Let’s get to ‘The Point’

March 9, 2025 / Dee and Steve / Leave a comment

Sunday 9th March 2025

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 Spit*

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.

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.

All about the Humber Bridge

March 8, 2025 / Dee and Steve / Leave a comment

Saturday 8th March 2025

*We had views of this wonderful bridge all 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!

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!

So so sunny Yorkshire

March 6, 2025 / Dee and Steve / Leave a comment

Thursday 6th March 2025

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 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.

So so sunny Yorkshire!

OAPs let loose in Lancashire!

January 21, 2025March 18, 2025 / Dee and Steve / Leave a comment

Saturday 18th January – Monday 20th January 2025

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!!

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.

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!!

Over the boardwalk … and Anglesey complete

April 25, 2024 / Dee and Steve / Leave a comment

Wednesday 24th April 2024

Valley to Trearddur (it’s so hard to say Trearddur … with its rolling ‘r’ and ‘dd’ being pronounced as ‘th’)!! – 11 miles of walking

*I was talking to Tom on the phone, while this photo was taken on Silver Bay Beach – about half way.*

No trains or buses needed today as we set off from Valley for our 11 mile ramble to Trearddur. We knew that the first half particularly was lowland, so we had mentally prepared ourselves for a muddy day. Just about spotted the ‘hole in the wall’ start to the Coastal Path and once inside, so did the squelching begin.

*The hole in the wall that led us on to the Coastal Pat*h

So for the next few miles we manoeuvred our way along muddy paths and beaches but took it all in our stride as once again we had fabulous views and perfect weather. We were also treated to a series of ‘boardwalks’ which had obviously been placed over the worst parts. Bless you Alexander Boardman for inventing the boardwalk – you were a genius and today you were our saviour.

*Someone had kindly indicated an alternative path along the beach*

*Fabulous views, despite the mud! Looking at Holyhead Mountain – yesterday’s climb!*

We reached ‘Four Mile Bridge’ which is clearly not 4 miles long – having now researched we know that it is so named because it is 4 miles from the town of Holyhead. It links the main island of Anglesey to the island of Holyhead.

The immediate path off the bridge looked a little treacherous, with it being both narrow and blocked … I could see a wet experience ahead. However, once there, it was a little wider than initially thought, and our Sherpa David beat out a path behind the boat so that we didn’t have to swim around or climb over.

*At this point I was saying to Steve “are you sure about this!?”*

This narrow path path led on to some woodland with beautiful bluebells on display.

Then we found ourselves on the most magnificent beach in Silver Bay … with its golden sands and the sea unbelievably calm. We chose this perfect spot for our picnic lunch and got chatting to a chap that had come down from his caravan to swim, he swims most days. He reassured us that it is not always like this, more often it is windy and the sea choppy – we truly have been blessed with the weather.

*Chatting to Tom while being photographed on Silver Bay Beach*

We were treated to some amazing air displays during the walk today, both helicopters and trainer jets from RAF Valley. Our very own Air Show – spectacular.

Pork sandwiches and crisps consumed, we continued on our way. Higher ground now so less muddy … with a few hills thrown in. Wonderful views of Snowdonia in the distance and once again, a stunning collection of coves, sandy beaches and cliff faces. Overwhelming beauty at times – feel so privileged to experience it.

*Then, further on, back to the views of Holyhead Mountain*

Then finally, after 11 glorious miles, we reached the beautiful beach in Trearddur Bay – the end of the road for us. This saw Steve and I complete our walk of the whole of Anglesey and Holyhead – David kindly bought us beers to celebrate, in Oceans Edge bar/restaurant, overlooking the beach on what felt like a summer’s day.

*Celebratory beers – completing the Coastal Path of Anglesey and Holyhead!*

Then it was the bus back to Valley and to save us extra walking, we made the decision to stop off in the pub for a couple of beers and an early dinner, rather than go home, get changed and come back out. BIG mistake but loads of fun. A few beers waiting for the carvery to open, a huge plate of carvery … more beers and wine … and a very giggly and wobbly walk back home!!

And so, that’s a wrap for now and I’d like to thank Steve and David for helping me through some of the more trickier parts and for keeping me motivated to continue being a ‘Rambling Rose.’

80 more miles of coastal walking clocked up on this trip, (a little less for me) so we’re chipping it off. And after a dodgy start, it has to be said that this is one of our favourite sections so far. Wales is wonderful and Holyhead particularly is a real hidden gem – most definitely worth the drive up.

*Mr. Rose and Mr. Rose …* *it’s a Goodbye from him and a goodbye from him and a Goodbye from me!!*

Walking back to Valley

April 22, 2024 / Dee and Steve / Leave a comment

Monday 22nd April 2024

Porth Swtan to Valley

Like yesterday, today’s plan was to catch a bus and walk back to Valley – this time from a different direction. Our first mission was to find the bus stop in Valley and this ended up being a 2 mile wander until we found somewhere to stand in hope that the number 61 would stop to pick us up – this being the one daily bus going in that direction. Success, the driver stopped, although didn’t seem over impressed with me speaking in English. After an incredibly hairy ride along several of the narrowest country lanes, where the driver was definitely not taking any prisoners, we disembarked roughly near Porth Swtan and headed off to find the coastal path. This turned out to be another 2 mile walk. So before we even started our official coastal path mileage, we had walked 4 miles … we like to call them ‘bonus’ miles! Sadly there was nowhere open for coffee and cake … and this haunted us the whole day.

*No evidence of this being a bus stop but we waited in hope – there was one bus a day at 11.44am!*

And so we set off on the officially signed path – great signage today, didn’t get lost once. It was one of those undulating sort of days, enough ups and downs to keep you interested but nothing too dramatic. A mixture of terrain too – country and cliff top paths, tarmac lanes, farm fields, caravan parks, sand dunes, as well as stretches of beach – sand and pebbles. All pretty pleasant.

*Finally, after 4 bonus miles, found ourselves on the Coast Path at Porth Swtan*

The weather was a little nippy today with chill winds so we were wrapped up. Three miles in we decided to stop for our picnic lunch as time was getting on. We found a sheltered spot on a pretty beach and tucked in – so wishing we had brought a hot drink with us. When another couple arrived and set up their picnic spot nearby, we were SO envious of their huge flask of coffee – we were positively drooling.

We set off feeling re-energised and not long after the sun began to peep through the clouds. We just can’t believe how lucky we’ve been with the weather – some friends of ours experienced a whole different climate a couple of weeks ago. Traipsed our way through fields of baby lambs that just melt your heart. Talked about identifying birdsong … but the seagull was about the best we could do! We did however manage to identify the roars of the F35 fighter jets flying over, even though we couldn’t see them.

*Think these swans may have been nesting*

Started to feel a little weary as the miles clocked up and unfortunately the last couple of miles were spent wading through mud again. The mild climate has definitely improved the ground but there’s definitely still some squelchy bits around. Had a long section of balancing on logs, clinging to the fence but still managing to sink into it occasionally … my trusty walking pole kept me upright however.

Then finally Valley was in sight and we wound our weary way around the village to our oh so comfortable accommodation. It was muddy boots and socks off and kettle on. After the official 10 miles of Coastal Path covered, plus our bonus 4 miles pre-path, 14 miles walking today deserved lashings of tea and biscuits. It felt good to be back in Valley.

Spectacular Aberdaron to Porth Colmon

April 16, 2024April 16, 2024 / Dee and Steve / Leave a comment

Another day on the coast path and a complete change of weather, with lots of the mud drying and easier conditions underfoot. Still a small matter of hills and a mighty wind to contend with but the incredible sea views, coves and beaches more than made up for this!

Today was just ‘Billy no mates’ venturing out as Dee had quite rightly decided not to partake because of the aforementioned mudfest that we had seen the day before. The plan for today’s route of 15 miles, included a small section of path actually on the beach, with high tides expected a path closure across the beach was probably for the best!

Lots of good things to report today, in no particular order:-

Plenty of coastal path signs, lots of downhills (of course lots of uphills as well), awesome views, a few other walkers on the path, amazing weather albeit a tad windy (cobwebs defo blown away) and top of the list was Dee being able to track the walk on Garmin, enabling her to co-ordinate meeting me at the end with sandwiches, cakes and drinks!

Can you spot the coastal path … it goes either up and down (generally) or occasionally round all these lovely inclines!

Always a memorial along the path and today’s two feature ‘The view for Leo” being just a sign, so I assume Leo stood here rather than sitting. This was made up for though a little later when a white painted bench came into sight but there was no plaque?

Most of the focus on pictures today revolves around sea views, a feature of coastal path walking is getting so many photo opportunities. All of these are taken with my phone, as I’d made the decision to travel light today which seemed a good decision as apparently there are Banjo’s locally?

Two more days of walking on The Llyn Peninsula before we move onto Holyhead next week for more walking exploits!

The lovely Llyn Peninsula

April 15, 2024 / Dee and Steve / Leave a comment

Monday 15th April 2024

Tudweiliog to Penllech Beach

We’re back where we belong – on our beloved Coast Path and on the gorgeous Llyn Peninsula in North Wales. The sky was blue today and the coastline was spectacular, the sea dramatic with the wild winds. So atmospheric that I wish I could say it was a wonderful walk … however it just wasn’t, it was grim. It was only 5 miles but each mile was either a muddy farm field or a boggy cliff path – from beginning to end we were up to our ankles in squelchy mud.

It all started off in promising fashion – we drove to Penllech and found a parking spot down near the beach. We started with a two mile uphill climb to the bus stop on the main road and there we had ourselves a little picnic while waiting for the bus. The timing was perfect, the bus arrived exactly on time and I congratulated Steve on his logistical planning as we confidently rode along, admiring what appeared to be a nice easy terrain for today’s ramble. The only difficult bit so far was pronouncing ‘Tudweiliog’ to the bus driver in our awkward tongue rolling attempt at the Welsh accent … but he kindly said we did well.

As soon as we hit the coastal path we were squelching, the farm fields were SO wet, quite unbelievable. We trudged on, amongst the sheep and young lambs, thinking things could only get better once we reached the cliff paths. Sadly it didn’t, the grassy areas were a mass of bogs and there was no way of avoiding wading through thick, sticky gunk.

Having said all that, there were definitely some gorgeous parts to the day:

We could tolerate the strong winds and even the occasional downpour but the state of the ground just made it a miserable exercise – not our usual exhilarating hike … this was an endurance test. And I’d stupidly left my walking poles in the car again (after having said I would never walk without them again)!! Maybe if I’d had them it would have been better – although Steve found no pleasure in today either.

I just seem to have become a wobbly, whiney walker – not that I whine externally (because I hate the thought of this thing beating me) but inside I’m whining big time. My confidence has taken a knock from recent muddy walks and slips (another slip added to the list today) so sadly I’m going to hang up my hat for a while, hoping to return when the paths are drier or there’s a nice stretch of promenade. Steve will soldier on and keep the blog going.

On a cheerier note, we’ve settled into our super smart accommodation in Abersoch and have been joined by the lovely David Rose who is here to walk some of the Peninsula too. Looking forward to a few days here – the men will be walking while I have some leisure-time … bring it on.

A heartwarming reunion

February 20, 2024 / Dee and Steve / Leave a comment

Monday 19th February 2024

Watchet to Minehead – 8 miles

*Today was so special meeting up with these lovely people. Our walk was taking us through Blue Anchor Bay* – in July 2017 we stayed there, at the Langbury Hotel for a couple of nights, before nervously starting off on our retirement project of walking the UK Coastline. Nigel and Paula were our wonderful hosts. So we couldn’t just walk by without seeing if they were still there and letting them know that we were still rambling. Imagine our surprise when they greeted us so warmly, remembering who we were as they’d been following our adventures through the blog. That is why I say ‘heartwarming’ in the title because it warmed our hearts that they had done that. We had a fabulous hour exchanging our stories – Nigel and Paula too are great travellers and wildlife photographers. https://www.langbury.co.uk/ *They now run their stunning residence as self-catering accommodation – if you’re down this way, we would highly recommend.*

The day started off with the most wonderful breakfast, served up by Keith, the owner of this fabulous hotel we’re staying in – http://the-georgian-house.somersethotels24.com/en/ Watchet is great, the hotel is great – life is good.

*The sumptuous dining room where we enjoy breakfast.*

We’d been pre-informed that there was a diversion off the Coastal Path as you leave Watchet – we just needed to follow the yellow signs. This was really helpful although we still got a little lost … we diverted off the diversion somehow!! But once we were back on it again the path was fairly straightforward, largely walking through woodland but with coastal views too. A fair amount of uphill, a fair amount of mud and water and this meant a fair amount of slippery downhill slopes – I took it very slow, I mean literally inching my way down, I must have looked ridiculous!!

*An excellent bar we’ve found in Watchet*

*There are lots of these little men around in Watchet – possibly connected to the Arty community here and the town’s history of tin mining*

*Nothing like walking through muddy puddles – wet feet again!!*

Half way along the route we reached Blue Anchor Bay – a place that holds fond memories for us and where we enjoyed our meet up with Nigel and Paula.

And then on to Minehead via Dunster Beach. A gloriously flat walk, quite a lot of water around but plenty of chances to divert and stay dry. The white peaks of Butlins loomed ahead as we entered the town but if felt good to be walking along the promenade again. It was amazing looking up at the hill where our walking first started – how it didn’t put us off I’ll never know.

I guess we should have saved this bit to the very end but it’s just seemed silly not to do it while we were down this way. We reckon we have ‘rambled’ 2/3 of England and Wales now – we still have bits and pieces to do here and there. Scotland is probably out of the question now – we may do that in a different style of transport.

*Looking back on our very first climb!!*

*The very start of the South West Coastal Path – on Minehead promenade.*

But today’s meet up with Nigel and Paula summed up the beauty of creating memories – we all said what fabulously interesting people we had met on our journeys and how they had enriched our lives … and there’s always room for more.

And this is a link to the blog where our rambling days started:

https://wordpress.com/post/deestevetravels.blog/71

A Valentine’s Day to remember

February 15, 2024 / Dee and Steve / Leave a comment

Wednesday 14th February 2024

In the 32 years we’ve been together, this is the first time that we’ve not exchanged Valentines Day cards, flowers, chocolates etc. We’re far too busy rambling! Actually, we were aware it was looming but it just caught us out in terms of acquiring said gifts. Nevertheless, what better than a stroll from Burnham-on-Sea to Weston-super-Mare … we’re just a pair of old romantics.

We drove the car to Weston-super-Mare as yesterday’s reliance on public transport had added an extra 4 hours to our day out. Unfortunately we just missed a bus and had to wait an hour for the next No. 20 to Burnham. On arrival we were pleasantly surprised that we could walk along the beach (as opposed to the sand dunes) the 6 mile route taking us to Brean. It was overcast but dry and there was lots of life on the beach – dog walkers and children playing – a beautiful start to the day. There were frequent signs about sinking mud further out, so we made sure we kept close to the back of the beach. We didn’t need any stress today.

We stopped in Brean for refreshment and could see a huge climb ahead – Brean Down. Steve did mention that we could skip this part altogether but we just couldn’t bring ourselves to cheat – what is wrong with us!!? So up the flight of steps we went – 97 metres of it – but at least we could stay upright and there was a handrail … luxury! And boy was it worth it, the views were tremendous – looking out over the Bristol Channel towards South Wales and over the Somerset levels. We both said that in all our years of walking it was one of the most magnificent views we had seen. You see, there is some logic and benefits to this crazy life we lead.

At the top is a site of a Roman temple and the path led us up and down to a National Trust property called Palmerston Fort – it is now a ruin but was built to defend the country against a possible Napoleonic invasion and later used in WWII. It was fairly muddy underfoot and slippery so we kept looking for shortcuts but they weren’t abundant. We were fairly close to the end of the headland when we spotted one – it meant a fairly steep descent so we took it steady – we had about a metre left to go when my feet went from underneath me and I took a slip slide down, caking myself in thick yellow mud. I wasn’t amused.

Luckily the lower path was drier and flatter so I managed to compose myself as we walked back along the other side – we had magnificent views of Weston-super-Mare from here and it made it seem so much more doable. We found ourselves at a junction where a tarmac path would have taken us back to where we had lunched in Brean – but our OS app was indicating that the coastal path route was the other option – a muddy narrow path downhill through the woods. No prizes for guessing which path we chose. I don’t know why I did it because I grumbled and moaned the whole way down about it being ridiculous – I was extra nervous after my tumble. Once again, just shy of the end, I fell onto my side this time and collected an even more muddy look. My very words were “that’s it, I’m not taking any more risks.”

And to think we could have skipped the whole headland as we were pretty much back where we started an hour ago. But we would have missed the views!

It wasn’t even 5 minutes before we were forced to take said risk!! The coastal path sign indicated that the path was available between April and July. The trouble was that there didn’t seem to be any alternative and we had to get back to our car. Steve was getting concerned about getting back in daylight. The gates to the embankment path were open so on we went, and the next few gates were open too. It was wet, muddy and unpleasant but it least it was taking us back to where we needed to go. About halfway along the 3 mile stretch of embankment however, the gates were padlocked … but climb over we did in preference to going back. Our spirits were low but we trudged on and climbed over numerous gates. When we got to the turning point to take us to the other side of the estuary, we made the decision to abandon ship – we were facing another 3 or 4 miles of embankment walking and unknown territory in terms of locked gates etc.

*A rerminder of the dreaded estuary and its embankment wall*

We found a route to a bus stop a mile away and then had to wait an hour for a bus into Weston-super-Mare. We cheered ourselves up with an orange Club biscuit – simple pleasures. We hated having to give up but we needed to get back safely. It was a bath, food and an early night for us – completely exhausted. Happy Valentines Day. xx

Thursday 15th February 2024

We’re taking a day or two off walking. The travelling to our start points is getting too long and complicated. We’ll be finding something a little more leisurely to do for a few days until we move further down the coast at the weekend. Planning a belated Valentines meal out today.

Yesterday was a day to remember, perhaps a turning point in this retirement project of ours. We need to stay safe and we need to enjoy our times on the coast. So King Charles, if there’s no official coastal path we’re just not going to do it.

The rambling roses

Come along with us on our journeys :)

hiking