Saturday 26th June 2022

Day 5 – up and out early this morning as we had volunteered at the Nant Y Pandy parkrun (great name)!! I was the official tail walker so got to wear the high viz and ‘tail’ – Steve and David were my fellow tails. An absolutely beautiful setting and super friendly team. We had lovely chats with the marshals, runners and dog walkers as we strolled around the 5k hilly route – especially David as he found lots of willing Welsh speakers to practice on.

From there we drove in our two cars to Rhosneigr where we parked up to have breakfast. A fab little cafe called Cafe Notos – (Notos is the God of the South Wind), so appropriate for this surfing renowned stretch. We all enjoyed a full English Breakfast which really hit the spot. The cosy atmosphere was somewhat hampered by a screaming baby (and I mean screaming), accompanied at times by her toddler brother – you just had to feel for the mother!

Fully nourished, we left one car in Rhosneigr and drove on to Four Mile Bridge which was the starting point for today’s coastal walk. Parked up right by the path … such a treat. Almost immediately we hit a small field heavily populated with cows – we had to literally walk in between them at close quarters – the way they stare you out unnerves me!

The first mile or so was quite overgrown with ferns, brambles, nettles and all things prickly … a little bit jungle at times … but we were brave soldiers! Lots of countryside prettiness in the first 4 miles. There were quite a few ramblers of all sorts, so plenty of opportunity for exchanging walking tales – and David took every opportunity to converse in his very eloquent Welsh language.

The wind at times was unbelievably strong – coming down a slope at one point I felt like I was skydiving (not that I’ve ever skydived) – arms outstretched in a funny position and face contorted!! “Looks like a rather blustery day” …. says Winnie the Pooh.

But then, for the last four miles we were walking along the rather magnificent Rhosneigr Beach – the tide was fully out and I have never seen such an expanse of beach ever – quite remarkable … oh, and windy! It was hard at times facing the wind head on but there were lots of distractions by way of wind surfers, kite surfers and ‘blow carts’ (as we discovered they were called).

We had been so lucky dodging the rain all day. As we walked the final stretch of beach however it was threatening hard.

As we came off the beach we realised we had overshot where our car was parked so had to walk back on ourselves a little – oh, we laughed!!

My pace (and enthusiasm) was beginning to weaken by this point so Steve and David had gained some distance on me. And then I felt some spots of rain – so as I climbed to the brow of a sand dune, battling to get my flapping in the wind raincoat on at the same time, muttering to myself … I stumbled across a most tranquil Tai Chi class in full swing! I did my best to slink by inconspicuously so as not to disturb their meditation – think I got away with it!!

Got to the car just in the nick of time before the heavens opened.

Now back at base and have enjoyed a fabulous Welsh dinner cooked by David – Cawl … so tasty hearty and we accompanied it with some red vino of course – well, it is Saturday! So now, I’m finishing off the blog, David is doing some of his Welsh studies and Steve is writing the parkrun report – we are terribly busy bees!!

Friday 24th June 2022

Day 4 and I was back on the track today, feeling revived after my glorious sunshine beach day. Thank you to my two Guest bloggers for yesterday – it sounded like a good day to miss and it certainly looked it as they wearily trudged across the beach to meet me!

And it was David’s turn to take a day off walking today (blister recovery), but he had lots of interesting activities planned including a practice session with the Beaumaris Brass Band this evening. We missed you David … and you missed an easy one!

So, Steve and I stepped out alone on a cloudy day walking from Newborough to Brynsiencyn. A lot of inland today so no magnificent coastal views but we did have the wonders of Snowdonia in the distance to enjoy, a little marred by the low cloud.

And steps, yes always steps on coastal paths – there were steps rather than stiles today which are quite manageable. The steps cut into slopes however are another matter – thoughtlessly designed to suit only walkers with long and stable legs – both of these attributes I am lacking … so am prone to stumble. And stones – a stony beach section today when first reaching the Menai Straits – boulders, pebbles and shingle are always tough terrain in coastal walking … and just how do those stones make their way into your boots!?

But today’s test of nerves came in the shape of stepping stones – the Rhuddgaer Stepping Stones, described as the ‘Giant’s Stepping Stones’ – enormous stones that straddle the Afon Braint tidal river. We weren’t far into our walk by the time we came across them – Steve was ahead of me as I had stopped to chat with some beautiful horses. He started walking over them and then came back – I thought he was wanting to take some photos of us crossing. But I soon realised he was coming to check on my anxiety and assess my ability to tackle what was ahead. Now, they weren’t your normal stepping stones which just poke out of the water – these genuinely were enormous as stepping stones go, standing about 4 feet out of the rocky lined river below – yikes! My first reaction was to think that my Sir Galahad could hold my hand and guide me over but the misshapen rock surfaces did not allow for this. Gulp!! They were tall with a sizeable gap between each one. Why is it that when I’m required to balance my body is prone to wobble!? So, I just had to put my big girl pants on and make my way over with full concentration. I was so proud when I got to the other side – I felt like I’d completed a trial on ‘I’m a Celebrity!”

After that trauma, the rest of the walk was so pleasurable – no hills, mostly woodland and farm land, cows, sheep, goats and rabbits. Some fabulous properties too – gosh, there must be money in these parts.

When you walk the coastal path, very occasionally the signposted path leads you through someone’s garden – today the sign informed us to enter a gated extremely well manicured garden where an elderly couple were busy gardening near the entrance. So we were able to ask them to confirm that this was indeed the path and they warmly opened the gate to allow us in. The lady actually thanked us for being so polite in asking as recently they had walkers that came through and proceeded to sit in the shade of one of their trees to eat their lunch. We chatted for a while and as we were leaving she mentioned that we would probably find a field of cattle at the back that would be likely to ‘show some interest in us!’ She then went on to mention they were heifers and bullocks and so if we were nervous there was an alternative route by road. I was very interested in this alternative but as you can guess Steve’s response was “we’ll be fine!”

Lucky for him (and me) – the fields were empty of cattle!!

Eventually we reached the Menai Straits and from here it was a relaxing walk to our finishing point. We even stopped to eat our sandwiches and enjoy the views. Just short of 7 miles today and low elevation – that’s my kind of coastal walk.

Oh, and Steve lost his hat …. AGAIN!! (See blog ‘The well-travelled hat’ 30/31 March 2018).

This time, it wasn’t his beloved leather cowboy hat but it was his beloved running/walking cap that he has lost and found several times before. Despite running back to search and then driving back for another search after the walk, it was not to be found. So, poor heart-broken Steve – the cap of nine lives is no more!!!

Thursday June 23rd 2022

Day 3 of our Ynys Môn (Anglesea) Walking Trip dawned with yet another blue-sky day and perhaps slightly warmer than yesterday. Dee decided to miss today’s walk as she was unable to resist the lure of the clear, turquoise sea and packed her bags ready for a day at the beach – “Oh she does like to be beside the seaside, she does like to be beside the sea”!

Therefore today’s blog is being written by apprentices Steve and David under the watchful eye of Blog-Meister Dee! We hope to keep up the high-standards of writing for her many readers.

Today we planned a walk from Penmon to Benllech. Steve drove us to the start via a series of single track roads where we came across the ruins of the church and priory at Penmon as well as having an excellent view of Penmon Lighthouse and Puffin Island (also known as ‘Ynys Seiriol’, the founder of the monastic settlement at Penmon). Dee had the unenviable task of driving back trying to avoid the single track roads and ignoring the car’s satnav which for some reason was tempting her onto the single tracks just as the sirens from Greek mythology lured sailors to their doom on the rocks!

We now leave Dee behind for the moment as she made her way to Benllech and the allure of sand, sea and ice-creams.

Today’s start led us away from the sea as we entered woodlands and fields occupied with the now-familiar sight of sheep and cows (I wonder if they are Welsh-speaking?). We had a slight disaster close to ‘Bwrdd Arthur’ (Arthur’s Table) as we mistook a general footpath sign for the Coastal Pathway Sign (they are the same colour and Steve was talking at the time!) and ended up not only doing an extra ½ mile but having to climb back up from the beach on a hill that would not have been out of place in the Himalayas!

Thankfully the rest of the walk was uneventful and eventually levelled out as it took as along Red Wharf Bay (Traeth Coch), a most wonderful stretch of red sand that apparently was used to test the first Landrovers. It was here that we bumped into a fellow walker and asked how far it was to our end point at Benllech. For a horrifying moment, Steve thought he was going to say “Fifteen Miles” but thankfully instead said “Fifteen Minutes”. It was a tad longer than that but eventually we caught up with Dee on the sands of Benllech where she was sat reading and looking refreshed from her dip in the sea unlike the 2 jolly walkers who joined her looking hot, tired but pleased to complete yet another leg of the walk. Following an enjoyable packed lunch and rest, we made our way back to the Air BnB.

It’s been great to welcome a fellow walker this week, although I think we may have broken him! He’s just limped into the room having made a cup of tea and all he talks about now is blisters!

Tuesday 22nd June 2022

Another blue sky, no cloud day – warm with a gentle breeze. So all was well with the world as we set off for our Day 2 Anglesey walk from Cemaes to Amlwch Port. The guide book had suggested that it would be a ‘strenuous’ walk but after yesterday’s mammoth 16 miles, this 8 mile stretch was us having an easy day. Cemaes had a lovely little beachside cafe but we’d sensibly eaten breakfast back at base today so for once it was not required. After disembarking the bus therefore (said bus with same heavily ‘masked’ man from yesterday), we were ready and keen to head straight off.

And there was no settling us in – the path turned off to the left practically from the start and took us steeply up up up, wading through dense vegetation before introducing us to the precarious downhill path. And these climbs and descents then became the order of the day – some slopes but hundreds of steps too, of varying precariousness! If you are considering doing this stretch be prepared for stunning beauty throughout but also know that it is hell. A real test of your muscles, joints and nerve!! Thank goodness for my trusty walking pole (loaned from Jess) and my two Sir Galahads, Steve and David, who provided hands to support me over the steeper parts and breaking a few of my stumbles. It’s so easy to grumble as you face some of these strenuous parts but I guess we love it really – we certainly love it when it’s finished!

The sea was stunningly blue and turquoise today and the sun shone down on it throughout, making me long to jump in. We saw a number swimmers and paddlers – I’m definitely going to try it tomorrow. David spotted dolphins too – they were a little elusive when I was watching but I’m sure they were there. So many picturesque coves – Porth Padrig, Porth Cynfor and Bull Bay … but sadly no ice-cream vendors to aid these mad coastal walkers! Some interesting historical sites today too – the ruins of an old porcelain works at Porth Llanlleiana and the old winding gear and ruined chimneys and kilns from the long abandoned Porth Wen Brickworks.

The last mile or two were somewhat less strenuous as we wound our way around more low lying cliff paths into Amlwch, treated to glorious wildflower displays. And back in town we enjoyed coffee with pancakes and ice-cream as our reward for today’s effort – it may have only been 8 miles but, my goodness, what an 8 miles that was!

And today David would like to say:

Diwrnod 2, Cemaes i Amlwch. Dim ond wyth milltir heddiw ond roedd yn serth iawn! Ro’n ni’n fel gafr mynydd! Pan gorffenon ni cawson ni goffi a crempogau mewn caffi yn Amlwch. Ro’n nhw’n crempogau yn flasus.

Monday 21st June 2022

So, we’re back to finish off Anglesey (well, that’s the plan) and we’ve been joined by an honorary Rambling Rose … Mr. David Rose! David’s not a blood relation but related by way of running obsession – he is indeed a fellow Redway Runner and a lovely friend. We’ve been talking about doing this for well over a year now, and finally we’re here.

David is Welsh but living in Milton Keynes and has been studying the Welsh language, recently having sat an exam. So we have high hopes that we’ll be striking up all sorts of conversations with the Anglesey locals, as the island is renowned for its Welsh speakers.

We arrived last night at our cottage in Amlwch and set out early this morning to catch the bus to Benllech, our starting point for today. We arrived in the nick of time to run for an earlier bus, conveniently held up by a sweet elderly man, with his face literally fully masked – you could just about see his eyes – giving the driver a detailed account of where he wished to disembark. We then had some lengthy and humorous banter with the driver ourselves – chatting was obviously his thing … though not in Welsh!

After a break neck speed bus ride to Benllech, we found ourselves a perfect cafe and settled down with our full English Breakfasts (as opposed to full Welsh). Lovely food, lovely service but again no Welsh speakers for David to practice on.

We wandered down to the beach to find the coastal path – it was only at this point I discovered today’s walk was to be 14 miles … I had had 10 miles in mind but hey ho!

And the day certainly didn’t disappoint – absolutely stunning coastal scenery and golden beaches all the way …. some walking across sheep filled fields and through shaded woodland, the path rocky underfoot in places and our fair share of hills it has to be said. And fantastic weather with blue skies and little wind (dare I say a trifle too hot at times) … but a little breeze joined us a bit later making it more manageable. So wonderful to be back amongst the wild flowers and butterflies, the sounds of lapping waves, hovering kestrels and even a few cheeky seals bobbing their heads in the sea! Picture perfect.

David soon discovered, Steve likes to keep moving with minimal breaks …. and so it was we reached 10miles, then 12, then 14 …. and still there was no sign of our destination. I think we all agreed the path was tough but we had no choice but to keep going and do our best to keep chirpy. How many times did I hear ‘this has to be the last hill’ and ‘ it has to be around the next corner!’ Finally, despite sore feet, tested spirits, some asthma troubles and a bit of hay fever sneezing, we eventually found ourselves at Amlwch harbour … and so the smiles returned as we relished in our achievement. David clocked up 16 miles on his Garmin – Steve slightly less … decided the discrepancy could be down to David’s regular ‘loo’ backs (running banter!!)

Just another hill then to get to the pub – the Adelphi – where we enjoyed well deserved beers and pies before tackling the final hill of the day back to our cottage for tea, bath, bed and hopefully lots of recovery sleep.

A wonderful first day back on the coastal path but, particularly considering the heat, a few steps too far. Great to have 16 miles under our belt though … and tomorrow definitely planning an easier walk.

And David would like to add:

Cerddon Steve, Dee a fi un deg chwech milltir heddiw ar hyd y llwybr arfordir Cymru. Roedd e’n galed ond gyda hardd golygfa! Dw i’n dysgu Cymraeg felly edrychais i am pobl i siarad Cymraeg gyda ond siaradon nhw i gyd Saesneg! Dim ots. Fallai yfory?!

Monday 16th May 2022 – far too wet to walk – it was a lazy day!!

Tuesday 17th May 2022

Well, that was a lovely walk today. 10 and a half miles from Blyth to Tynemouth … and nothing particularly taxing about it – quite the pleasant stroll. That’s if you can keep up with Steve – he does like to set a fair pace and I do my very best to keep up with him! Started off along the interesting quay at Blyth, through Ridley Park and along our local beach (Blyth’s been our home this week). Very little incline and spectacular sea views from beginning to end. Easy terrain, even some promenade walking and strolling across the beaches at Whitley Bay and Tynemouth Longsands.

And so that’s the Northumberland coastal path done for us ‘Rambling Roses’ … 102 miles in 10 days of walking! Not bad considering the setbacks of chest infection and injured toe into the equation! It’s been glorious and we’ve loved getting to know these Northern parts. I’m sure we’ll be back ‘up North.’

Sunday 15th May 2022

Having had 2 days off walking, today we were back on the coastal path – all fired up for whatever it was going to throw our way. That’s the funny thing – even though you can estimate the miles you can never predict the terrain, elevation or environment – so each day is a mystery! We did know that we were letting ourselves in for 13-14 miles, but there was no earlier option on the route, where we could access public transport for the way back. It’s all a big logistical affair you know.

We made our way by bus to the starting point in Lynemouth – the first mile was a bit industrial but beach views too. Then it was all rambling beach side for the first 6 miles of the walk, and although not forecast, it was warm and sunny. Oh the joys!

We stopped for a break in Newbiggen-by-the-Sea and munched into our beef and horseradish sandwiches as we soaked up the bay views. Seems like a lovely little holiday spot.

Then onwards along pleasant paths to Cambois Beach where we stopped again for ice-cream … we were really spoiling ourselves today!

Whether or not it was the ice-cream that changed our luck, but the weather took a bit of a dip on leaving Cambois … it didn’t rain but the warmth turned to grey and chilly. And the first couple of miles were OK sand dunes but after that the rest of the walk (apart from some short interludes of farm fields and estuary side woodland) it was miles and miles of roadside, industrial areas and not so glamorous housing estates. So, a wonderfully optimistic start turned into a ‘just wanted to get it over and done with’ second half!

It’s not always lovely lovely you see – some days we hate! Hate hills, hate stupidly long flights of steps, hate overgrown paths with stinging nettles, hate diversions that add miles onto the path, hate getting lost … hate walking … hate each other (lol !!!!! edit by Steve!) But the good always outweighs the bad … it must do or we’d be mad to keep doing it! (No comments please)!

Finally reached our destination in Blyth – 13 and a half miles – pooped!!

And now I’m home, showered, a little rested … enjoying a glass of wine whilst writing the blog, listening to Steve singing as he busies himself in the kitchen, cooking the Sunday Roast. Wafts of beef and sizzling roasties soothe my aching body … and all is SO well with the world.

Thursday 12th May 2022

Today for our last bit of walking while based in this part, we caught the bus to Lynemouth and enjoyed a fabulous walk back to Amble, where we have stayed the last 3 nights.

All went swimmingly – up nice and early, found the bus stop, bus arrived on time to take us to Lynemouth – off to a great start. Now all we needed was to find a cafe for breakfast to fuel us up for what we hoped would be 8 miles, thought would be 10 miles … but in fact turned out to be 11 miles. But no cafes in Lynemouth to be found … walked 2 miles to Cresswell along the coastal path – still no cafe! At this point the coastal path allowed us to walk along the beach for the majority of the way so it seemed breakfast was a no no. It turned out to be a day of unfuelled walking … but we more than made up for it when we reached Amble about 2pm and devoured some lunch.

Despite the hunger we loved the walk, part sand dunes, part shoreline walking (my favourite) – a day on the beach essentially. Fairly windy at times but the sun occasionally came out too.

Amble has grown on us. When we arrived on Wednesday evening it seemed like a bit of a tired town – run down shops, no decent pubs or restaurants, nobody about … and we were thinking “oh no, three nights!!” But then we discovered more, including the quayside hospitality and shops, the local beach, a beautiful nearby nature reserve – so we take back all we said Amble. If you’re ever in town, we recommend ‘The Boathouse’ and ‘Fish Shack’ restaurants, the ice-cream parlour, The Coquet Tea Rooms (fab breakfast) and ‘The Cock and Bull’ micropub – a tiny local bar where men seem to take their dogs for a walk at night … and spend the evening sharing their stories with any visitors over a beer or two – we loved it.

Friday 13th May 2022

Unlucky for some, but so far so good. We moved into our house-sit today in Blyth (when we eventually cracked the diversion)! Lovely house, all we need to make us extremely comfortable for the next week while we attempt to finish off walking this coastline.

Saturday 14th May 2022

Met some really friendly people at the Jesmond Dene parkrun – Steve and I had volunteered to do the tail walking – it was a good job really as I would have been at the back anyway – very few slow runners, no walkers and particularly hilly – what a joy!

Plan to get the walking boots back on tomorrow!!

p.s. the photos not quite so sharp today as Steve had an accident – he dropped the camera on his already sore toe, resulting in:

1. An even sorer toe!
2. A broken zoom lens
3. Having to resort to mobile phone camera!

We’re carrying on living the life, enjoying the open road. The last few days certainly made easier by staying at the fabulous Eastwatch Guest House. Having the swimming pool and hot tub to return to after miles of path walking was an incredible bonus, not to mention the warm hospitality of Paul and his partner. We made the most of the guest kitchen/dining area to cook in most nights and enjoy the sea views while dining – why would you not?

It’s been a full on few days of walking though so the blog is not so many words and loads of photos! We covered 40 miles in 3 days (Sunday – Tuesday) and today (Wednesday) we’ve done a cheeky little 7 miles (a shorter one planned so I could reserve some time and energy to catch up on blogging …. oh, and Steve has a sore toe!!

Sunday 8th May 2022 – Beal to Berwick

A straightforward walk – 9 miles – no trips, slips or blips in organisation. Mixture of splendid beaches and farmland walking. Stumbled across a golf club around lunchtime that actually invited walkers in – so of course we did! Lots of high speed trains, fascinating geology and most exciting of all … an ice-cream van. And a beautifully sunny day.

Monday 9th May 2022 – Bamburgh to Beal

Today was harder, hillier and much more inland – only glimpses of the sea at the beginning and at the end. Still beautifully countryside scenic – bluebells en masse, deer, hares, pheasants, partridge – we could hear but not see cuckoo! Forever awed by the nature around us. Some excitement today on having to phone to cross the railway line – we haven’t done that since we were kids!

Had one of those not so happy moments though on reaching a gate with ‘Warning, Bull in Field.’ No discussion on turning back, Steve forever the farm boy! So through the gate I went moaning and groaning about the stupidity of risking death by bull – and breathlessly climbed the huge hill, continuously and anxiously scanning 360 degrees to detect said creature, my escape route through barbed wire cunningly planned. And it had to be the longest field ever of course, going up, up, up and then down, down, down. When we finally got to the end of the field we met such a jolly old man (yes, considerably older than us!) who was sat on the stile smoking a roll up! And his devoted elderly wife was sat on the ground at his feet – and they were full of the joys of Spring (well, we think they were as they were very animated and smiley … unfortunately the local accent though fabulous can be a little tricky for us to understand). Turned out they had just climbed that hill and were coastal path walking too. Made me feel so pathetic about my anxieties when we were obviously so much faster on our feet!

And almost 16 miles today – not bad!

Tuesday 10th May 2022 Bamburgh to Craster

Took the decision to walk southwards today due to wind direction … but it changed direction regularly!

A lovely walk though, much more coastal today although still ventured into farmland and woodland at times. Another day of castles, golf courses and an abundance of natural beauty. A blend of windy and sunny weather for the 13 miles. On reaching Craster, we caught the bus back to Bamburgh to collect the car … and then drove to our new accommodation in Amble. Seems lovely … but no hot tub!!! (We’ve been spoilt)!

Wednesday 11th May 2022 Amble to Alnmouth

A cloudy start to the day today but we set off with all enthusiasm as we knew it was going to be just a short stroll today. Like yesterday, it was a beautiful walk all the way … largely coastal and beach side, including sand dune paths.

Not far from Amble we walked through the beautiful village of Warkworth with its stunning church and castle. I was hugely excited at spotting an otter (my first sighting ever) … only to find out from Steve’s photo that it was actually a seal.

Another great day for bird watching … discovered the Eider Duck, the UK’s heaviest and fastest flying duck. This duck’s breast feathers have long been harvested for filling pillows and quilts … Eiderdown.

And after 7 miles of walking, we finished up with lunch in the picturesque village of Alnmouth – probably our favourite village so far. And we were even allowed to lunch in the Golf Club and enjoy the views of the green while munching.

And, back in Amble, finished off the day with local sea bass and too much prosecco … as you do!

A lot of people say to us “Why do you do it?”

And the answer has to be for the freedom, for the fresh sea and country air, for the time to appreciate all forms of nature, for discovering new things, for the wonderful scenery that takes our breath away each day, time for mindfulness and reflection, for the physical challenge too, for the satisfaction of pushing yourself and achieving, for that lovely tired feeling at the end of the day … and of course for ‘being together’ time.

So, to walk or not to walk?

Walking, blogging, selfie poses …. it’s a yes from us, the Rambling Roses xxxx

Saturday 7th May 2022

We started off the day with the Pastures parkrun, overlooked by the magnificent Alnwick Castle (pronounced to rhyme with ‘panic).’

An interesting route over countryside so it was bumpy underfoot, hilly at points, splattered with cow pats and involved three lots of running through a particularly muddy bog. Michael the Run Director and his team of volunteers couldn’t have been friendlier though and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit here.

We drove straight from the parkrun to Alnmouth where we had decided to park up and catch up a bus to our coastal path starting point of Craster. We enjoyed a hearty Eggs Benedict breakfast and lashings of tea before boarding the bus, so that was us nicely set up for the day. Our mission was to walk back from Craster to Alnmouth along the path, retrieve our car and drive back to our accommodation in Berwick. This is all a bit higgeldy-piggeldy this time in terms of where we walk, but bear with us, it will make a complete jigsaw by the end of the fortnight.

The very first part of the coastal path was through a pub garden – it was quite amazing that we got any further!! From A to B it was a fabulous path … a real coastal path in its terrain and views of the sea, we loved everything about it. A few hills here and there but nothing too horrendous. We even walked a stretch of golden sand as we neared Alnmouth and finished off by walking alongside the village golf club.

It was a day of views, of birdsong, of seaside smells … and eventually of sunshine. With my blog head on I couldn’t help but notice a whole load of yellow and gold today. Mostly from the flowers – huge swathes of brightly coloured gorse lined the majority of the path … then there were primroses, buttercups, cowslip, even late blooming daffodils and tulips … and of course Mr. Dandelion! And as the walk progressed there was more evidence of that large yellow ball in the sky peeping out. “The sun has got his hat on ….”

We had excitement too watching a group of reluctant coasteering victims as well as a flock of young lambs exploring their independence whilst Mum called fervently from nearby.

It was just over 7 miles of walking today + our 3 miles of running … so not a bad day’s effort. Revived ourselves in the gorgeous bubbly hot tub on our return and now chilling with wine and pizza, watching and listening to the waves.

So, it’s been a yellow sort of day between the flowers, the sunshine, the sands and also the rapeseed fields seen so much in this area. Maybe I should order a bowl of custard!!!!

p.s. did you notice that I haven’t mentioned being ill – I think that Northumbria air is kicking in!!