Wednesday 16th February 2022

After another great night’s sleep in ‘The Hive’ we set off with a spring in our step to walk the 9 miles to Skegness (+ a mile to get to the coastal path), leaving the car parked up. So full of bravado after yesterday’s straighforwardness and the sun out today with blue skies – what could possibly go wrong!?

And it was the accustomed straight flat sea defence wall walk, surrounded by cabbages, flights of geese and the occasional glimpse of sea in the distance. We suspected a wee bit of trickiness as the Ordnance Survey app wasn’t showing a clear coastal path but there had to be a way through surely. It has been announced some time ago that there is definitely a path connecting up the whole of the UK. And the destination is Skegness – not exactly the back of beyond – there’s a Butlins there and everything!

After 4 miles we started to hit problems as paths shut off – we had to make decisions like walking along farm fields and jumping over barriers but still heading in the right direction. Steve took a tumble down a muddy slope – he was fine apart from muddy legs, wounded pride and mutterings to his new walking boots! We soldiered on.

And then we got to a marina where the sea wall path was definitely cut off. The OS app showed a footbridge if we turned left and walked half a mile up. This we did, battling the fierce wind head on … arrived to find that the footbridge had a big padlock on and there was no way through. Trying not to be despondent we decided to carry on in the hope of another footbridge. The wind was getting stronger and stronger – Storm Dudley was forecast for later in the day – we wondered if we’d met the beginning of it but as yet no rain. We walked and wobbled with the wind for at least another mile. We saw some deer along the way which temporarily lifted the spirits.

After a 2 mile diversion we hit barbed wire fencing and water either side!

We took time to pause, think and eat chocolate. We had to go forward as there was nothing for us going backwards in terms of getting to Skegness. Steve fiddled with the barbed wire and found a big enough hole for us to climb through – we then had to climb over a series of locked gates and walk through a farmyard – luckily no guard dogs!… or farmers!

We found ourselves on a road … and took the opportunity to walk to the right to see if we could get back to the coast. It was a long long remote walk but finally we spied a bridge which enabled us to cross the water and ramble our way to Skegness.

We joined civilisation at the Skegness golf course with a line of magnificent properties facing it. We looked a bit out of place with our mud smeared hobbling weary appearance. 12 miles of walking plus the added stress was enough for one day. We decided to skip the promenade and pier and just head to the bus station – we needed to get to the car and get home.

So we’ll be back to see Skegness another day in the future where we’ll start off and head northwards.

Our 4 days of walking in Lincolnshire are over. We’re now home, clean and rested. Have just heard on the news that the missing prisoner has been found – in SKEGNESS.

Tuesday 15th February 2022

Today was SO straightforward – no prisons, no tracking down any prison escapees, no duck conventions. We even had a lift to the coastal path in Butterwick (where we left off yesterday) from our wonderful airbnb host, Gus, which saved us about 3 miles of walking and a bus trip. We didn’t fall over, we didn’t fall out … and we didn’t get lost, not even one bit!!

And the coastal path from Butterwick to Friskney was unbelievably straightforward … literally straight forward… straight all the way. Luxuriously flat and straight sea defence wall walking was the order of the day – that embankment, again heavily molehill ridden, just kept on giving as far as the eye could see.

WW2 Pill Boxes lined the path at regular intervals, historical anti invasion defences. Steve and I did our local community work, peeping into each one to see if there were any prison runaways lurking.

We didn’t actually see any other person on the whole 8 mile route. We saw plenty of birds – this area is such a twitcher’s paradise. Spectacular air displays of geese flocks … genuinely of Red Arrows quality.

It was SO peaceful. Lots of time to think and contemplate life. The first hour was incredibly wet, driving rain on our backs, but the last two hours it dried up and there was actual blue sky. The other bonus, and this may sound strange, but for the first time in 3 days of coastal path walking we actually got to see the sea! This part of the Lincolnshire coast line is such an expanse of mud flats that the path steers you away at a safe distance. So, blue sky plus sea views was quite something.

Today we were surrounded by farm land on both sides and we saw some marvellous examples of healthy vegetable crops – huge plots of cabbage, brussel sprouts and kale – looked spectacular but gave off that aroma of school dinner halls!

After 8 miles of coastal path straightforwardness, Steve judged the turn off to our accommodation perfectly – just a mile’s amble along a country lane and we were back in “The Hive’ … our gorgeous airbnb annexe. Top marks to my amazing man for his logistical planning – it was spot on!

ONLY WE COULD GO FOR A COASTAL PATH WALK AND END UP IN PRISON !!!!!

Monday 14th February 2022

Waking up early with hangovers was a pretty grim start to the day! Last night we went for a fabulous Thai meal in Boston. Then, as we were staying in a pub we felt it was polite to stop off for one drink rather than head straight upstairs. Well …. one turned into several more as the pub was a local with a great jukebox and lively customers. We ended the evening with singing and dancing and making many new friends! And having to get up to move the car out of the car park by 8.00am wasn’t the best of planning.

Headed into town for a full English before attempting to walk. Made the very sensible decision to cut today’s route short – settling on a 6 miler as opposed to the original 13 miler planned. So tummies full we drove from Boston to Butterwick.

Managed to successfully park the car in Butterwick and catch the bus back to Boston to continue the coastal path walk. Like the pilgrims we set sail from Boston … except instead of the Mayflower we just had our trusty walking boots.

At the start it was an easy enough path, again along the embankment wall, with views to the right of mud flats and views to the left of flat farm land. Not much out of the ordinary although again huge gatherings of Shelducks with their lovely waddling ways.

Managed to misjudge the route at a couple of points but thankfully had not gone too far along before turning back. However … third time not so lucky. The OS app took us through half a mile of ‘trickiness’ – first we had to pick our way through a jungle of reeds with dodgy ground underneath and then this changed to walking precariously along the edge of muddy farmland with lots of tripping hazards … only to find a dead end – we had to turn back and repeat the torture in reverse. Oh joy!!

So we then took the alternative path and guess where we ended up … IN PRISON !! As we were nearing what turned out to be HMP North Sea Camp, we were approached from across the ditch by a burly prison guard. We explained our plight and he ever so kindly allowed us into the prison grounds and escorted us through to where we could pick up the coastal path again. It turned out that the coastal path (which we had temporarily lost) actually goes through the prison anyway – escorting ramblers therefore is not such an uncommon occurrence.

What was a little hairy however was on leaving the grounds being followed by a more senior prison officer who caught up with us and asked for our names. He then asked if we had taken any photos and the couple we had sneaked for the blog he asked us to delete after he had had a good check. We felt like two naughty schoolchildren. When we reflected later, they may have thought we could be paparazzi – Steve had a camera slung round his neck with long zoom lens … yesterday’s National news had reported an escapee from said prison. Later too we discovered that this is where Jeffrey Archer served some of his time. And … there’s been recent controversy over their use of the term ‘residents’ instead of prisoners, which is one of the photos of signage I had taken!

After that it was pretty plain sailing to complete the 7 miles (could have been 6 without the confused bit). With garmins switched off we walked the last 1 and a half miles from the path to the parked car …. in torrential rain and wind – we were literally drowned rats.

Drove to our airbnb where we are now for 2 nights. It’s a cosy annexe to a farm house – stylish and packed with goodies … chocolates, wine, porridge and croissants.

And being Valentines we ended the day with champagne, chocolates and cuddles – SO much better than prison slops !!!

So Saturday night we were tucking into Loaded Cheese Nachos with lashings of guacamole in Lincoln. And on Sunday we were on a coastal path from Boston that revealed a possibly secret life of Duck and Mole…ee!! (I know, I have too much time to think when I’m walking … but I shall reveal all later).

We were up in Lincolnshire so that Steve could watch Wycombe scrape a draw at Saturday’s game against Lincoln (the imps). We did a little sightseeing in the gorgeous city of Lincoln, climbing the steep cobbled hill to the castle and the cathedral and learnt a huge amount about the history and the imp! While Steve and Jeff braved the cold and windy match on Saturday, I met up with Tracey for a cultural visit to the Usher Art Gallery followed by charity shop bargain hunting (stocked up massively on books) and a stop for tea and waffles.

Sunday 13th February 2022

Up bright and early, full English breakfast before leaving our accommodation in Burton Water, Lincoln, to drive to the town of Boston. Straightforward drive – good roads – my… Lincolnshire is flat!!

Parked up in a centre of town car park as it turned out that there was extremely limited parking at the pub we had booked into for the night. Discovered there were no daytime buses running to Fosdyke Bridge, which was our planned starting point for today’s Coastal Path walking. Phoned for a taxi and negotiated a rate of £27.50 … tried to haggle the driver down en route but he was having none of it – then, Steve must have thrown him into confusion by giving him £30 and saying “keep the change!!” All going swimmingly so far.

But we found the coastal path straightaway – bonus.

Well I say coastal path, it was one of the ‘less interesting’ estuary and mud flat walks today but we’re up this way and to finish our project we have to complete all the pieces of the jigsaw. To cut a long story short, it was just less than 10 miles of very flat embankment walking. Miles of straight lines only getting interesting at the occasional left or right turn which brought with it a new level and direction of wind blasting … front on, knocking us sideways to the left, knocking us sideways to the right or pushing us on from behind.

There was more interesting farmland to the left of us, miles and miles and miles of it, as far as the eye could see. The only thing we saw growing though was one field of daffodils.

But to my duck story. We passed a farm field absolutely crammed with ducks … and very noisy ducks at that. It was like they had gathered from across the lands for a duck convention. My mind was working overtime and I imagined that ducks had flown from near and far to appoint a new Queen Duck or that maybe it was the start of a new revolution – the ‘Planet of the Ducks! It was honestly so bizarre, why would SO many gather like that in one unlikely spot.

And then my mole story! The majority of the 10 mile stretch of embankment was riddled with molehills – again a most extraordinary number. It’s a very remote path – we passed one group of walkers the whole day. So, there was my little storyteller’s mind imagining the hundreds of short-sighted creatures venturing out in quieter moments and at night to play.

And who knows, maybe the ducks and moles are planning a takeover … watch this space!

The path came to a bit of an abrupt end and we got diverted off into a bleak Industrial Estate – we had covered just short of 10 miles at this point. And now to find our way back to the car. This is often the point where we fall out due to google map reading!! Plus it had started raining heavier … and PLUS it took an around the houses 3 miles to locate the car. But, of all ironies, amidst this wet and miserable angst, we received an email asking us to confirm our availability for a 5 week house-sit in St. Lucia in August/September this year …. oooh, yes please!!

* lack of photos due to camera being on the wrong setting and they all came out dark, hence no evidence to verify duck & mole stories!