Friday 6th November 2026

Could it possibly get any harder? Oh yes it can … and it did! Home now recovering from a 12 mile coastal ramble between Staithes and Whitby. I thought yesterday was tough but today it turned up a notch. The climbs seemed even steeper and some of the descents were precarious to say the least. I would say not for the fainthearted … but then again, I am fainthearted!! The cliff tops walks in between the hard bits made it all worthwhile and the views were outstanding. I’m glad I did it.

We drove to Staithes and parked in Bank Top Car Park at the top of the village – no visitors are allowed to take cars further down. We walked down the long steep hill that we’d had to climb up yesterday to the harbour area, only to find out that the coastal path was somewhere near the top … so, up we went again. I did get to use the Public Conveniences first though, so not a complete waste.

And of course there was a nasty initial climb to get onto the cliff tops, seemed to go on for ever. Loved it once we were up and the views looking back over Staithes were fabulous – so inspiring for my newfound painting hobby.

The next descent and ascent was at Port Mulgrave – we didn’t have to go right down the shore but the climb out was gruelling. I could see it was going to be one of those sort of days … and I was pacing myself.

Some more wonderful cliff top scenic walking before we found ourselves looking down to Runswick Bay and then taking an incredibly steep descent on a road path down to its glorious beach. We stopped off for coffee at a beachside cafe (some cake too). As we were leaving another customer asked if I was from Milton Keynes – I thought he recognised me but it was because I was wearing an MK Marathon bobble hat. Turned out he and his wife moved here a year ago from Milton Keynes – we stayed for a chat and turned out we had some mutual friends – Redway Runners of course!

The O/S app guided us around the beach to pick up the next part of the coastal path but as we were wandering around there seemed little evidence of a path. Then, out of nowhere, tucked away was a gap in the cliffs, with a very rugged start to a crazily long climb up. The pattern continued.

The day continued with ups and downs and breathtaking green cliff top sections in between. The next nightmare was an early descent nearing Sandsend – steep metal stairs, followed by steep wooden stairs, followed by steep rocky steps, followed by a steep muddy/rocky/autumn leave covered downward slope – absolutely not nice. Loved Sandsend when we got there though and we had our lunch listening to the waves crashing on the sea wall. The end was in sight.

Then it was a relatively straightforward walk to Whitby, good paths, not too much climbing and we enjoyed a short walk around the historic town. We imagined what it must be like during the summer months – it was so equipped with hotels, guest houses, theatres, entertainment and seaside promenade. We didn’t linger as we were tired after 12 tricky miles1 but we’ll be back to see Whitby again. There’ll be another walk to do leaving the town and undoubtably there’ll be a climb involved. I might be busy that day!!

These are all the elevations – look how may ups and downs!

Thursday 5th November 2026

Today we walked from Marske-by-the-Sea to Staithes – we had stunning sea views the whole way, a truly spectacular stretch of coastline – albeit a tad strenuous!

On leaving Marske, the Coastal Path signage immediately led us to several sets of scarily steep steps, both going up and going down, to take us through the sand dunes. Thinking caps on … we diverted to the beach and had a glorious 2.5 mile stretch of sand to enjoy, taking us all the way to Saltburn. It would have been madness not to take this option.

We loved our fleeting stop in Saltburn. Witnessed some mad swimmers/sauna users and enjoyed a coffee in the Surfs Up cafe – a treat before the hard bit begun.

And then the first hard task of the day – climbing out of Saltburn. Many many steps which were breathtaking – quite literally – you needed an iron lung!! But as always, worth getting to the top for the views. Then we enjoyed a fabulous stretch of cliff top walking for miles and nothing too strenuous – my favourite sort of coastal walking. We had to get a little close to the edge at times and it was a fair old drop down, but we kept our wits about us … essentially I just didn’t look down!

Coming into Skinningrove, we somehow missed a turning on our left which would have taken us steeply downwards to the village’s beach … no Coastal Paths signs! By keeping to the higher ground right hand path, we managed to add an extra mile on to today’s walk. We live and learn and eventually found a way down and as this was about 7 miles in, we stopped for our picnic lunch. There was a wonderful aroma of fresh fish and chips cooking nearby, if only we’d known. We loved what we saw of Skinningrove – we hope to come back to some of these beautiful places one day – without walking boots!!

But one of the most memorable things was the climb out of it. We thought Saltburn was bad but this really took the biscuit. Steve raced up like a mountain goat of course, I did dainty little chunks at a time – taking opportunities to appreciate the views … and breathe!

For some reason in my super optimistic mind I thought well that’s the climb over, it will all be about luscious cliff top walking now, I can stride along and soak up all the views. Wrong!! Views a plenty of course but the ascent continued pretty much for the next 3 miles, it was unrelenting. A few huffs and puffs I have to say, even though it was that “proper coast path walking.”

When the descent finally arrived it was a major relief and we headed gaily into the historic cliffside fishing village of Staithes. Another picture postcard spot, with its narrow cobbled streets. It even has a connection to Captain Cook – he was famously apprenticed to a grocer and a haberdasher here before going to sea.

We finished our walk here and then it was just about finding the bus stop to take us back to Marske … and guess where it was? At the top of a humungous steep hill. I even got overtaken by an elderly lady – she was trying to keep up with her husband who was on a mobility scooter. I was mortified and tried to tell her that I had just walked 12 difficult miles – but she didn’t hear me!!

Wednesday 4th November 2026

Today we picked up our walk in Southbank after a train ride. It was hit and miss as to whether or not the train would stop there – as there seemed to be conflicting information – but it did and that felt like a good omen for the day. Luckily no scenes of violence as had been hinted at yesterday, and the Teesdale Way signpost even had a coastal path sign on it, just couldn’t get any better. The first 3 miles was walking along this very narrow path, alongside the railway line and amongst industrial plants – at least we weren’t roadside.

However, at about 3 miles there was a sign to say the footpath was closed and we were provided with metal steps to take us up to the roadside. There were no further coast path signs so we continued on the pavement in the general direction that we had been headed. We walked about a mile and were pretty smug about how comfortable this wide tarmac pavement was … and then … a security van pulled up.

“Can I ask you where you’re heading” he enquired.

“We’re coastal walking to Redcar” we explained.

“Not down this road you’re not – this is Private Land. And it’s a dead end.”

He was very polite but absolutely to the point. He explained what we had to do … but didn’t offer us a lift back. And he circled around to make sure we had left the premises!

Feeling a little cheesed off, we re-routed and struggled at points to locate pavements, having to face this crazily busy dual carriageway to Redcar. It was predominantly lorries whizzing by our ears and the area was still heavily industrialised, so all a bit grim. On the up side though, we did have pavement AND we could see blue skies and wind turbines in the distance and could just feel the pull of the seaside.

At about 6 miles, a Coastal Path sign popped up and led us off onto an area of grassy sand dunes and across a golf course. The worst was over. And at 9 miles we reached Redcar and were overjoyed to finally see the sea, smell the salt air and hear the crashing waves. We’d arrived … for a lunch stop that is! We found a sheltered spot and tucked into our tuna sandwiches and chocolate to boost our energy. Sadly, there were no cafes open – a hot tea would have been so welcome.

We enjoyed our walk through Redcar, it seemed a well maintained town with a pretty seafront and some remarkable buildings. The wind had got up and we were walking headlong into it. Felt such a wonderful contrast to the earlier part of the day though.

When the promenade ended we were cliff top walking into Marske-by-the-Sea and all was plain sailing. A little weary it has to be said so relieved when just short of 13 miles we reached the village and today’s ramble was at an end. At least this road goes somewhere, and we’ll be back on it tomorrow!

Monday 3rd November 2026

Yesterday we made the long drive up to Yorkshire for some more coastal path adventures and a week’s house-sit in Maske-by-the-Sea. We get to care for a delightful little cat called Sheldon and stay in a very cosy bungalow while the house owner is away working in Morocco. We’re aiming to complete a 65 mile section to close a gap we have between Middlesbrough and Scarborough, so we’ll be busy rambling over the next few days. Makes a change!!

Last time we were up in these parts we finished our walk in the Port Clarence area of Middlesbrough so by bus and train we found our way there to start off today’s mission, which was basically walking through this town, up one side of the estuary and down the other, finishing in Southbank. It’s hard to believe it’s the England Coast Path as we saw minimal water – it was just one of those ‘get it done’ sort of days. Nothing scenic unless industrial areas float your boat. But we’re more than going to make up for that over the next few days as we have the delights of Saltburn, Staithes, Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay and Scarborough to look forward to.

The first 3 miles were the most grim in terms of industry/heavily trafficked road walking. After that there were some more pleasant paths alongside the estuary for a while, then through parts of “Boro” (as locally named) and onto the Teesdale Way, a narrow path alongside the railway line, which brought us to today’s destination – the ‘Southbank’ area of Middlesbrough. We walked just over 8.5 miles, a little less than we’d estimated so win, win!

While we were in the town it was interesting to once again see the Transporter Bridge, a famous Grade II listed engineering landmark, opened in 1911. Although it is now closed it is still such an iconic sight.

And today it was time to break in my new walking boots – they looked so clean when I started, not so much when I finished!

When we got to Southbank, our plan to get the train back was thwarted as the station was closed. We treated ourselves to an Uber and the driver informed us that we should never go to this area at night – there are frequent stabbings and other troubles. Looking forward to picking up our walk there tomorrow morning!!

Monday 5th October 2026

Our final walk for this trip and we decided to go for a biggie – the 16 mile circuit of Walney Island. If you fancy a 6 hour ramble this could be the one for you – it’s easy going terrain and incredibly varied – just very long!

We caught an early train to Barrow in Furness and physically prepared ourselves with a Wetherspoons Full English breakfast before getting the bus to Jubilee Bridge – the gateway to Walney Island. Another overcast day sadly and the weather forecast predicted high winds and rain later so we’d come prepared with warm coats and hats.

We walked through the residential area of Walney to start with and then this led to a long stretch of National Speed Limit road where we were doing our usual thing of balancing at the edge – it wasn’t too busy though so all good. But 5 miles of this felt a tad tedious – our only views being the mud flats and Piel Castle. We didn’t get to Piel Island but an interesting fact – it has a King – the current King is Aaron Sanderson, a former submarine electrician. The coronation involves sitting in an ancient chair while wearing a helmet, holding a sword, and having beer poured over his head! Now that would have been worth watching.

We could hear the sound of the waves long before we reached the South End but it was fabulous to reach this long beach section of the island. It was quite a varied selection of path – promenade concrete, farm fields, shingle beach, sand, wide open cliff top paths and narrow close to the edge paths too. We realised at one point that we’d got onto the wrong side of the fence as we neared a very large herd of cows, so we scrambled under the barbed wire fence to the other side. Lucky we did as they were exceptionally inquisitive even with a fence between us and we were only inches away on a fairly narrow path, plus it was pretty muddy their side.

By the time we reached Walney Island Beach with its vast stretches of sand, the sun had started to shine and we began to have hope that we weren’t going to get a soaking. Big coat and hat not needed anymore.

We stopped at 10 miles to have some lunch and became hopeful with some very lovely concrete paths and cycle way signs, thought this might take us all the way, but no. We think we could have saved ourselves a fair few miles if we’d cut inland but we stayed faithful to the Coastal Path signs and not only circumnavigated the airfield but also took in the North Walney Nature Reserve which to be truthful was not the most inspiring. Once out of that area we walked through some woodland, then across a few more farm fields and back into civilisation.

And then it was just another two miles or so to get back to Jubilee Bridge – those final miles are always the hardest and the last week of walking was definitely catching up on us.  As I was having a weary little sigh, Steve chose to tell me (jokingly) that it’s so much harder for him because as well as walking, he has to keep us on course, he has to carry the rucksack and he has to take the photos!  Boy was I chuffed later when Strava revealed that over the same distance, I had done 3,000 more steps than Steve – it’s SO much harder for me!!  Felt great to finish it though and we clocked up just over 16 miles.  And not a drop of rain.

Saturday 3rd October 2026

I know it’s Cumbria but boy have we climbed a few hills today, I can laugh now that I’m relaxing on the sofa blogging, but it was painful at times.

Our Saturday of course had started with a parkrun and getting to the local Lancaster one involved a mile walk to the very picturesque Williamson Park – UPHILL. And, although we appreciated the beauty of the park with its monuments and its stunning views over Lancaster, the run was hugely hilly with a lot of trail thrown in. We dragged ourselves around, as you do, and as always, the other runners and organisers were a friendly bunch. Then it was time for the mile walk back – this time DOWNHILL.

So just the 5 miles of exercise completed before we had breakfast and caught the train to Grange Over Sands for todays coastal walk. Steve had been trying to plot a route between Grange Over Sands and Ulverston but the usual blog guide we follow warned us against attempting it as it involves a major road with no pavements. It seemed that we could get as far as Cark easy enough so this short walk seemed perfect for the afternoon.

A scenic promenade was our first section of path, and being a Saturday was well populated with walkers. We enjoyed the ease. This eventually led us on to a quiet road, then some muddy lanes (a huge puddle provided us with wet feet for the day), a path running alongside the railway and into the village of Kents Bank. Some very beautiful houses here and we were saying how lucky they were to be so remote and yet have their own railway station. Then we had to tackle a humungous HILL and I’m not exaggerating … it was both steep and long, you needed a good set of lungs to get to the top. Not another walker in sight – funny that! Still following our OS app, we literally turned a corner and then were guided down ‘Jack Hill,’ and incredibly steep descent – the type that pulls on your calf muscles.

At the bottom of the hill there was a little cluster of very grand but rustic looking houses and they clearly weren’t keen on ramblers as there were “Private’ signs everywhere, and a lot of barking dogs, guarding said properties. But we had it on good authority, from our OS app, that there was a Public Footpath somewhere – but finding it was a little tricky. We tried several paths through a wooded area, back tracking each time, before Steve spotted the narrowest of passageways with a hidden Public Footpath sign … and we got back on our way.

The next section was across a couple of farm fields, rather boggy and knobbly fields I’m afraid, no path laid out particularly … long wet grass. And to my delight, a herd of inquisitive cows – as always I got anxious as they moved towards us … and as always Steve managed to shoo them away using his long limbs and loud voice to let them know that we didn’t have anything for them and we didn’t particularly want them following us. Yet another stampede avoided!!

From there we got onto a lovely flat tarmac lane and we hopefully had our destination in sight. We were near an airfield and saw a lot of parachute activity and then some low flying planes which proved exciting. We had hope of finding an embankment wall which seemed to be indicated on the map, but no such luck. We had to make another u-turn and back track our way down the long road that took us into Cark. Just nearing the village we stumbled across a cafe and treated ourselves to coffee and meat pies as recommended by the lovely lady running it. From there it was the final UPHILL trek to the railway station … and we had covered a further 6 miles of the coastline.

Despite the hills it was a fabulous day (Parkrun + Coastal Walk = 11 miles) but I can certainly feel it in my legs tonight. And you know we’ll be back for more tomorrow – there’s no stopping these Rambling Roses. xx

Thursday 1st October 2026

Today’s plan was to walk from Ulverston to Barrow in Furness. As has been the case, there is no indication on the Ordnance Survey app of an official King Charles III coastal path on this section so, once more, Steve had picked out a potential route to get us from A to B, hopefully being able to walk a little nearer to the coastline today. We knew it was going to be a long walk but we had no idea what to expect in terms of path – we had plan Bs in place i.e. turn back/bus or uber!! Yet again the sun was shining down on us – can’t believe it’s October – so we were all set to give it a good try.

First off it was the train to Ulverston which is a beautifully scenic ride – highly recommend it. The walk started through the local streets of Ulverston and then on to a more major road – there were pavements though so all was good and this went on for a good few miles. It was almost like being in that glorious Cumbria countryside again as the views to our left were rolling green hills, farmhouses and flocks of sheep – it was just that we had frantic A5087 running alongside us to the left.

At just over 3 miles, this road led us to a scenic waterfront with a well positioned cafe. A little early to take a break I know but we make the rules up as we go along … and cappuccino and chocolate brownie were so required, and enjoyed. This put a spring in our step and it was fabulous to be walking on a well provided shoreline path. Then the most crazy thing happened – we turned a corner and there to greet us was a very fresh looking wooden King Charles III Coast Path sign, just when you least expect it. Well, it was like snuggling into a comfort blanket, just feeling familiar and knowing that we were going to be led safely to our destination.

From here we were led into ‘Sea Wood’ and, as it says on the tin, it was a wood at the seaside. A very historical wood at that, it was once owned by Lady Jane Grey in the 1500s and was used to supply timber to the local mines and shipbuilding. It was pretty to walk through albeit a little slippery in places – I nearly pulled Steve over when he was helping me down a slope.

So we gaily followed this new official path – all the signposts, steps and kissing gates were lovely new wood – taking us on a variety of terrain … estuary path, shingle beaches, farm fields and some roadside. We did take a little diversion off the road at one point to get some respite from the traffic noise. Steve tried to come to the rescue of a poor sheep that had got wire wrapped around its legs. He wasn’t able to get the wire off so we knocked on a few doors in the nearby village of Aldingham but no-one was in. We finally passed a couple of walkers who offered to notify the local farmer. Hope he’s OK.

We returned to the path on the main Coast Road and then were signposted down to a beach and the sand was perfect for walking on. Always love being this close to the water. However, the tide was coming in and the beach was getting narrower and more rocky – just got a tad anxious about these unusual Morecambe Bay tides. We kept looking out for signs to take us back up but there was just a bank of greenish rocks between us and the higher ground. As the beach became less accessible, we made the decision to scrabble up said rocks. Rock climbing has never been my thing so I was on all fours! And there at the top was a perfect tarmac path – goodness knows how much of that we’d missed and where the sign had been.

We picked up the official signs again and from here it was a completely straightforward walk into Barrow in Furness. Such a contrast to the countryside views of the last few days but interesting in its industrial skyline. From the long seawall path we could see Piel Island, Walney Island and the Barrow shipyard. We took the opportunity to video call our lovely friend Glynis who is a ‘Barrow girl’ and she chatted to us all about her hometown as walked around Cavendish Dock into the centre. We stopped our garmins at this point and we had clocked up 15 miles. We were chuffed with ourselves.

We were relieved to have completed what started as an unknown section, and even more thrilled that King Charles had made such a welcome reappearance. But Steve was even more excited when we got to the station to find a statue of one of his all time heros – Emlyn Hughes – another local … almost as famous as Glynis!