and to be honest, life is kind of awesome without it, sometimes. ;)
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have a good trek. sounds like a grand idea.
A proper promenade! It’s been really blustery so far, and a bit treacherous up top today, but it’s been great. You’d love it!
That sounds like such a cool adventure!! And here I thought I was so cool covering 15k in one day on the Jirisan trail…ha.
Can’t wait to read more :)
Haha! I feel like all I’ve been doing for the last week is sleeping and walking. 15k is a big trek too, don’t downplay that!! I actually thought I was going to die when I covered 33km yesterday!!! Haha… thanks for the comment!! :)
That can’t be your Mum!! Your sister maybe, but not your Mum??? ;)
She’s a beaut, isn’t she?! :)
That last photo looks a lot like Moel Famau in North Wales! I got really excited for a moment thinking you were in the area.
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Oh, no kidding! I’ll have to visit North Wales one day :) Thanks for the comment!
Love your pics & comments! My husband & I are doing the coast to coast in August 2012 ( we are in our early 60’s) he is very athletic & I am not. Any words of wisdom ?
Things you would have done differently? Deb
Hey Deb! You’ll love the hike! For your sake, I hope you get better weather than we did… but regardless, it’s an amazing adventure and you two will have tons of fun! The only piece of advice that I have is that you don’t try to do too much on any given day. We did the hike in 13 days and there were several evenings there where we just couldn’t explore the villages we arrived in because we were so exhausted. I’d suggest throwing in a rest-day or two in a nice location, like maybe in Grasmere (what a lovely spot!). Also, make sure your waterproof gear is top-notch – you may not need to use yours as much as we did, but it’s important to have! We used rainproof backpack covers and they were simply invaluable. Definitely recommend those (we got ours from MEC). Will you be using a company like Sherpa to make sure your bags make it from place to place? I’m excited for you!