Tyne & Wear, Durham & Tees Valley Coast Path

5^th -  9^th November 2023

 

Introduction

 

When we finished the first leg of the England Coast Path last May, having walked from Berwick to Blyth, Mike had shown little enthusiasm for the next section through the more industrial and suburban landscapes of Tyneside and Durham. So, it was to be a solo effort from now on, an ideal project for the autumn months. I was due a visit to see my daughter and her family in Scotland in November so I combined my trip to include a return journey via the east coast. Having said my goodbyes to the grandchildren, I slipped out of the house in Ayr and caught a bus to Kilmarnock, this seeming my best choice as the local railway station had been burnt down. The bus was running late and I had to make haste to the station to catch the Carlisle train. This also ran late and arrived in Carlisle leaving only a few minutes to race up the platform and leap onto the Newcastle connection. For my pains I was then informed that my senior rail card was not valid from a station having ticketing facilities, even though the train service had left me no time to use them. Life is not meant to be fair.

 

An entrance to the Newcastle Metro system is right outside Central Station and a kindly lad talked me through using the ticket machine. The train to Whitley Bay seemed to go a long way round and a change was needed before I arrived. The town looked very quiet, not what I had expected for a Saturday night. At the Windsor Hotel, my pre-booked accommodation, the receptionist told me that their restaurant was fully booked. She also added that I would do better anyway over the road in an Italian restaurant, the Glass House. Here I was made most welcome and enjoyed a dish of chicken bordelaise and a couple of pints of Staropramen. I was fed and watered and, with an early night, in a good place to begin the  next stage of the England Coast Path.

 

 

Sunday 5^th November 2023    Blyth South Beach – South Shields

Fireworks on Tyneside

No breakfast was on offer so, on a bright and breezy morning, I made an early start from the Windsor Hotel and walked up into Whitley Bay town centre. I grabbed a coffee from Greggs and jumped on the  Sunday morning bus to Blyth. At South Beach, just a mile or so before the town, I dismounted, crossed over the grass to the promenade and regained the point where last May’s walk had terminated. I was back on the England Coast Path. Pausing firstly to look at the gun batteries above the sea front, and secondly to grab another cup of coffee from a mobile cafe, I was away along a made-up path behind the dunes and over grassland to Seaton Sluice.  Crossing the sluice bridge, a road to the left headed back to the coast and a section of easy cliff-top walking to Whitley Bay. The promenade was quite busy, the morning sunshine bringing out day trippers. As I passed the end of South Parade, I was back to where I stayed last night.

 

It got even busier on the headland round to Tynemouth. The square in front of the priory and castle was packed out and there was little chance of getting a quiet lunch in one of the many cafes in Tynemouth Village. Traffic was at standstill and all the outside tables were occupied. I had no alternative but to keep going down the hill to the river and along the riverside promenade round to Clifford’s Fort. No cafes appeared on the seafront but there was a row of restaurants and pubs along Fish Quay and one of these, Allard’s on the Quay, offered a flatbread sandwich and a drink of Neck Oil. The chicken platter was huge so I was not in any need of further refreshment before the crossing of the Tyne. 

The ferry terminal was only ten minutes along the river and I was in perfect time for the 2pm crossing. In the sunny conditions the river, its boats and riverside buildings all looked a picture. The south bank was a regenerated area of new domestic developments, rather soulless and short of people and infrastructure. The signed route took to riverside streets and I was soon back at the mouth of the Tyne at a hotel at Little Haven. Here the main promenade was picked up, covered in sand and pebbles from the last storms to hit this coastline. At the junction with South Pier, I called a halt to the day’s walk and set off inland, passed an indoor swimming pool and through North Marine Park, in search of Urfa Terrace and my accommodation for the night. It had been a good start to the week.

 

Blyth South Beach dep. 09.06, South Shields arr. 15.00

GPS 12.47 miles in 4hr 37mins 39secs walking time and 45 mins in Allard’s restaurant at Fish Quay.

Stayed in Kingsmead Guest House, Urfa Terrace, South Shields. As it went dark I ventured down to Ocean Road and the centre of town. It was pandemonium. It seemed that half of Tyneside was walking towards the park and the firework display and it like walking against a football crowd as I explored the pubs and eating houses. The real ale pub was full to the gunnels but I eventually found a quiet Indian restaurant, Delhi 6, where I ordered lamb curry and two pints of Cobra. Bangs and flashes went on late into the night.

 

 

Monday 6^th November 2023         South Shields – Seaham

A Bridge for the Mackems

 

It was a beautiful morning. I had a full English breakfast cooked by the owner of the guest house, a Cornishman who had moved north because he found the climate and the people more clement. I returned across the park and passed the swimming pool and walked some way down the pier. A right turn took me onto another storm-littered promenade and a traverse of boggy grassland led into the dunes and cliff-top path. A guy walking towards me pointed out the boats behind emerging from the  River Tyne. One, he was sure, was a Type 23 frigate, the Iron Duke, heading out to sea. The section round to Souter Lighthouse and beyond was a magnificent piece of coastal walking. The houses of Whitburn were inland as the path gradually converged with the road at South Bents. The shore-line rocks were alive with seabirds feeding in the shallow water. Then it was more promenades and holiday makers. Here were a few cafes but it was too early for a coffee so I walked on, a decision I would come to regret.

 

Soon the mouth of the River Wear came into view and the coast path turned into the marina and all the new residential developments. A momentary return to street walking was soon ended by a passage down to the river and the university buildings. The route was blocked at the glass museum and, with no diversion route indicated, some locals directed me through a car park and beyond. The bridges of Sunderland now dominated the river landscape and, having passed an amazing metal tree, a steep road led up to Wearmouth Bridge. My search for a town centre café was thwarted as the signed route turned immediately left along the south bank of the river and into back streets and little used buildings. A sign indicates the turn into Old Sunderland. It was just as deserted and café-free as the rest of my passage through Sunderland. A lovely church, Holy Trinity, stood on the Town Moor and within half a mile, I was on the main road out of the city.

 

Fortunately, there was a small shop, Asian run as they all seem to be, that sold me a sandwich and a cake. I carried these for a further mile passed the Raich Carter Sports Centre and under the railway back to the coast at Hendon Beach.  Here was the ideal spot for a rest and the long-awaited refreshment stop. The day’s walk finished with a straightforward three mile stretch of cliff-top grassland broken only by two inland diversions to avoid steep-sided valleys of emerging streams. At the outskirts of Seaham, a road-side promenade took the route passed East Shore Village, a new development of shops and houses built on an old colliery. The town centre is dominated by a square, a war memorial and the huge metal sculpture of a soldier, ‘Tommy’. Further on was a large shopping development and right in the centre of this was my accommodation, Londonderry’s, an unmanned guest house above an Indian restaurant.

 

South Shields dep. 09.12, Seaham arr.16.00

GPS 17.59 miles in 6hrs 25mins 17secs walking time plus a 15 mins stop at Hendon Beach.

Stayed at Londonderry’s Bar & Accommodation in Seaham and walked back along the coast road to the Crows Nest at East Shore Village for steak pie and chips and more Neck Oil.

 

 

Tuesday 7^th November 2023             Seaham – Seaton Carew

Hanging the Monkey

The one certainty of an unmanned hotel is no breakfast. However, a Costas café was across the road so I was easily able to find a bacon bap and an early morning coffee. Just before 9am I was striding out down the seafront on another bright morning. The weather was behaving itself remarkable well. In planning this stage, I had been aware of the length of the days walk but it all looked very straightforward, an easy trek along a rather featureless coastline. Little did I know what I was in for. It started mildly enough with a gentle and flat walk beside the coast road and then beside the railway after the road had turned inland, but then the fun started. The coastal cliffs were punctuated by a series of steep-sided valleys where streams flowed through the cliffs and down to the sea. In these valleys, similar to the clines of the south coast, were impenetrable woodland and scrub, wildlife habitats called denes. Some of these denes were avoided by long detours inland to the railway and even to the coast road. Others were crossed by steep and slippery steps, descending into the jungle and then scrambling up the other side. One had no steps, just steep muddy slopes where a dignified passage was impossible. I still have the thorns from hauling myself up through the brambles. So, what was to be a long but pleasant stroll turned out to be an epic expedition, one of the biggest challenges I have faced this year.

 

The most extensive of these areas was Castle Eden Dene, a National Nature Reserve, a flat and marshy outlet for two steep-sided streams. A spectacular viaduct carried the railway over the gorge. Having just climbed out of here, I met a walker, a pigeon fancier, who told me that there was a café at the end of this section of coast path. With renewed enthusiasm, I negotiated one last dene and sped down through a holiday park and into the car park at Crimdon. There, as promised, was the Dunes Café, a lovely place for a well-earned coffee and cake. Then it was downhill to the county border and across into the area now known as Tees Valley. I had taken longer than expected to complete this section of the coast and the sun was low in the autumn sky.

 

By the time I reached Hartlepool Headland and its white wind turbines shining in the bay, the afternoon was well advanced and I still had many miles to go. I turned around the fort and lighthouse, through a lovely area of old houses and then into a dreary industrial zone alongside a busy and featureless road. It was a relief to turn into the marina, passing an old sailing ship and many new hotels and office blocks. It was nearly dark as I skirted round the rather lovely yacht marina and out past new flats onto the promenade This wide walk and cycle way, lit all the way by street lights ran the two miles or so into Seaton Carew. And just when it re-joined the coast road, there on the other side of the busy carriageway, was my accommodation for the night, the Staincliffe Hotel. I was given a lovely welcome by the staff and looked forward to a nice stay.

 

Seaham dep. 08.55, Seaton Carew arr.17.05

GPS 20.31 miles in 7hrs 33mins 33secs walking time plus 35mins having coffee and cake in the Dunes Café in Crimdon.

I staying in the Staincliffe Hotel on the seafront at Seaton Carew. My Google enquiries indicated a pub called the Drunken Duck, inland in a suburban housing estate, to be my nearest eating house. I set off in the dark up quiet streets and had to ask directions. I was pointed towards a tiny bar in a row of shops where everyone was watching Newcastle United on TV. I found a quiet corner and enjoyed a barbequed chicken pizza and a couple of pints on Staropramen. An early night was very welcome.

 

Wednesday 8^st November 2023                  Seaton Carew - Middlesborough   

Dinosaurs by the River

           

Wandering down for an 8am breakfast, I found the hotel manager on his own in the dining room. The chef had burnt his fingers and was off to hospital so the manager himself cooked a full English. He was a lovely man and we chatted for far too long. I had a walk to do and, as I left the hotel, he whispered ‘Baker Street in Middlesborough for micropubs’. The forecast was for rain before lunch but it was dry with a biting wind as I started off down the seafront and onto Seaton Dunes Nature Reserve. Then a heavy shower came through and waterproofs were donned but by the time I reached the power station, it had passed over and the sky appeared to be brightening. As I passed the entry road to the power station and Teesmouth Field Centre, many happy memories flooded back from my time working here. But I did not have time to call in. There was a long road ahead.

 

The Transporter Bridge was visible from miles around so it seemed to take an age to reach it following the very busy road, sometimes on pavements, sometimes on a grassy verge and at other times on paths that ran through the adjacent fields. South of Saltholme, the signed path looped round a factory and onto an old railway track that came out at the access road to the Transporter Bridge. This was closed to traffic and the high-level crossing of the walkway had to be pre-booked. I was faced a horrendous road walk through Billingham and round to Newport Bridge. Firstly, however, I came across a post office and Londis store and popped in to buy a sandwich and coffee. During the hour-long tramp through in industrial parks, I had time to book a bed for the night in Middlesborough, my target for the day. It was a heartening moment when I crossed the Tees and turned away from all the traffic and onto the south bank of the river.

 

At the tip of a bend in the river, the coast path turned into the Port of Middlesborough passing through a delight full, Teessaurus Park, featuring amongst other steel dinosaurs a colourful Stegosaurus. A lovely old diesel engine called ‘Eleanor’ was on show in front of one of the factories. The Transporter Bridge overlooked this industrialised area. It had taken six miles and two hours to walk round from one side to the other. Then the football ground came into view and I chose the Riverside Stadium as the point to finish today’s walk and head into the city centre. Paths under the railway and major roads brought me out into the city and I soon found the address of my guest house. But I had no idea how to gain access. I had to ring the owner and obtain the key code and entry procedures: my booking website had not yet sent the details.

 

Seaton Carew dep. 09.01, Middlesborough arr.15.10

GPS 16.00 miles in 5hrs 51mins 44secs walking time plus 15min outside a shop in Port Clarence.

Stayed in a guest house in the city centre, 143 Albert Road, Middlesborough.

The next street was Baker Street, the place recommended to me last night. I popped into the Twisted Lip and nearly spent all night there. A micropub with three hand pumps and a fantastic bottled beer collection. I first tried Can’t Let Go (3.8%) from Wensleydale Brewery, Leyburn, then Blonde Star (4.1%) from Anarchy Brew Co., Newcastle, and finished with a Tonkoko Milk Stout (4.3%) from Brew York. When I asked about a local eating house, the owners Erica and Saul recommended Uttapam, an Indian in Borough Road just round the corner. Erica took me round and Saul came and joined me for a meal. I had their fish curry and garlic naan and a small bottle of Kingfisher Premier Lager.

 

 

Thursday 9^th November 2023                      Middlesborough – Saltburn

End of the Line

 

Once again there was no breakfast on offer. But I had a train to catch and this provided an opportunity for a very early start and take breakfast on-route. Soon after 8am, I was back on the streets of Middlesborough looking for a take-away coffee. Very little was open and a queue had formed in the only café I passed. I pressed on, back under the road and railway and out to the Riverside Stadium. The signage led me passed the football ground and onto an industrial road running parallel to the train track. The route switched to the other side of the railway line via a level crossing and then ran for miles and miles beside the track in an endless narrow passage which became quite claustrophobic after an hour and a half. South Bank Station was bypassed and many road junctions could be sensed overhead. The Teesdale Way also used this passage and periodic metal sculptures lined the route. Then a pipeline formed the right-hand margin and heavy industry was all around. The path was waterlogged in parts and I did not escape with dry feet. Eventually an industrial metal walkway crossed over the pipeline and a muddy path led away from the railway. It was a great relief to reach some steps and climb back into the upper world.

 

A few yards up the road was a mobile café from which the smell of bacon emanated but the queue was even longer here than in town. Pressing on towards Coatham Marsh, I was taken aback by the blocked entrance. It was nearly half a mile to the next gate and then the route across the rough grassland was unsigned. From a low ridge, I finally spotted the footbridge over the railway and from thence, crossing of the marsh was straightforward. In a small industrial site at Warrenby was a small café in a wooden hut. Although the lady had no proper coffee machine, she made a mighty bason and sausage bap and my fast was over. Much energised, I speeded over Cleveland golf course and along the dunes into Redcar. The sun was shining and the promenade was busy with holiday makers. More metal sculptures lined the seafront, these much larger than the earlier ones.

 

I now was happy that I would catch my pre-booked train home, so I started looking for another café but none appealed along the promenade until a square building on the links grassland tempted me off route. The café inside was heaving with tourists and day trippers and I moved disconsolately further down the coast. A guy carrying a coffee told me that a mobile van was just ahead but I failed to locate it in the bustling car park. On I went and was soon at Marske, where I knew from Google that a cafe lay half a mile inland. ‘In The Dog House’ proved a worthy diversion and a toastie and chocolate café were wolfed down. Returning to the coast path at St Germain’s churchyard where the tower and gravestones looked quite  picturesque in the afternoon sun, I suddenly realised that I had spent too long in the café. When a lady walker warned me that the path ahead was virtually impassable, I began to panic. After having all this time in hand, I was now in danger of missing the train. I ploughed on through bottomless muddy gateways and jogged along the cliff top path. Then there was an endless set of steps down to Saltburn Sands. Along the promenade and passed the pier, I paused momentarily to assure myself of the route to Saltburn Station then it was up a steep road and more concrete steps to the higher part of the town and the approach to the station. The train was standing at the platform and I had hardly time to settle into my seat before my journey home was underway. The second section of the North East Coast Path had been successfully completed.

 

Middlesborough dep. 08.03, Saltburn arr. 14.45

GPS 15.35 miles in 5hrs 36mins 12secs walking time with 35 mins In The Dog House in Marske.                 

 

 

Conclusion

 

The TransPennine Express, not my favourite rail company, did the business and, despite a landslip line closure at Dewsbury, managed the re-routing via Wakefield and was not too late into Manchester. Lots of trains at rush hour so I jumped onto a Cross Country to Macclesfield and was rather pleased to be reunited with my wife. I had been away a long time.

 

Walking 81 miles in 5 days pleased me greatly, 78 miles of these were along the England Coast Path. In four visits to the coast this year, I have probable done 300 miles of coast path or so. This section I had just completed provided far superior walking than I had expected. The Seaham to Hartlepool section was as good a coastal walk as you can get. And I met such a lot of nice people, perhaps it is true that the North Easterners are some of the friendliest in Britain. I shall be back next year (DV) to tackle the Cleveland Way and the high cliffs of the North Yorkshire Moors.

  

Isle of Wight Coast Path

18^th -  22^nd September 2023

 

Introduction

 

The England Coast Path project is far from complete. The government website shows that access and signage exist for less than half the route so I have been choosing bits of the coast that have already had a county-based coastal trail in place. This year the Northumberland and Kent Coast paths have provided a start for walking the entire English coast. The Kent path in August proved quite a challenge as a storm came through on an exposed section of the Channel coast. I then waited for the quiet month of September, possibly the Indian summer we have been waiting for, to tackle a trip around the Isle of Wight. In the post-monsoon season, surely a pleasant few days could be spent on this quaint island, a time warp in the Solent. Little did I know what was coming.

 

I booked the trains late, hoping to squeeze a journey in between rail strikes. At the last minute, the accommodation was rather problematic but eventually all arrangements were in place and I was on a Monday morning train to Euston. Crossing London to Waterloo, I was in good time for my pre-booked train to Portsmouth. Then came the dreaded announcement, one that has shadowed me all summer. No crew to take the train. So, the best laid plans of mice and ferries went out of the window. The hovercraft had left Southsea by the time I arrived and a later crossing got me to Ryde just before 4pm. Unfortunately, I still had half a day’s walking to do.

 

 

Monday 18^th September 2023                      Ryde - Cowes

A Ticket to Ryde

 

With no time for any refreshments, I set off straight from the hoverport, over the railway and along the promenade. The signed route went inland, climbing out of the town on suburban roads that led to a wooded track across a golf course. This emerged in a small hamlet with a stunningly beautiful church, Holy Cross at Binstead. Some lovely old stone houses lined the lane, remnants of a ruined Cistercian Abbey. The new abbey, Quarr, is a monstrous-looking building, looking entirely out of place in this gentle wooded countryside. Suddenly there was traffic everywhere and I had reached the car ferry terminal at Fishbourne. A side passage leading to a quiet lane provided a moment of peace before the inevitable main road down to Wootton Bridge and over the creek.

 

The rest of the day was on tarmac, initially through housing and then a country lane across a shallow wooded valley. The road got busier and busier until it emerged onto the main trunk road into Cowes. Passing a large school and its playing fields and then the entrance to Osbourne House, one of Queen Victoria’s favourite residences, the road gradually descended  through East Cowes down to the river. At the Floating Bridge, the ferry across the river, I fell into conversation with a Manxman who was overseeing the maintenance of his racing yacht. The ferry only took card payments and, as the card reader was not working, we crossed for free. My companion walked me up into West Cowes and pointed out the route to my accommodation for the night, a pub in High Street, a narrow pedestrianised street in the oldest part of town. The fast pace and easy going had enabled me to arrive before dusk.

 

Ryde dep. 15.52, Cowes arr. 18.47

GPS 8.16 miles in 2hr 44mins 30secs.

Stayed in the Anchor Inn, a pleasant pub in High Street, West Cowes. The pub provided a meal of roast pork, sausage meat and apple sauce on crusty bread followed by treacle tart and ice cream. The beer was from Siren Craft Brew in Finchampstead, near Wokingham, Lumina (4.2%).

 

 

Tuesday 19^th September 2023                  Cowes – Yarmouth

A Storm is Brewing

 

Breakfast was not on offer at the Anchor so I slipped out of the deserted pub before 9am and went over to the Eegons Café where a bacon and sausage sandwich was most welcome. The coast path continued through the shopping centre and along the esplanade round Egypt Point. The wind was beginning to pick up and I had donned waterproof over trousers against the forecast rain showers. Through Gurnard the route was on roads which cut inland at one point to get round Gurnard Bay. A path led uphill onto a cliff- top trail above some jungle-filled landslip. I felt that I was at last on a true coastal route with a spectacular view opening up in front of me. The definite path came out onto a wide stoney beach where the line had to be guessed at from dog walkers ahead. A car park was reached and a vehicle access track led away from the sea into a holiday park where a gate was swinging in the strong wind. The exit path from the top of the site was not obvious but, once found, was easy to follow through fields down to a narrow lane. A long section of road was to follow.

 

Too early for the pub in Porchfield! Two miles of busy roads and lanes led to Newtown and a path across fields to reach to old town hall building standing high and alone outside the village. Here the first rain shower blew in and waterproofs were zipped up in protest. Another mile of road brought me to a track round a farm and over a stream and onto a lane into Shalfleet and its pub and busy main road. St Michael the Archangel Church held me for a few minutes before I was forced onto the frighteningly busy A-road which had no pavement or verge of any kind until an estate of houses appeared. I was relieved to turn off this highway and onto the fields towards Nunneys Wood. After crossing a few creeks, a wide track was reached which gave vehicle access to Pigeon Coo and beyond. Taking the Hamstead Trail, I as now heading east back from whence I had come. The turning point was at a private jetty near Lower Hamstead Farm. Here I paused for a bite of my emergency rations and a welcome rest.

 

The boardwalk around the next creek was underwater and my feet were wet for the first time on the trip. Then it was northwards back to the coast, down some steps and onto the pebbly beach. The high tide and storm surge had left little room to walk so the trod that opened up through the vegetation was very welcome. This climbed steadily up to Hamstead Farm and out onto high cliffs again, this time above Bouldnor Cliff. Down into a boggy area of gorse and thorns, the route became more indiscernible as it clung to a slippery line over tree roots above the muddy shore. Suddenly, this section was at an end at a private drive and into civilisation and Bouldnor village. The pier at Yarmouth was now in view but it took a long time to reach along the pavement of the main road into a stiff breeze. Some steps led to the waterfront and along a concrete wall sea defence into the old town. The café/restaurant where I booked in was right in the centre of the village, in St James’ Square next to the church. Good progress had been made along the north coast of the island. I had time to enjoy the offerings of the café, in this case apple cake, before preparing myself for the fleshpots of Yarmouth.

 

Cowes dep. 08.50, Yarmouth arr.15.30

GPS 16.73 miles in 6hrs 01mins 32secs walking time plus 30 mins Eegons Café for breakfast and 10 mins at Hamstead Jetty for more emergency rations.

Stayed in Jireh House in Yarmouth, had a quick pint in the Wheatsheaf, Romsey Gold (4.5%), from Flack Manor Brewery in Romsey and ate in the Bugle Coaching Inn. Here I reverted to fish and chips and a pint of Coachmans (3.6%), brewed for the pub by Yates’ Brewery on the IOW.

 

 

Wednesday 20^th September 2023    Yarmouth – Brighstone

Looking for a Needle in a Hurricane

 

The forecast was horrendous, one person referred to it as ‘biblical’. Although a 9am breakfast was offered to me, I declined and sent my apologies. By 8.30am the rucksack was packed and waterproofed. It just seemed a bright and breezy morning as I crossed the river and set off along the seafront and then uphill into the woods. Leaving the coast for a short while, the route wound around lanes and though built-up areas round to Colwell where it turned seawards again into a large holiday park. Huge seas were pounding the seawall and I had to time my passage to keep dry. When the walkway came to an end, a set of steep steps led up the cliff and continued up a road and through woodland onto the top of Headon Hill, an area of open moorland. The view ahead was magnificent, over Alum Bay to the Needles. A steep and devious descent dropped into the bus terminal at Alum Bay and all the tacky tourist development behind. Then began the steady climb into the hurricane.

 

At the New Battery, it was almost impossible to stand upright. The wind was reportedly over 75mph and I felt that it was too dangerous to seek out the exposed viewpoint overlooking the Needles. A guy offered to take my photo but got blown over as I posed for the shot. The wind down at the Old Battery was no less and I still could not get a good view of the lighthouse below. So, I turned with the gale now coming from behind and got blown over West High Down and over to Tennyson’s Monument. Too dangerous to pause and take in the view. I was picked off my feet at one point on the grassy descent to Freshwater Bay. Huge seas were crashing over the rocks in the bay as I set out up the narrow path towards Freshwater Cliff. I could no longer keep my feet so I took to the Military Road for a couple of miles. This was probably just as dangerous because drivers on the IOW are not renowned for their curtesy and consideration for pedestrians. Rejoining the clifftop path at Shippards Chine car park, a wide and level grassy path proved easier going. At least I was being blown inland away from the edge of the cliffs.

 

The rain had now set in. A weather warning for heavy rain had been issued but it was only showers at the moment. A straightforward tramp down the cliffs was interrupted by another chine at Brook leading on an excursion back to the main road, The next chine was at Chilton where the road diversion led passed the IOW Pearl, a large hotel complex. The return path to the coast was closed and the route was diverted inland. This was not for me. I had a b&b just ahead and the rain was getting heavier. So, it was along the military road again to the next crossroads then left into Brighstone village. Margaret, my host for the night, had text me to say that she was working and would not be home to give me access to my room until 4.30pm.. So I searched out the Tandem Café and ordered a coffee and panini. The lady who ran the café allowed me to change out of my wet clothes and I was delighted that Margaret joined me an hour earlier than planned. I was shown to a lovely room upstairs, delightfully furnished and decorated, by far my best room of the week. I  texted my wife to inform her that I had survived the day. All I had to do now was crawl 50 metres in the rain along the road for my evening meal.

 

Yarmouth dep. 08.34, Brighstone arr.14.35

GPS 16.28 miles in 5hrs 59mins 56secs walking time plus 15mins rest near Freshwater Bay..

Food was to be had at the Three Bishops pub where I chose chicken and ham pie and mash and the most wonderful stick toffee pudding. The beer was Landlord (4.1%) from Timothy Taylor.

 

 

Thursday 21^st September 2023                   Brighstone – Shanklin         

Diversions, Diversions, Diversions

           

The ladies downstairs in the Tandem Café cooked me a fried breakfast as soon as they opened. This got me a prompt getaway just before 9.30am. I was in shorts for the first time this week. The sun was out and the wind had died down somewhat and it was much improved  weather for the 0.75ml road walk back to the coast. The first task was to cross Grange Chine on a narrow wooden footbridge and to shin up a zig-zagging set of steps onto the cliff top. A lovely few miles of level grassy walking was interrupted by a twin chine system involving two trips inland. At Chale the route curved up to the main road to pass through the village, then into a farm lane that led back to the busy main road which was followed to the entrance of Blackgang Chine. The route continued to climb, on the road at first and then on a field path parallel to the road to emerge at a fabulous viewpoint looking back along the coast. A high-level path, way above the sea, took me into the outskirts of Niton. I had rounded the southernmost point on the island and was now on the home run.

 

It was too early to go searching for a café so I continued on the marked route that by-passed Niton village and climbed onto high clifftops. A strategically placed bench provided a superb view and an opportunity for a rest and a nibble of the last of my rations. An American couple from Seattle stopped for a brief chat and to compare notes on coastal walking. A glorious high-level path contoured across the clifftops until a set of steps dropped me into the outskirts of St Lawrence and on down a steep path to the water’s edge at Steephill Cove. Here a lovely café, the Beach Shack, clung to the shore above a turbulent sea. It was a dramatic spot and an opportunity for a coffee and much needed carrot cake. From here of course the only way was up, first into Ventnor and a series of path closures. It started pleasantly with an ascend to the botanical gardens and then steeper paths through Salisbury Gardens. But then I reached the first of the ‘footpath closed’ signs with no diversion indicated. I climbed up into the upper gardens, walked round in circles trying to find an exit, then ventured out onto the streets of Ventnor and down a long street back to the seafront. Now I was faced with an ‘esplanade closed’ sign. Was I ever going to find my way out of Ventnor.

A slog up endless steps took me back to a suburban street where I had to enquire of some walkers the route back to the coast. They indicated a flight of steps and I was on my way again, along the esplanade to the hamlet at Horseshoe Bay. Here a rising path left the seafront yet again and wound its way up to a very old church, St Boniface’s at Bonchurch. Then came an amazing section through a temperate rainforest in a section of landslip, reminiscent of the undercliff at Lyme Regis, The wet, muddy, narrow path climbed over rocks and tree roots for more than a mile, eventually emerging high up near Luccombe Village. Just as I thought the problems were over, another big diversion was signed, this time up the hill away from the coast. A series of field paths looped back to the village, passing through more wet woodland before reaching a lane descending into Shanklin. As the route dropped into town, one more diversion had to be negotiated, back to the main road and through the centre of the village. This had the bonus of taking me passed the end of Queens Road, where my hotel awaited. The diversions had put a good mile extra on my day’s total and it turned out to be the toughest test of the trip, even without any wind.

 

Brighstone dep. 09.26, Shanklin arr.17.25

GPS 18.32 miles in 7hrs 17mins 24secs walking time plus 15min on a bench near Niton and 25 mins in the Beach Shack in Steephill Cove.

Stayed in the Queensmead Hotel on Queens Rd, Shanklin. The nearest real ale was down on the waterfront but the path down the cliffs was closed. The diversion was via the lift where a discounted fare of £1 return was operating. The pubs on the seafront were very busy and in the first one, people were queuing for a beer. The Waterfront Inn next door squeezed me onto an outside table and provided me with some locally brewed Fuggle Dee Dum (4.8%) from Goddards. A plate of fish and chips was wolfed down, the lift was ascended and an early night was had.

 

 

 

Friday 22^nd September 2023                        Shanklin – Ryde

 

The breakfast room at the hotel opened at 8am and I was first in, ordering my full English. By 8.45am the room had been vacated and I was struggling to get my boots on. It was a beautiful morning. The wind had dropped and the sea looked like a millpond as I started down to the clifftop and along the roads and paths that led over the hill to Sandown. The seafront was quite busy, the liveliest place I had seen all week. Fast progress was made until, at the car park at the north end of the bay, the coast path climbed relentlessly up a huge grass slope. A monument stood on the summit of Culver Down and the view was 360 degrees over the Channel and the east part of the island. The buildings of Portsmouth glittered on the other side of the Solent. The way plunged down into Bembridge, which hardly registered as the path ran between two thick high hedges until it emerged onto a road of smart houses. Following the map, I turned down to the beach where progress could only be made over pebbles and sand. A sign pointing inland took me back onto the waymarked route which had run parallel to the beach but 300 metres inland. I now religiously followed the signs towards Bembridge Harbour where the Harbour View Café provided me with a coffee and cake and a well-earned rest.

 

A dreary road section brought me to St Helens where the route turned sharp right round the north side of the harbour and took to a narrow causeway built across the tidal marshland. A lane led to a holiday camp which was bypassed on the landward side by field paths that headed towards Seaview and the north easterly corner of the island. The weather was turning dreary as well. A clap in thunder induced me to don my waterproof jacket as I came across another ‘path closed’ sign. With no alternative, I walked on through the roadworks and no one batted an eyelid. The centre of Seaview appeared rather pleasant but I was not tempted by the cafes. The end was in sight and, from the coast road, the pier at Ryde was in view. It was still some way away but easy walking through Puckpool Park brought me out at a glorious beach, Ryde East Sands, the best beach I had come across on the entire coast. Entering the outskirts of Ryde past a circular tower, I watched the hovercraft leaving from the tourist complex up ahead. I had an hour to wait for the next crossing so I popped into the café at the Superbowl and had a hot sandwich and chips. I was in good time for the 3.15pm hovercraft which was in Southsea in less than 10 minute. My trip round the Isle of Wight had been successfully completed and I was more than ready to head for home.

 

Shanklin dep. 08.49, Ryde arr. 14.30

GPS 14.60 miles in 5hrs 17mins 33secs walking time with 30 mins in the Harbour View Café at Bembridge.      

 

 

Conclusion

 

The Hoverbus was waiting to take passengers from the hovercraft into the centre of Portsmouth. I had a wander through the pedestrianised shopping centre without being tempted by cafes or pubs. The train to Waterloo was on time and this arrived pretty punctually despite threatened diversions due to points failures. I even had enough time to sneak into the Euston Tap where I celebrated a walk well done with a pint of AM:PM (4.5%) from Thornbridge Brewery. The Avanti train was 20mins late leaving Euston so it was 10pm before I was picked up from Macclesfield Station. A long day indeed but I was more than happy with my week despite the two-day storm.  

 

I had managed 74 miles in the week, more than the prescheduled 70 miles of the official guides due to excursions off route to find my accommodation and of course the annoying diversions around Ventnor and Shanklin. The hurricane conditions were survived with a mixture of common sense, judicious use of the roads and of course a touch of luck. Parts of the walk were as good a coast walk as I have had all year, and I have spent much of my walking year on the coast. Maybe it is time to head inland to the hills. The England Coast Path is not as alluring as it’s cracked up to be.

 

Kent Coast Path (Part 1)

Margate - Camber

30^th July – 3^rd August 2023

 

Introduction

 

Last year, in the middle of the hottest spell of weather on record, David and I ventured onto a newly opened section of the England Coast path, from Woolwich to Grain. This took us over the county border into Kent and got us started on the Kent Coast Path. The section beyond Grain has not been officially opened and, from various progress reports, access to some sections is not even close to being agreed with landowners. Targets dates for completion are well passed and I am getting the impression that the wonderful concept of a signed and marked national trail around the entire coast will become yet another governmental fiasco. For the time being, I am limiting myself to bits of the coast path that have been successfully launched. The obvious section of the Kent coast path that meets that criterion is the Ramsgate to Camber stretch so beautifully covered in the guidebook published by Kent Ramblers. A start from Margate would add a few miles on and would provide a worthy addition to my project of the England Coast Path. Train strikes don’t help with travel arrangements. Getting to Kent in late July was fraught with risk, so we made hotel bookings for the first days of August. A Sunday start and Thursday finish avoided the problem for battling home through London on a Friday evening.

 

 

Sunday 30^th July 2023                      Margate - Ramsgate

The Viking Coastal Trail

 

It was a Sunday morning train immediately following a strike day that took us to London, taking a devious route through the Midlands to avoid engineering works on the main line. Time for a coffee and cake at St Pancras and then the Southeastern fast train to Margate at nearly 140mph. The station toilets introduced us to another verse of ‘The Waste Land’ and the fact that an anagram of T S Eliot’s name is ‘toilets’. We emerged from the station into a gloomy afternoon, with Margate looking strangely quiet in what should have been the height of the holiday season. Perhaps it really is a waste land. Pausing briefly for photographs at the Standing Stones on the station approach, we quickly moved along the sea front and left the town via the bleak-looking Turner Gallery which is on a low rise overlooking the harbour.

 

An Anthony Gormley sculpture emerging from the sea continued the artistic theme before we strode off along the Thanet Coast Path into merk and drizzle, passing Botany Bay and rounding North Foreland, the eastern tip of Kent. We
entered Broadstairs via Bleak House, Charles Dickens’ holiday home where he is said to have written a couple of his novels. A detour inland through the olde-worlde streets and alleyways to Viking Bay were the highlight of the day’s walk. The rain settled in as we continued on to Ramsgate with views of the harbour and marina opening up before us. Turning onto the sea front, the vista opened up of magnificent old houses around the steep hillside overlooking the old harbour. There in the centre of all this, on a raised terrace above the harbour road stood the yacht club, our accommodation for the night. The staff were just closing up as we arrived, but showed us to a super room overlooking the marina where we were left to our own devices.

 

 

Margate dep. 15.16, Ramsgate arr. 18.10

GPS 8.63 miles in 2hr 50mins 52secs.

Stayed at the Royal Temple Yacht Club, Ramsgate.  Found a fabulous ale house, the Hovelling Boat Inn, where I indulged in a couple of pints of Citra (4.5%) from Kent Brewery, Birling, near West Malling, gravity fed from the barrel. Paradise.

Il Tricolere is a lovely Italian restaurant where I ordered Murluzzo Stufato (cod) and a Black Forest Gateaux. A bottle of Agriverde Piane di Maggio, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, completed a long and enjoyable day.

 

 

Monday 31^st July 2023                 Ramsgate – Deal

A Sandwich for Lunch

 

Letting ourselves out of a deserted building, we went into Ramsgate town centre in search of a breakfast. The Modern Boulangerie was open and welcoming so I started the day with a stack of pancakes and maple syrup. Then rucksacks were packed and we climbed up onto West Cliff above the now disuses ferry port. The Hands and Molecule sculpture provided an unmissable pause for photographs. The Viking ship was our next feature and then along the road to Pegwell Bay country park and nature reserve. Two birdwatchers pointed out some Roseate Terns. The official route then ran beside a busy main road passing the now defunct Richborough Power Station and onwards for three miles into the old town of Sandwich. Not the most pleasant walking of the day. Entering the walled town through an old gate, we turned off route for a brie and bacon toastie in the Pit Stop Café.

Leaving Sandwich in the sunshine on a riverside path with boats moored in parkland, the route turned north into the marshes and went all the way back to the estuary opposite Pegwell Bay country park. It was five miles and two hard hours of walking before we were back on the coast opposite Ramsgate where we had started the day. In deteriorating weather, the path ran for five miles south between the dunes and the various golf courses. As we approached Deal, it was raining quite hard. From the first of the houses, it was almost two miles to the dilapidated pier. Deal is one of those towns that is spreading in a ribbon development up the coast. We found our hotel just where its name suggests, on the waterfront. It wasn’t providing food; Monday is the chef’s day off. Neither did they know of anywhere else that was cooking. Deal seems to be closed on Monday’s.

 

Ramsgate dep. 10.09, Deal arr.16.50

GPS 17.39 miles in 6hrs 08mins 02secs walking time plus 40 mins in the Pit Stop Café in Sandwich.

Stayed in the Waterfront Hotel, Deal, had a quick pint of Spitfire (4.2%), Shepherd Neame, at the Kings Head before searching out an Indian restaurant in a car park, Dine India. Here I ate a spicy sea bass dish and assisted in the emptying of a bottle of Klippenkop Pinotage.

 

 

Tuesday 1^st August 2023      Deal – Folkestone

The White Cliffs of Dover

 

With a full English breakfast inside, we ventured out into morning sunshine. The cottages on the seafront looked a picture with the flower baskets arranged on brightly painted walls. A long suburban section took us past Deal and Walmer Castles on a long promenade until further progress was over a pebble beach. To avoid this, we turned inland and walked up a quite lane parallel to the shore. As this lane turned sharply uphill, the coast path was indicated up some steps and out onto a glorious high level grassy clifftop. Wild flowers were everywhere and we spent a few minutes photographing some sweet pea-like plants. This section terminated at a huge war memorial, the Dover Patrol Memorial. We found ourselves on a road of houses and had to cut left back onto the coast path which then descended down hundreds of steps into St Margaret’ Bay. What goes down has a tendency to go back up, as did our path out of the bay and up to the lighthouse. Rounding the National Trust Estate, we came onto a made-up path of the highest quality which ran for a couple of miles over the white cliffs with views of the port of Dover gradually opening up. After passing another National Trust property, complete with car parks and café, the route descended  a long and straight stepped path under the A2 and into Dover. Hundreds of vehicles were queuing for ferries below us but we passed down a quite back street and out onto the sea front with its white coloured Regency terraces. At the end of this we turned into a modern shopping mall and found a Costa Coffee for lunch.

 

Road works made for difficulties in finding the correct exit road but a coast path sign was finally spotted leading us up to and round the old military forts overlooking the port. I had failed to find this when I walked the North Downs Way two years before. But we got it spot on this time and were soon on the Western Heights and in the tunnel under the A20. The good weather held as we climbed  the steep and muddy path bypassing the eroding cliffs and out onto an open ridge and onto more white cliffs. Air condition units for the Channel Tunnel could be seen below. Then onto Abbots Cliff and downloading poetry at the sound mirrors. After a long high-level afternoon, just as a heavy shower of rain came through, we emerged from a thicket onto the manicured lawns of the Battle of Britain Memorial. Then it was down into the outskirts of Folkestone, passing several Martello Towers, two of which had been converted into residences. In brilliant sunshine we came round to the magnificent beach and paused at the little mermaid. Today’s sojourn on the coast path was at an end (17.66 miles). Now for the uphill slog 

through the town centre to find our bed & breakfast.

 

Deal dep. 09.10, Folkestone arr.15.40

GPS 18.27 miles in 7hrs 31mins 25secs walking time plus 40 mins in Costa Coffee in Dover. We stayed in Kentmere Guest House, Cheriton Road, Folkestone. There was a nearby ale house, the Firkin, where I sampled Tropic Ale (4.9%) from Kent Brewery and Citra Bliss (4.7%) from Twisted Oak Brewery near Wrington, Somerset. Found a lovely Nepalese Restaurant, Annapurna, eating pork belly chilli for starters and a main of lamb thali. The wine was a 2021 bottle of Don Aparo Malbec.      

 

 

Wednesday 2^nd August 2023                       Folkestone – New Romney  

The Teeth of the Storm       

 

A good breakfast and a poor weather forecast, a breezy but dry morning and everything look reasonably for the walk back down the hill to the harbour. It was not until we turned onto the seafront that we realised how strong was the wind. The exit from the town was along a  straight promenade passing a line of beach huts stretching into the distance. The prom was deserted, the huts were all unused and locked; it was just like a winter visit to the seaside. And as for the weather, it could well have been winter. The wind was getting stronger by the minute and we were walking into the teeth of it. Sandgate castle is the only memorable feature before the urban sprawl of Hythe. Such was the intensity of the storm that we were glad to turn inland and follow the diversion around the shooting ranges. It was more sheltered on the tow path of the Royal Military Canal, a defence line constructed to block a possible invasion by Napoleon. The Vintage Tea Room at the Hythe terminus of the narrow guage railway was perfectly placed for a morning coffee and toasted tea cakes. The activities with steam engines were an antidote to the struggles with the stormy weather.

 

The second part of the day started calmly enough with a delightful walk along the canal pausing only so say hello to a dog called Bentley. As the route turned away from the canal  into a housing estate, the rain came in. Little did we know that it was set in for the day. A dreary section along a main road led us back to the sea-front and here the fun really started. Rain was driving into our faces and the wing was threatening to blow us off our feet. Progress was so difficult that we came off the promenade and dropped down to the coast road below. The land, part of Romney Marsh, was below sea level and this gave us some protection from the storm above our heads. David searched for his childhood holiday home as we traipsed through St Mary’s Bay. A return to the war zone was unavoidable for the last two miles to Littlestone-on-Sea, I staggered on virtually blind with the rain lashing against the glasses I had to wear to protect my eyes. What a relief to turn off just after the water tower and go in search of our hotel. As we fell through the door, the owner said that we looked like two drowned rats. Drying our kit would be one of our problems, another being that the hotel was not providing food. So, after a shower and change of clothes, we had to venture out once more in search of a meal. That had been quite a day.

 

Folkestone dep. 09.39, New Romney arr.15.45

GPS 15.36 miles in 5hrs 28mins 37 secs walking time plus 40 mins in the Vintage Tea Room at Hythe Station.

Stayed in the Captain Howey Hotel, opposite the railway station in New Romney. Before we went out, I sunk pints of Marsh Mellow (3.6%) and Best Bitter (4.0%) from Romney Marsh Brewery, neither of which was impressive. Just down the road was the Cardamom Indian Restaurant, where I had a lovely Cardamom Special Bhuna. Not being licenced, David had to pop into the shop next door to fetch a bottle of Malbec.

 

  

Thursday 3^rd August 2023               New Romney – Camber

A Power Station at Last

 

The rain had stopped, it was still breezy so not really August weather. A full English saw us on our way before we put on wet boots and returned to the sea-front at Littleton. The promenade, so long our companion on this walking holiday, came abruptly to an end and we were cast out onto shingle and pebbles. Fortunately, the tide was out revealing a beautiful firm sand beach stretching as far as the eye could see (or at least to the nuclear power station). Tucked down below the bank of shingle, we could only judge our progress along the beach from our digital maps. At a point that we estimated was beyond Lydd on Sea, we scrambled back up the bank of steep shingle and onto the coast road. At the Pilot Inn, the coast path is signed inland over the level crossing and along a series of roads leading into the Dungeness Estate. Here we fell into step with a local rambling group out for their weekly walk. We asked them to point out Derek Jarman’s house and we paused for photographs. Then it was a race for the café to get our order in before a queue formed. The End of the Line Café was a pretty little building set next to the other terminus of the narrow-gauge railway. A quick coffee and Eccles cake and we were moving again on the very last stage of our journey, this stage featuring one of my beloved power stations.

 

Leaving the café, we circumnavigated the nuclear site on a concrete walkway right up against the security fence. This continued onto an access track heading towards the electrical substation. The coast path suddenly disappeared and we were faced with a traverse over shingle towards a gravel road full of construction work. There was no alternative but to take to the vegetated shingle of the nature reserve, picking up a right of way emanating from the substation. Beyond the construction site, the wide track went inland towards Lydd, around the fence of an army shooting range. The route back to the sea followed a cycle way running beside the busy road. At Jury’s Gap, the sea wall was regained and the last two miles into Camber were on a busy promenade. This finished at the village and the last few yards of our journey were over pebbles above Camber Beach. I expected some indication of the end of the trail but no such thing, just a sandy track off the beach up to some public toilets. Totally underwhelmed, we wandered through a car park to the road and the bus stop.  The Kent Coast Path was behind us; we were now in Sussex.

New Romney dep. 09.03, Camber arr. 15.05

GPS 16.34 miles in 5hrs 48mins 19secs walking time with 30 mins in the End of the Line Café at Dungeness.        

 

 

Conclusion

 

A bus finally trundled up the road and took us to Rye. A café opposite the station provided sandwiches for a late lunch. Our train was running a few minutes late and our connection at Ashford pulled away as we ran towards it. Such is our integrated transport system. Luckily a later train got us into St. Pancras in time to make a swift walk to Euston and our train north. A faithful and generous wife was at the station to meet us and take us home.

 

76 miles of walking in five days, almost 74 miles on the England Coast Path. There is still a missing gap before we can claim a complete traverse of the Kent section. A walk from Grain to Margate awaits us when the authorities get round creating an official route.

 

What does the future hold for walking the England Coast Path. Do I wait and hope that someday an official and fully accessible route will be finalised? Should I just pick off the bits that have been finished? Or should I just make it up as I go, taking to roads for sections where access has not been negotiated? Meanwhile there are many more long-distance footpaths away from the coast in far more attractive parts of the world.