Tuesday 29th September 2026

Wow, wow, wow … what a spectacular day of walking. Steve came up trumps again, picking out a safe walk between Arnside and Grange Over Sands, as there is still no sign of the official Coastal Path. He knew that walking close to the estuary waterside might be dangerous so he had mapped out the nearest inland route and it proved to be amazing.

We started off by catching the train to Arnside which very scenically runs along the waters edge. The first station after Lancaster is Carnforth (incidentally pronounced Carn fth and not Carn 4th as we’ve been saying)! Much to my delight, this station was used as the filming location for the 1945 romantic classic ‘Brief Encounter’ – such a favourite of mine. The platform bistro and bar are styled to mirror the iconic film set. I hope to pay it a visit before we leave.

We walked along a pleasant embankment wall leaving Arnside and, ironically, we were sheltered from some extremely blustery winds, as there were tall trees running alongside. This path took us to the edge of town, with just one teeny stretch of very wet slippery sand that without my walking pole I would not have stayed upright. We then had a short stretch of busy, no pavement road before we turned off down a country lane … and from thereon in we were just in splendid countryside the whole day.

And the paths, though not coastal, were all so manageable – either country lanes, villages or farm fields. A fair bit of it was cycle path and extremely popular with our speedy lycra clad chums. Apart from cyclists, we spent hours in the company of sheep, cows, pheasants and partridges. We had 360 degree views of the lushest green countryside I have seen in some time, with hills and rivers, long stone walls and magnificent properties that you would see in Period Dramas. We feel so grateful that we have the opportunity to experience this – everybody should come to Cumbria.

We reached the village of Levens at 7 miles and it was a great spot to enjoy our lunch. I had to make a decision to either end my walk here (as it was the last place I could connect to public transport) or … to walk on another 9 miles. A tricky decision. But, I decided I had it in me and I’m delighted I did. It was tough I’m not denying it but it was gorgeous and worth every step of the way.

The weather was kind to us all day – there were frequent grey clouds and the cows were laying down but the rain stayed away. Plenty of sunshine too which made everything seem even greener. Can’t believe our luck.

Towards the end there was a fair amount of uphill walking before we started our descent into Grange Over Sands, finishing off with a promenade walk. We clocked up 16 miles today and were very proud of ourselves – a good day’s work. We caught the train back from here and were amused at the fact that what had taken 6 hours to walk, took 8 minutes by train. Food for thought!!

Monday 28th September 2026

A similar start to yesterday. Caught a bus to Carnforth Station then walked down to Shore Road. Not far along the lane we crossed a wooden bridge signposted for Silverdale and Arnside … that was where we were heading today. And lo and behold, the first thing to greet us was a tarmac path – it just seemed too good to be true. Plus the sky was blue, the sun was out and it felt gorgeously warm. After yesterday’s rain fuelled and boggy day I was probably expecting something much worse. Steve had talked me out of bringing my walking pole and seems he was right.

And so the joy continued, not all tarmac but manageable paths with some absolutely stunning views. Still no sign of the official coast path signs – this was another section we had to work out for ourselves. On our way to Silverdale the main hazard was having to walk a two mile stretch along a National Speed Limit road, with no pavements. Unfortunately the road had many twists, turns and blindspots, so we were constantly zig zagging from one side to the other, to make ourselves visible to oncoming traffic. Not the most relaxing. Come on King Charles, get this coast path sorted!

That horror over, we turned off and walked under the railway line and from there we had some great paths, a little more populated too. There was a huge gang of ramblers resting at Jenny Brown’s Point. We didn’t stop to chat (unusual for us!!) as we were on a mission to get nearer to Arnside in time to witness some of the tidal bore. We continued on round, staying as close to the coast as we could, and made our way down to the Cove at Silverdale. This was a pretty little spot and it wasn’t high tide yet so we thought we may have a chance of carrying on walking at this lower level. We checked it out and came to the decision that it was a bit risky. Good decision. We took the opportunity to stop and have our lunch and within minutes the tide had come in and the path cut off, it was amazing to see!!

So with appetite satisfied, it was a long trudge up the hill … and then up more hill. It’s been a while since we’ve had the sort of climbs and descents we were finding today. And that’s when we crossed into Cumbria and the beauty kept on coming and coming. So did the hills!! Sadly we had another stretch of National Speed Limit road madness and this time the road was even narrower – much stress!! About a mile in though there was an alternative path, heading up into Woodland – fairly steep but very atmospheric and a far far better option than dodging speedy cars.

Before we knew it we were heading downhill into the extremely picturesque village of Arnside. There were quite a few people milling around, seems a popular place to visit. It had a wonderful feel with shops, galleries, pubs and cafes, all with spectacular views over to the Lake District mountains. It was already high tide so we had missed the rush of water – we very much hope to get back one day this week or next to witness it.

So that completed today’s walk – 9 miles – just time for an ice-cream before catching the train back to Lancaster. Apart from those couple of road bits, it had been an absolute stunner of a walk today …. and the sun was still shining. xx

Yesterday afternoon we drove up to Lancaster to do an 11 day house-sit …. and we’ve actually been here before. The lovely owners, Will and Paul welcomed us back and served up the most delicious dinner. It felt like we were long lost friends as the evening passed with good food, wine and easy chatter … exchanging stories of our travels since we were last together in January 2025. A proper good giggle. We loved this house-sit before – a stunning Victorian property, very comfortable, two adorable cats – Monty and Kit – and in walking distance of the marvellous historic city of Lancaster.

Sunday 27th September 2026

We had an easy start to the day, unpacking, food shopping, getting ourselves settled in etc. with the intention of letting the worst of the weather pass by. Around midday we caught the bus to Carnforth from where we planned to walk to Morecambe, a point we had reached on our last visit to the county. The particular point was in fact the statue of the much loved Eric Morecambe, and we were looking forward to being back in his company.

It had originally been our intention to do the 9 mile scenic walk across Morecambe Bay which you have to do with an official guide due to the notorious quicksands and fast moving tides. Over the centuries, hundreds of lives have been claimed on this stretch, the most famous being the 23 Chinese migrant cockle-pickers in 2004. We found ourselves out of season for this guided walk and hence we are now walking the extra miles, skirting the whole bay. Will and Paul assure us we won’t regret it as we will have some spectacular views. And it’s more officially ‘coastal path’ too, although King Charles III’s lads have not been to these parts yet to set out the official path and erect their lovely signs.

So it was with a little bit of guesswork and planning today that Steve picked out our route. From the bus station in Carnforth we had a short walk to ‘Shore Road’ and set off with a positive stride on what was a comfortable country lane. We were back Coastal Path rambling and it felt good. Unfortunately I’m still trying to shake off a miserable cold, and to make matters worse, the weather was foul. Not only were we experiencing some heavy rain showers but we were walking into strong winds too. It was definitely going to be ‘kill or cure.’

A little way along the road there was a Lancashire Coastal Path footpath veering off to the right. Not the official England Coast Path as it doesn’t exist here, but we felt compelled to take it. Not the easiest route we’ve ever taken I have to say. The estuary tide was high and the path was wet, boggy and extremely unpleasant. There were large sections of dry grass which seemed the better option at times but we trod on them with trepidation not knowing what was underneath or how far we might sink! Despite drenched and muddy feet, as always we survived and eventually found ourselves back on much more manageable path. In fact we found ourselves back on ‘Shore Road.’ (It might be cheating but it would have been so much easier to have stuck to the road)!

The rain and wind persisted so after just 5 miles we took refuge in a cafe and consoled ourselves with lashings of hot tea and delicious slices of homemade cake. Calorie counting goes completely out of the window on these rugged adventures!!! Feeling rejuvenated we set off, it was only 2 or 3 miles to go – easy peasy … except it wasn’t. We quickly hit another hideous section where we had the delights of scrabbling across rocks, negotiating smaller but slippier rocks or sinking into wet sand nearer the shoreline – not a great selection of choices. Luckily this was only about half a mile so we took it slowly – the driving rain was no help.

I’m pleased to say that the last two miles were joyous – easy paths and promenade, all the way into Morecambe. And believe it or not, the sun and blue skies came out to greet us. We reached Eric at exactly 7 miles.

In the immortal words of Eric and Ernie ….

Bring me sunshine, in your smile. Bring me laughter, all the while. In this world where we live there should be more happiness. So much joy you can give to each brand new bright tomorrow.

Tuesday 8th September 2026

We went rogue today and did the walk back to front – mixing it up a bit!! We caught a train into Chichester and then hopped on a bus just outside the station which took us all the way down to Bracklesham Bay. This was a point we had finished off at in October last year and our abiding memory of it was enduring 1.5 miles of walking on pebbles at the end of a 16.5 mile walk. We very much hoped that our 11 mile walk back to Bosham today was going to be an easier terrain.

It seemed God was paying me back for moaning about the heat over the last few days as today was the opposite – continuous rain and quite a chill wind. Our weather forecasts were telling us that it was due to clear up in a couple of hours though so we strode on confidently, believing we would soon dry out. For the first time in ages, Steve wore his leather hat which is generally part of his wet weather walking gear, but today he said that either his head had got bigger or the hat had shrunk – he felt like it was just perching!!

It seemed luck was on our side as the Coastal Path signs immediately led us around the houses of Bracklesham Bay rather than on the pebbled beach and we were loving that – until a sneaky path led us unexpectedly onto the dreaded pebbles. It wasn’t too bad however, although they continued for some distance they were interspersed with concrete and grass areas at points, and we managed. Better at the beginning of the walk while our legs were still fresh.

And despite the rain it was a really pleasurable walk. The pebbles gradually changed to shingle and then to sand – in fact black sand which I’ve never come across in this country before. In parts we walked in woodland running alongside the beach, very pretty and varied. When the path hit sand dune territory at East Wittering we hotfooted it down to the harder sand at the shoreline. It’s always lovely to find ourselves on a long stretch of sandy beach and we enjoyed this all the way to West Wittering where a Lifeguard recommended that we take to the higher path.

From West Wittering to West Itchenor the Coastal Path was varied and well signposted. Unbelievably, the house appreciation took on a whole new level today. The whole spread of this coastline has got to be extremely affluent, some properties literally took my breath away. Later I discovered some of the local residents include Kate Winslet, Keith Richards, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Michael Ball. None of them popped out to say hello however!

At just 7 miles we reached Itchenor – it was still raining. We easily found the Ferry and its very friendly Ferryman who whizzed us across Bosham Deeps (officially part of the Coastal Route), saving us an extra 10 mile walk. We were only his second customers of the day, think he was glad of the company.

Miraculously, the rain stopped for about 20 mins, just as we reached the other side. There was a bench perfectly placed for us to finally have our lunch – so we tucked in to re-energise for the remaining 4 miles of rambling.

Although the path was well marked out it was a bit slip slidey with mud and wet seawood – it was a little close at times but we managed to stay upright. And then we reached the extremely picturesque village of Bosham – luckily the tide was out so we could cut across the shallows.

We clocked up 11 miles of walking today and for some reason I found it quite manageable. I think it’s taken me a few days to get into the swing and maybe because it was cooler it didn’t feel such a task. But we were pleased to get back to our Airbnb for a hot shower, dry clothes and a good old cup of tea.

We achieved the completion of the gap – it turned out to be just 46 miles and that’s what we’ve walked in the last 5 days. This means we’ve done the whole of the Hampshire and West Sussex coastline, another big tick.

Later in the month we’ll be back on the Coast Path from Morecambe heading North – just enough time to rest our weary feet!

Another two days of Rose rambling to report on …

Sunday 6th September 2026

Not the best start in that our bus was cancelled but we eventually got on a No. 700 (extremely busy) bus, disembarking at the top of the village of Prinsted. We walked down its very pretty lanes to the Thorney Island Coastal Footpath.

We were immediately faced with a locked gate as the island is MOD property, only allowing visitors to stick to the official Coast Path which is fenced off around the perimeter. We had to press a buzzer and listen to the rules and regulations before the gate was opened for us to get on our way. Seemed like a nice man, hope he had other jobs to do as there weren’t too many walkers about!

We had glorious views the whole day, waterways, mudflats with plenty of seabird activity, pretty sailing boats and even a section of sand dunes with perfectly white sand. The white sand beach was our picnic spot for the day – it felt like being in the Caribbean!

A little further on we came across St. Nicholas Church, a stunning Norman building which now serves the small island population, largely made up of British Army personnel and their families. Considering this, there was surprisingly four large graveyards, two of the older ones we walked through as part of the Coastal Path.

Now, I’m not one to moan, but as the day went on it got hotter and hotter! It’s like the island had its own sub-climate and heatwave! Made us realise that we were wise not to attempt walking during this recent summer’s extreme temperatures. Even with the coastal breezes it felt pretty stifling at times. At least we had plenty of water and foraged sweet blackberries as we wended our way.

At 7 miles we had completed the island circuit and buzzed our little man again to open the gate. We had then arrived in the town of Emsworth. We still had a further 3 miles from here to finish at Langstone, the start of Hayling Island. We suspected it might be road walking but in fact it was a very pleasurable waterside route the whole way.

At just on 10 miles, and almost 4pm, we arrived at The Ship Inn, Langstone where we had booked a table for an early dinner with our lovely friend Bridget, who had driven down from Crowborough to meet us. We all enjoyed a delicious chicken and leek pie in their upstairs restaurant … and they didn’t mind our walking attire!! It was lots of fun, lots of chatter and a little over zealous consumption of wine and beer (mostly Steve!!!). It was great to spend that time with Bridget who kindly stayed sober to drive us weary and ‘tiddled’ ramblers back to our airbnb, before setting off on her own long journey. Just can’t believe we forgot to take a photo – too busy nattering.

Monday 7th September 2026

Today’s plan was to walk from Prinsted to Bosham, an 8 mile walk largely circumnavigating Chichester Harbour. We again started at Prinsted waterfront, today walking to the left. A beautiful walk through Prinsted village again and now on the coastal path out there were equally stunning houses with their large windows overlooking their extensive rolling lawns down to the water edge. Not jealous at all – just making a comment!

It was a day of flat paths – a mixture of shoreline, sea walls, farm fields and quiet lanes. Paths were a little rocky in places – plenty of stumbling opportunities. We started out with some ugly looking grey clouds and even a little drizzle but mostly it turned out to be just the right temperature for walking – warm with a cool breeze.

Many years ago, in my late twenties, I sailed from this Harbour to the Isle of Wight. My lovely ex-boss (John Leighton) moored his yacht here and invited me and two others to join him on a sailing weekend. Walking alongside it today brought back wonderful memories. Another equally lovely ex-boss (David French) had lived on Hayling Island and he has been very much in my thoughts the last few days also.

When the Coastal Path diverted us off the sea wall onto farmland it felt considerably hot again, being more sheltered from the sea breeze. The farm paths were long and dry but it was a wonderful spectacle to see and smell some healthy looking vegetables – kale, cabbage, beetroot, cauliflowers, leeks and pumpkins. The soil looked rich too although we did see some evidence of some planting not having survived the summer temperatures.

Another day of no toilets or cafes but we had our one little lunchtime picnic break on a bench with a view. Steve voted for cutting a mile off the end and adding it to tomorrow’s walk and who was I to argue!! Just made sense logistically and we were soon on the 700 bus back to Havant.

So, 7 miles of walking with a late start and an early finish. A good chance for me to catch up on blogging and for Steve to have an afternoon kip. Our last walk tomorrow now stands at 11 miles rather than 10 – did we make a wise decision!? Let’s see. x

Our guestimate for the Hayling Island coastal walk was 16 miles so Steve came up with a plan to split it across two days as our first two days were essentially going to be afternoons only – Friday as we first had to make the journey down from Milton Keynes plus find our Airbnb accommodation and Saturday due to our beloved Parkrun being the first item on the list!! We’ve based ourselves in Havant with the intention of closing a 55 mile gap between Hayling Island in Hampshire and Bracklesham Bay in West Sussex. It’s a bit like finding those elusive edge parts in a jigsaw puzzle.

Friday 4th September 2026

The trusty No.30 bus took us from Havant Bus Station to Northney where we started our walk to the south of the Island. For this section there had been no evidence of an official coastal path on the ordnance survey maps but as it turned out there was indeed a path and it had exceptional signage for the whole of the route. A whole mixture of terrain, some estuary paths, country lanes, a bit of road here and there, all perfectly manageable.

The weather was mostly overcast but it was still warm, in fact pretty hot at times. Having eaten breakfast at 7.30am we were getting peckish by midday and desperately seeking out a bench to sit and have our sandwiches, 5 miles in and still no bench! Then we came upon a parked up flat bed truck which made for a perfectly comfortable picnic spot. The chicken & cranberry sandwiches hit the spot and, after nourishment, on we trooped.

We saw some wonderful houses en route and got a lovely feel for Hayling Island life with its sailing clubs and marinas. Quite a mixed demographic though I’d say as some parts felt somewhat less salubrious. At 8 miles we hadn’t reached our destination – it was a further two miles than we’d bargained for, oh joy. When we saw the shingle our hearts sunk – not again! But luck was on our side as there was a promenade – that bonus two miles could have been oh so worse.

Our destination for today was the Hayling Island Light Railway. On reaching it, we rewarded ourselves with 2 scoops of salted caramel ice-cream and a much needed sit down before catching the bus back to Havant … 10 miles in the bag.

We’re staying in a very comfortable airbnb (no house-sits available) but there are no cooking facilities – just a kettle and a toaster. This meant that rather than lounge around in our pyjamas we had to get dressed and go out to find sustenance. We happened upon a huge Wetherspoons called “The Parchment Makers” and, trying to stick to budget living we gave it a go. Successfully installed ourselves in a quiet corner and ate and drank at bargain prices. Even looked up the history – parchment making was once an important industry in Havant and parchment from here was used for the Treaty of Versailles. We had a little wander around the town on our way back, very pretty in parts. The sky was unbelievable – pink sky predicts a sunny day tomorrow – yippee!

Saturday 5th September 2026

Up with the lark and straight to Havant parkrun which was in Staunton Park, just a short bus ride away. Can recommend it as a run as it was very scenic but, being a gravel path it was not so comfortable underfoot, plus there were steep downhill slopes and matching uphills. Another one ticked off though.

We had a late breakfast back at our Airbnb to set us up for the day’s walk – hoped it would sustain us till dinner time and give us sufficient energy for our 8 mile walk. Packed some mini pork pies in my rucksack in case of emergency!

We got the same bus to the same bus stop as yesterday – today we walked to the right, walking the other side of Hayling Island. The coastal path signs were great again and it immediately took us on the “Billy Trail” – a disused railway line – pleasant paths with waterside views. As yesterday evening’s skies had predicted, today was blue skies and sunshine. Lots of conservation areas, oyster beds and plenty of birdlife. Being a Saturday we were accompanied by many walkers and numerous cyclists – lovely to see families out enjoying this wonderful weather and location.

After enjoying the luxury of the Billy Trail for some time, those pesky King Charles III Coastal Path signs veered us off in another direction, taking us on a much bigger loop. But all was not lost as we walked through some glorious residential areas, house envy alert!! Some magnificent residences – period, modern, coastal, country – all individual and just oozing style. This led us down to the beach where we had a lovely long stretch of shore walking, listening to the waves lapping and soaking up the seawater aroma. Some more stunning beach facing properties too.

The final mile felt like a slog but we had the “Islander” light railway train to entertain us. And then we were back to where we finished off yesterday …. 8 miles today. And we can confirm that the Hayling Island Coastal Path is 18 miles.

Finished off the day with fish and chips, lashings of tea, a blog …. and an early night!

Tomorrow’s another day …. of walking! x