Woke up to yet another beautiful blue sky day – perfect Spring weather. Up and out sharpish as today we were walking Spurn Head Spit, where tides can be an issue – we weren’t going to take any chances. Decided to drive as the bus journey was going to take two hours. Didn’t end up saving ourselves loads of that time due to tremendously stressful traffic diversion and congestion in the city – road closures – and then further on the roads were largely restricted to 30 and 40mph. We drove through some gorgeous villages though, some with magnificent churches, and it gave us a clearer picture for further days of walking.
We managed to take the last parking spot in the car park at Spurn and predicted this was going to be a busy old place. Turned out there was a European Angling Competition taking place and the anglers were all spaced out, with all the gear, along the whole stretch of beach. We got chatting to one competitor who told us the first prize was £4,000 for the weightiest cod or ray. He loved talking all things fish but seemed completely uninterested in our coastal walking chatter – funny that!! We continued our walk up the sandy beach, a little miffed that the fishermen were hogging all the firmer sand … mustn’t grumble. After two miles we were led on to a path that took us off the beach and behind some sand dunes. This shortly turned into a concrete path … being nature lovers we’re ashamed to say that we love a concrete path occasionally – today it was a lifesaver.
Setting off on today’s walk of Spurn Head SpitThe eager Anglers
Spurn is a narrow sandy spit that juts out into the Humber Estuary and curves round to the North Sea. It has a lot of history as a defence location, it has a lighthouse (open for visitors and refreshments) and a redundant lifeboat station. The spit’s main purpose now is a Wildlife Haven – you just have to be aware of the unpredictable tides that can leave you stranded. We were aiming for ‘The Point’ at the furthermost tip, so an out and back which we reckoned on being about 6 miles. We felt comfortable, although not many but other walkers heading the same way – we reckoned we’d be safe.
Spurn Pilot Station
There were glorious views the whole stretch, sea all around and sandy beaches, just wonderful. Shortly past the lighthouse, the signs for ‘The Point’ took us through a long and winding stretch of sand dunes. Steve did suggest we skip this bit and just head back but I said it was a shame to get this far without getting to ‘the point’ … ha ha! Did I ever regret that comment. Because (1) ‘The Point’ was literally a bench with one of those signposts that tells you how many miles it is to Timbuktoo and (2) after that it led us back to the beach. Now I love a beach but not walking another 4 miles of it on soft sand, I’d much rather admire it from something firmer. I confess to getting a little grumpy. If ever you find yourself on Spurn Head, take my advice … maximise the use of the concrete path.
This is ‘The Point’ of it all ….
By the time we got back to the car we had clocked up nearly 9 miles, 3 more miles than estimated. We found a spot on the beach to tuck into our picnic lunch and hot chocolate – always a great soother. We could relax while watching the anglers do their stuff – well not much really, they just seem to sit and look at their lines … saw no fish activity at all.
So, despite some grumbles and some achey legs from soft sand walking, the point is … we had another fabulous day.
Naturally, bright and early we hotfooted it to our usual Saturday morning activity and today’s choice was the Humber Bridge parkrun. For anyone planning to do this one, leave yourself plenty of time after parking up as it’s a fair old walk to the start and down a particularly steep set of steps to boot. And remember those lovely steps are waiting for you to climb up on your return, so pace yourself! But what a fabulous route – three trail laps around pretty woodland – this Country Park was originally a quarry.
Before setting off on today’s Coastal Path walk we sensibly checked in to a Greene King pub for breakfast – turned out to be pretty disastrous. We were pointed to a table without being given any instructions, so we fiddled around trying unsuccessfully to download the app. Our table was right next to an ever growing table of cheery bikers – they were lovely but incredibly noisy and we were just drowned out! No-one came to serve us so we moved to a different table and then just decided to help ourselves to the buffet. We had to search around for plates – the food was good but cold by the time we’d waited for the bread to toast! And there were no mugs so NO tea! Oh well, we had some sustenance which is more than we accomplish sometimes!
We parked up again at the Hessle Foreshaw car park (it’s free) as today we were walking the other side of the estuary. We caught a bus to Barton on Humber and a train from there to New Holland. We had a very smooth connection (timing is everything) and enjoyed our little countryside ride.
Disembarking in New Holland, we found ourselves walking amongst impressive seaport industrial sites -it is a tidal dock, almost entirely used for the import of timber. The path eventually led us on to the more peaceful environment of embankment wall where we had spectacular views to our right of the Humber Estuary and to our left a nature reserve gleaming in the sunshine. We could see the Humber Bridge in the distance and as we walked the views just got more and more magnificent.
Started our walk from New Holland Railway Station
The weather was glorious again today – blue skies and sunshine. I was walking in my t-shirt most of the way, Steve clung on to his layers and thick jacket! And the spring flowers and blossom make this time of year even more joyous – it’s a good to be alive day!
Stunning blossom
Just before the bridge we dived into the Humber Hideaway cafe where we indulged in lashings of tea and raspberry and coconut slices – yum! From there it was a short walk to the bridge – we eventually found the access route to get on it, one pedestrian side was closed. It was a stunning walk over with views of the Humber river and the surrounding area stretching for miles. Then back to Hessle to find the car.
So, 7 miles clocked up in coastal walking + 3 miles of parkrun – think we got our steps in today.
Friday 7th March 2025
Just to fill the gap in from yesterday – day off the coastal path – we went to Hull New Theatre instead to see ‘The Book of Mormon.’ If you haven’t seen it – go, it’s hilarious!
Yesterday we drove up to our latest house-sitting assignment in the village of Anlaby, East Riding – just a short bus ride away from the interesting city of Hull. We’re here to see what the Yorkshire coastal path has to offer us in the way of adventure.
I have to say that today’s ramble was gorgeously straightforward – easy terrain, blue skies and oodles of sunshine. We parked up in the Hessle Foreshore Country Park car park and were immediately wowed by the views of the quite magnificent Humber Bridge, so majestic. And on our walk up to the bus stop we were further impressed by the grand houses with sweeping driveways – breathtaking but every newspaper boy’s nightmare. We had to admit that this is just not what we expected of Hull.
Two different bus rides took us to where we wanted to start our walk today and it was the perfect chance to get our first glimpse of the city. We said it so many times today – so different to our expectations – stunning period architecture mixed in with clean modern buildings, smart streets with vibrant atmosphere – we just can’t wait to explore more.
Starting off from the industrial area of Salt End – the large Siemens site (wind turbine blades in the background).These towers are connected with either the gas powered power station or more likely a large chemical production facility … check out this list … acetic acid, anhydride, ammonia, butanol, ethyl acetate and vinyl copolymer … yes I don’t know either!
Salt End is where we started and it was a long straight walk through an impressive large scale industrial area – the pavement being wide and plentiful and set well aside from the road. Great coastal path signs too, confirming we were doing okay thus far. And the signs eventually led us off the main road and along to the Humber Estuary, this magnificently wide river basking in sunshine. Estuary walking generally means trudging along muddy paths or suffering high winds on embankment walls, but not today – the path almost the whole stretch was like a promenade, all our dreams come true! For a section we were diverted off and into the quayside area, down a popular street of pavement cafes and colourful shops. At the harbour we had to walk over a small lock and then an incredibly high lock – needed us to switch on our ‘head for heights’ bravery. Made for interesting views over the city though.
The quayside area in HullThis is the high lock we had to cross
The last two miles we were provided with a kerbside path that was fenced off from the high volume of traffic on a major road – noisy but, like the rest of the day, perfectly manageable.
Nearing the end of our 10 mile walk at the magnificent Humber Bridge.
A bowl of Shreddies, a Gregg’s sausage roll and a fruit bar had fuelled our 10 mile walk today – no cup of tea stops unfortunately. And sadly I have the onset of a sore throat and head cold, so have stocked up on a concoction of strepsils, lem-sip, Jakemans, Paracetamol and vitamin C – nothing’s going to stop me on my quest!
It’s wonderful to be back on the path – we’re lapping up this fresh air and sunshine – long may it last.
Storm Eowyn has been doing its stuff over the last couple of days – today we woke up to stunning blue skies, but still a whole load of wind. So Saturday at 9.00am, of course we found ourselves at a Parkrun! The Lancaster one had been called off due to fallen trees and so Morecambe it was – and how lovely to finally find ourselves at the seaside. It was a wonderful out and back run along the promenade with fantastic views of the wide expanse of sand, the sea and the Lake District coastline on the horizon. The return part was not much fun however as we were running into strong wind – it was a battle.
We drove back to Lancaster and after a quick turn around we were heading back to Morecambe – this time walking. We caught the bus to the bus station (our starting point), couldn’t find the bus station cafe so carried on – our tummies were well and truly rumbling by the time we came across sustenance in Starbucks, about two miles in.
The Bay cycleway had been our path thus far, and we could have carried on this very pleasurable route all the way to Morecambe but that would have only been a couple more miles and cheating as so inland. The true coastal path option was a little risky as it floods daily and you need to know the timing of the tides. It would also have meant going via Heysham and being a 15 mile day. So our plan was to walk roadside into Morecambe – we had two roads to choose from. We checked them both out, neither had pavements! One of them did have a narrow kerb so we went for that, but it really wasn’t safe as it was National speed limit and we were getting some funny stares. A little over a mile of this stress we came to a turn off and Steve worked out a cross country option. And it was beautiful. Yes it was muddy paths and waterlogged farm fields but I’d take that over the craziness of speeding vehicles any day. A huge relief.
When we reached the outskirts of Morecambe, we had another hellish 200m walking another section of narrow busy road, with the blindness of a bridge thrown in. We took our life into our hands inching our way up and over, making our way to the safe haven of pavement. We really did get some puzzled looks that time!
And before we knew it, we were on the beautiful promenade of Morecambe – all our stress fell away. We walked 4 miles along this perfect stretch, making our end point at the oh so famous Eric Morecambe statue. What a wonderful tribute to a wonderful entertainer. It felt fitting to pay our respects for all those heartwarming Christmas Day memories.
Morecambe Bay with the Lake District in the background.
There’s a huge amount of Cormorant sculptures – funnily enough we didn’t actually see any real ones!
The absolutely wonderful Eric Morecambe!
Me and Eric xx
We treated ourselves to food and a few celebratory drinks back in Lancaster. So recommend ‘Merchants 1688,’ a bar just near the castle, a fabulously atmospheric venue for eating and drinking.
Today we walked 8 miles (plus our 3 mile run in the morning of course!!)
On this trip, we have covered off 43.5 miles over 4 days of coastal walking. Not bad for a couple of old codgers. And we will be coming back one day to continue this stretch of coastline, beginning with a guided 9 mile walk over Morecambe Bay, notorious for its quick sands – we are definitely not taking any risks by going solo!! Till next time Morecambe.
Let’s give this a go!! Yesterday’s blog was taken down from Facebook – I have no idea why. I have appealed and am waiting to hear.
Thursday 23rd January 2025
Apart from being up to our ankles in mud and at one point up to our knees in water, our walking day wasn’t too bad. The start was a little challenging and I so nearly turned back. It was a ridiculously narrow path, on a slope and slippery. After a half mile of this, with lots of muttering, we took the alternative lower path which was very wet – nothing like starting the day off with wet feet!
The narrow path on the slope!Anyone for a picnic?
The first 6 miles was a complete mixed bag of terrain – from boggy to tarmac, from puddles to farm lanes – you never take anything for granted. Stopped and had a lovely chat with a farmer in his tractor – he was just about to start lambing and explained all about it. He was fascinated that we were walking all the way to Lancaster in this weather – mad Southerners! I’m sure this area is fabulous in sunshine but even today the Lune estuary was pretty scenic.
Anyone for a picnic?The remains of Cockersand Abbey
Our half way point was Glasson Dock, a quiet village and marina. We treated ourselves to a coffee stop and a humungous slice of Millionaire’s Shortbread – they had the thickest layer of caramel and the thickest layer of chocolate that you’ve ever seen – the perfect energy booster.
Rejuvenated we made our way to our next path and were delighted to find another tarmac surface – in fact it appeared to be an old railway walk as long, straight and flat – a complete breeze for ramblers. Halfway along, the app suggested a turn off onto a sea wall path – after a ‘brief’ investigation we decided it was far too muddy so stuck to the very lovely manageable path all the way to Lancaster – great decision.
It felt like coming home walking back into Lancaster. We’ve so quickly blended into this historic city – everywhere you look is magnificent, even the newer builds are so cleverly designed to merge in tastefully. Plenty of student halls too – sneaky views of untidy bedrooms!
11 miles today.
And back to our temporary home, muddy boots and all – to find our little charges, Monty and Kit, in their usual cuddling position.
An altogether much brighter day – started in rain but ended with some blue sky and the sun trying to pop his head through the clouds – we’ll take that, so much better than yesterday. We started off walking from Knott-End-on-Sea, a pretty seaside village although somewhat deserted. Lowry used to sketch here, it was a great inspiration to him. So we had to get a photo by his sculpture – forever the tourists!
My kind of bench!!
We quickly picked up the sea wall path and it was such a treat to find it was tarmac, no squelchy mud thus far. There was a huge expanse of sand on the beach and we’re guessing the sea was there somewhere but was shrouded in mist. Some smart coastal properties too but their signage was well and truly letting us know that this foreshore was private property.
The sea wall came to an end after 3 miles and at this point we got chatting to a couple of cockle pickers who had just returned on their quad bikes, bringing in bags of cockles. They were a jolly pair too and were delighted to share all their cockle picking expertise – shame we missed a photo opportunity! As we left them, Steve started reciting: “I’m not a cockle pickernor a cockle picker’s mate, I’m only picking cockles cos the cockle picker’s late.” Well, I could not get that rhyme out of my head for the rest of the day!!
We picked up a country lane now so again pleasant walking for a few miles – we were using our OS app to follow the Lancashire Coastal Way. Surprisingly it took us onto a fairly major road (we found out later that the rest of the sea wall is closed off for construction). There was no pavement on this road and cars were whizzing past at 70mph – not idyllic rambling conditions. So, after a mile, Steve worked out a detour on to some country lanes that would circle around to where our car was parked. It was a huge agricultural area, both livestock and arable – not seaside but still interesting. It did however add another 1.5 miles onto the walk but we decided it was worth it for stress and safety reasons. And as the weather cleared we were just about able to see the mountains of the Lake District in the distance.
The bar was closed!!
We ended our trek in another lovely village, Cockerham, where our flask of hot chocolate was waiting for us in the car! The thought of it had kept me going those 9.5 miles. But today we’d had no mud and no wind … it was a good day.
After a fabulous two night stay with Alice and Jon in Lymm, we drove up to Lancaster on Saturday afternoon for a week’s house-sitting assignment. The house owners, Paul and William were off to Gran Canaria for a break and leaving us in charge of their stunningly stylish Victorian residence and their two wonderful moggies, Monty and Kit. We spent a great evening with Paul and William before they flew out the next morning – a deliciously home-cooked meal and the most perfect company. We’ve fallen in love with Monty and Kit who are 4 years old and brother and sister. They lay cuddling each other for hours each evening and love to wash each other … and they have the odd scrap too!!
Monty and Kit
We spent Sunday settling in and exploring the interesting city of Lancaster. We walked up to the Castle and the Priory and discovered the history of its prisons and the stories of the Pendle Witches. The city is steeped in history and has the most spectacular architecture. There is also a vibrant University student life here so quite a contrast to its Roman and Medieval past. Always great to discover a different city.
Lancaster CastleLancaster Priory
So Monday was our first day of walking and by use of car and bus we made our way to Fleetwood, to walk the Wyre Estuary. If the ferry had been operating we could have saved ourselves a lot of time and effort – it might have been cheating but we were sorely tempted … then the decision was taken out of our hands, it’s in for repair. Treated ourselves to a bacon ‘barm’ and a mug of hot tea in the ferry cafe instead.
Overall not a day to write home about – it was cold, grey and drizzly and estuary walking is never glamorous. The first side of the estuary was 4 miles of busy roadside then a mostly manageable path. One section of it did have a ‘No Access’ sign but apparently that doesn’t apply to us!!!! The ‘health and safety’ aspect of heavy machinery did not worry Steve a jot, especially as no alternatives were provided. So, when we reached the digger, we skirted around it on the soggy mud flats and gave the digger driver a cheeky wave – he didn’t seem perturbed. The path got somewhat wetter between here and Skippool where we had parked the car, but we waded our way through. And, despite there being some stunning properties, it was like a boat graveyard, amazing vessels just seemingly left to rot.
Back at the car we warmed ourselves up from our flask of hot chocolate and tucked into sausage rolls and sarnies, heater full blast. Feeling rejuvenated, we talked ourselves into tackling the other side of the estuary, rather than come back to do it tomorrow. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
In reality it was pretty grim. We were SO cold when we got out and our clothes were so damp. After a small stretch of roadside we hit the worst terrain of the day – ’twas the mud flats – that sinky, boggy sort of rambling that appeals to no-one! But it was just a couple of miles of that and then we were on to lovely country lanes. Later there was a section of very high and incredibly slippery embankment walls – boy I was smug to have my walking pole – it would have got very messy without! Then more country lanes, a golf course and and an easy path into the lovely town of Knotts-End-on-sea.
And we’d racked up 15 Miles – not a bad effort at all. It’s weird though, the colder and wetter it is, the faster Steve walks (and I try my best to keep up) – so it becomes a physical exercise rather than a sightseeing stroll. But it was a section that just needed to be done and hopefully it will get a little more scenic over the next few days, despite the unpromising weather!
The best part about the day though was the buses – the Lancashire buses are fabulously comfortable and warm and the drivers uber friendly. Our timing was perfect to catch both the buses, no waiting. And … I got to use my newly acquired bus pass – so finally I’ve found some benefit to being a golden oldie!!
Saturday 16th November – Wednesday 27th November 2024
So, our chilled days in Benalmadena were transformed into a whirl of running, walking, eating, drinking, partying and a whole load of green, as day by day more and more of our wonderful MK Redway Runners arrived in sunny Torreblanca.
The Half Marathon crew, all looking so fresh and excited!Simon and Steve, taking the half marathon in their strideAt the start of the Benalmadena Race – Holiday World On the terrace of Holiday World after the Benalmadena Race, enjoying our free paella!We’d all just collected our race packs … proudly showing off our T-shirtsDave and Steve … in trainingSteve, Fiona, Simon, Steve and Michaela with their reward beer!Me and my chum MelSteve holding on to Simon’s chips! … this one is for you Jim Nesbitt xxMichaela, David, Fiona, Steve, Jackie and Annie – waiting for Simon to ‘spend a penny.’Steve, David and GlenisSteve’s posse and me!My running pals – Judith, me, Sue, Mel, Chrissieand the two Sheilas .. and Phil xAli, Mel and Sue …looking so good coming up yet another hillLaura, Mary and Ellie who walked the 5k and carried our club flag proudly
Martin, Karen, Bernie and Kate were the first to arrive and of course Annie, Steve and I were already here, so we were officially the advance party. The 9.30am morning runs in Torreblanca commenced always followed by coffee and chat, we got the routine underway. But of course the evening frivolities kicked off too. And in true first night of the holiday together style, we got stuck into drinks on the Torreblanca terrace. Martin and Karen had kindly squirrelled some of the Redway Runners’ celebratory cake into their hand luggage for us all to share, such a kind thought. This was to celebrate the club recently receiving the prestigious King’s Award for Voluntary Service. After the great catch up and celebration drinks we headed out to eat and, as you do, more alcohol was consumed. This may or may not have contributed to the ‘interesting’ train ride home, when (1) certain members of the party missed their stops, (2) Steve and Martin got their hands stuck in the train door as they tried to unsuccessfully keep the doors open and (3) we ended up at a bunch of different stations! Lots of nervous hysterical laughter took place but we eventually managed to reunite all parties and all was well.
Bernie, me, Annie, Martin, Karen and Kate …. the advance party
Over the next few days, more and more of more of our lovely friends arrived. Walking along the strip from Torreblanca to Fuengirola was like being in Milton Keynes … you found yourself stopping every five minutes to chat. The morning runs grew larger – the town didn’t know what hit it … it was just our training runs but I think the locals thought there was an event on each day – there were approximately 65 of us in total. Each evening we would meet in Fibbers Irish Bar for a beer or two (large enough to accommodate us all) and then branch off into different parties to find restaurants to eat – so much choice. Our evening dining this week consisted of:
Thursday 21st – we took train to Fuengirola with Annie, David, Jackie, Colin and Ali – tapas meal in old town followed by drinks in the Panda Bar
Friday 22nd – ate in Fibbers Bar as late back from collecting race packs,
Saturday 23rd – Simon, Michaela, Fiona, Jackie, David and us – tapas in Tanit restaurant
Sunday 24th – after race day – Indi Mex – accommodated 60 of us … quite incredible but a tad slow, understandably. A great club evening with speeches and bar mat awards.
Monday 25th – after a daytime trip out to Benalmadena Pueblo … a quiet evening pizza in our local – Lorenzo’s, Torremuelle.
Tuesday 26th – Santorini – a wonderful greek restaurant with Sheila, John, Sarah and Steve + us
Gathered for post run coffeeSheila, Steve, me, Steve, Sarah and John – enjoying dinner in Santorini
On Saturday we had a club walk from Benalmadena to Montemar – a leisurely stroll with a huge amount of chitter chatter. Fabulous to see the Paloma gardens and the Marina in its full splendour.
Phil straddling the zebra on our RR outingThe luxurious Benalmadena Marina
Sunday was race day – the Benalmadena Half Marathon with 10k and 5k races too. Whichever race you had entered, we were all so proud to be there as the Redway Runners club and wore our ‘green’ shirts proudly. Our club colour has had to change to a brighter shade recently as we were no longer able to acquire material of the original shade. Now we know why – Benalmadena Half Marathon shirts were that exact shade of green … they’d clearly pinched all the available fabric. So, whilst we normally stand out in a crowd, this time we well and truly blended in. A sea of green.
To say it was hot and to say it was hilly honestly is no exaggeration … everybody agreed it was tough. But we all made it and were a large presence in cheering every one of our runners in. A fantastic effort, especially our soon to be Octogenerian Bernie, who completed this arduous Half Marathon in great style – our super hero!
Our super hero, Bernie
And we swept up on awards … Chrissie, Kate and Bridget for 5k winners in their age category and Karen, Glenis and Ruth for Half Marathon winners in their age category. All girls!!… just saying!!!
Our Redway Runners worthy award winners – Bridget, Chrissie, Glenis, Karen, Kate and Ruth
To cap it all off nicely, we won the award for largest running club attendance … we’re all about awards these days. This was celebrated with great cheers, beers and some dodgy dad dancing!!
Our illustrious leader, Martin Lawrence, with our award certificate – largest running club attendanceGlenis and some well dodgy Dad dancer!!
The celebrations reconvened later in the evening when all 60 of us gathered for an Indi Mex meal and beer mat award ceremony for funny trip stories (what happens on tour stays on tour)!! But Steve got one for his dodgy Strava recording of his first run here which showed him not only running a 5 minute mile but running on water too!!
Fiona, Jackie, David, Steve, Simon, me and Michaela – post race fun
Then on Monday (not too early a start) we had offered to show whoever fancied it, how to get up to the Benalmadena Pueblo (a white village) by public transport (it’s at the top of a humungous hill) and a walk back down. When we met at the station we were expecting up to 20 … but 36 keen RR travellers had rolled up for the expedition. So the bus was a tad busy, friendly as we like to say. Luckily we got on at the very first stop so we all did get on although half were standing – then as the journey continued and more and more passengers boarded we were squeezed tighter. But it was an adventure and I think everyone enjoyed their few hours in the Pueblo, visiting the shops and restaurants and enjoying the views, before the mega steep walk down hill. It was magical to be able to share what is a special place for us with those that had not been before.
Didn’t we have a lovely day – the day we went to the Pueblo!!Underneath the Christmas tree in Benalmadena PuebloTucking into tapasColin, me, Sheila, John and the wonderful selfie taker Ali
Over the next few days our running friends gradually returned to the UK … but there were a few ‘last nights’ to enjoy. We’re back to the original advance party now but Steve and I are trying to spend some quieter time to finish off our Spanish vacation. Let’s see!
And before Benalmadena/Torreblanca/Fuengirola turned green we had another little celebration – the milestone of me becoming an Old Age Pensioner. It was strange not being with Tom and Alice but I had lots of phone calls and messages from family and friends and felt thoroughly spoilt. Steve treated me to an afternoon/evening in Malaga, including lunch, a wine-tasting, walk around the sites of the City and a wonderful steak dinner in another favourite restaurant of ours – El Pimpi. Brilliant day. And when I get back home my bus pass should be waiting for me and my first OAP payment is in early December – so exciting!
Met some new friends doing the wine tasting – Mary and MatthewMalaga CathedralEl Pimpi restaurant, Malaga
An incredible 12 days – so blessed to have sunshine and friends. In the words of Barbara Streisand and ‘A Star is Born’ … we are “Ageless and Evergreen.”
It was a little scary for 24 hours, particularly in light of what happened in Valencia so recently. I think the authorities reacted strongly because of that, sending out alerts with loud alarms to Spanish phones, advising no travel and listing closures. Trouble was, being holidaymakers we didn’t get the alerts and the severity of it all only really hit home as we were traveling by train to Malaga – our thought process being that we might as well spend a wet day dodging in and out of museums, galleries and cafes. We thought the train was pretty quiet and the streets of Malaga too, then we discovered most things were closed down. So it was an incredibly brief visit … as the volume of rain started to increase it dawned on us that perhaps our apartment was the safest bet. We must have got what was one of the last trains back to Benalmadena before the train service shut down for 24 hours – lucky us! And so it was an afternoon indoors, listening to the crashes of thunder and lightening … and the volume of rain was quite phenomenal.
There’ve been piles of bamboo washed up on the shoreline since we arrived 2 weeks ago – we were initially mystified but found out that it had been washed down the rivers from the mountains in last month’s storms. It’s been joyous seeing the kids using it to construct wigwams and beach houses – all shapes and sizes – quite a competition, makes a change from sandcastles! Last week there was a massive clean up campaign and the beaches tidied. But now, it’s all back … at least the kids will be delighted.
On Sunday we took part in the Feungirola 5k race, whilst others chose to do a half marathon! Although it was hot it was a relatively flat course so quite enjoyable. Particularly enjoyable as the course came up short … 4.3k … such a wonderful surprise to stumble upon the Finish Line when you least expect it!!
I’m famous – made it to the official site
The rest of the week has been fairly leisurely although Steve has been training for the Benalmadena Half Marathon on 24th. I’ve settled for speed walking. On Saturday, while Steve, basking in the glory of Wycombe Wanderers being top of the league, watched their match, I took myself off for a long walk along the Benalmadena coastline … 5 jaunty miles in total with a little swim in between. Some stunning and secluded beaches along this stretch and the sea is wonderfully clear.
Beautiful Benalmadena
We’ve met up with Julie, Martin and Annie (& friends) a few times – for runs and coffee. Lovely to have some local expertise out here.
We’ve continued to explore some local areas – love the old town of Fuengirola with its pretty squares, churches, bars, cafes and restaurants. Definitely worth diving into these streets off the main beach area.
Fuengirola old town
Yesterday we took a bus ride up the winding steep hill to Benalmadena Pueblo – this is a favourite spot of ours from a previous visit. Absolutely love it here. Tucked into tapas and wine and soaked up the atmosphere of this white village, with stunning views over Benalmadena. Then, rather than use our return bus ticket, we took a long, leisurely, steep walk downhill back to our apartment.
Benalmadena PuebloStunning views over Benalmadena
Which brings us to today. Steve was up early to fit in a 10 mile run … achieved! Weather seemed a little iffy again but we headed out for a beach day anyway. It was warm enough but the sea was ferocious – only surfers braving the crashing waves. The bamboo is well and truly back.
An early night is called for tonight as tomorrow I reach the milestone that is “Old Age Pensioner!!” Wish me luck!! x
A bit of a contrast to our wet, wild and windy adventures on the UK coastline – this time we’re on the glorious Costa Del Sol where we’ve spent the last 5 days settling into the Southern Spanish way of life. Our accommodation in Benalmadena is neatly tucked away from the crowds, giving us the opportunity to explore local life, practice our limited Spanish and use their marvellous train service to explore all there is between Malaga and Fuengirola. There are some superb walking stretches here as long as you stick to the beach strip … either direction from us we can walk for miles and miles on wonderful promenades. If you venture off you go steeply uphill into the mountains – not for the faint hearted. We’re using our ‘Rambling Roses coastal path walkers’ as an excuse to keep to the flat. To be honest a few hills in this moderate November temperature will not be so bad so I’m sure we’ll wend our way up a hill/mountain or two before too long … but there’s no rush!!
We arrived on Sunday night, two hours later than planned due to flight delay. This had the knock on affect of a slight situation at check in … the supermarket, where our keys were waiting for us, had shut. After a number of phone call attempts we finally made contact with our airbnb host to explain – the outcome was we took refuge at the pizza parlour until a young lad appeared on a motorbike an hour later with spare keys. This wait forced us to consume wine!!! Our bijou apartment is lovely and all we need for our budget self-catering 4 weeks sunshine break. And plenty close enough to where many of our running friends will be located when they come out later in the month, just a couple of train stops away. Sea views too, over stunning white Spanish architecture – just perfect.
Stunning views from our apartment
So, this first week we have been finding our feet in terms of:
The best beaches
Selection of walks
How to negotiate Spanish train ticket machines
The ins and outs of the bargain 10 euro train ticket
Exploring all the stops on the Malaga – Fuengirola train line
Importantly, which stations are lower down i.e. how to avoid long uphill walks after a day out!! **
Cheapest supermarkets
Bargain yet delicious Spanish wine
Spanish restaurants
** would recommend Fuengirola, Torreblanca, Carvajal and Los Alamos for beaches that are nearer to train stations. Montemar Alto and Torremolinos are great places but be prepared for a strenuous walk uphill from the promenade if you end your walk in either of these areas.
It’s definitely been hotter some days than others and generally warmer than we had expected. We’ve had a couple of beach days already so plenty of chilling. I’ve got to swim a few times so I’m a happy bunny – the sea is not cold, honestly – not quite a bath but easily doable and refreshing.
Come and join me … it’s so warm!
On Wednesday evening we ventured into Feungirola where we enjoyed a seafood paella at ‘San Pe’, a pretty Spanish restaurant tucked away in the side streets of this vibrant town. On our way home, we bumped into our running friend Julie Bousfield, and her husband Martin – they have an apartment in Torreblanca and had been enjoying a meal out too … so we shared a ‘merry’ train ride home. We met up with Julie again this morning for coffee and a lovely stroll and she shared many handy tips to help us during our stay here.
Scrumptious seafood paellaSteve, me and Julie
Walks so far this week:
Around Benalmadena
Benalmadena – Carvajal
Montemar Alto – Los Alamos
Carvajal – Fuengirola
Trying to get in at least 5 miles of walking each day whilst Steve is trying to build up his running mileage in preparation for the Benalmadena Half Marathon later in the month – he’s wondering why he signed up!! Suffice to say we are very happy to be here. Sunny weather and blue skies certainly energise you and create positivity. After a crazily busy year, we’re relishing spending some chilled time together and intend to take it easy as well as make the most of our Spanish time. And we could wax lyrical about the bargain that is the 10 euro train ticket – we can use it for all our trips for the whole month we’re here and there’s still plenty for us to see and do on the Costa Del Sol.
We hope the sun keeps shining … except on the two race days!!
The rambling roses 