Coasting on

Well since we got home from Yorkshire they have been well and truly bogged down in paperwork and administration. Not too sorry to be restricted to my normal 5 miles a day, as the weather has been foul. However, today they decided to pack our rucksacks. Trauma. Heavy. Bulky. Reconsider contents! They're talking again now and my 2Kg doesn't feel too bad compared to their 10+ but I think there is still some negotiating to do.

In the absence of anything interesting I thought I might start to tell you about the Coast to Coast. This is a walk from St Bees on the Cumbrian coast to Robin Hoods Bay on the Yorkshire Coast. Approx 192 miles, but a few more in our case. We started it last August.

We stayed overnight in Kirby Stephen which is roughly halfway, and caught the Packhorse minibus service first thing in the morning from the campsite at the top of the village. After we had sedated dad in order to extract his car keys so that we could leave the car there (more trauma), we stowed our gear in the back.

The very nice man at Packhorse had made sure that we were sitting near the front so that there was plenty of room for me to lie down. The best laid plans and all that - the lady on the other side of the aisle was bitten by a collie 5000 years ago and was terrified of me. Now as anybody who knows me will tell you, I am a very good girl, but I am just a tad enthusiastic with my meet and greet. So the first five minutes were interesting (and painful in the collar area). Anyway, we all got over it and she's now one of my very best friends..........but she's still frightened of collies.

When coasters reach St Bees it's customary to walk to the sea and put your toe in, and pick up a pebble to drop at the other end. (I can't help feeling that 23rd century geologists are going to scratch their heads on this one) Mum went trotting off. Dad and I looked at each other. We looked at the tide half a mile out. Looked at each other again, and decided not to bother. It wasn't until she turned to say something as she dipped her toe, that she realised we weren't there! Oops!!

When she got back, we started the walk proper.