4th – 8th November 2024
Bridlington - Hull
Monday 4th November 2024 Bridlington – Hornsea
Taking to the Beach
The lovely owners of my guest
house provided a full English breakfast and I was set up for a 9am start
pausing only for a photo at the front gate. I retraced the route from the
finish of last September’s walk back to the harbour then south along the
promenade passed the Spa and up onto the cliff-top path. This ended abruptly in
a track that descended onto the beach. A tramp along the firm wet sand looked a
more attractive proposition than finding a route along the cliffs. Progress was rapid but mind-numbing
with no views inland except the brown layers of mud and, on the other side, the
grey and restless North Sea,. To break the monotony, I searched for a right-of-way
inland up a steep-sided stream but failed to find an obvious path, After
chatting to an ex-teacher from Hull who had led a school trip to South Africa, a
couple of dog walkers told me about a coffee shop in the adjacent Barmston
holiday park. I ascended up the grassy cliff to find that the café was about to
close for the winter and I was probably their last customer of the year.
Suitably refreshed, I continued on
grassy paths along the top of the low cliffs to cross the Barmston Main Drain
at the sluice gate, At Ulrome, I dropped down a ramp back onto the beach for a
short way to avoid two separate caravan parks blocking my progress. Shinning up
some muddy steps cut into the cliff face, I was able to continue along the
cliffs to Skipsea. A ‘Private: Keep Out’ notice forced me inland along the edge
of a ploughed field until I could break back to the cliff-edge to Far Grange
Park. Here the coast path walker is definitely not welcome. Scrambling around a
fence onto the golf course, the holiday park threw up an impassible barrier. I was forced back to the main
entrance where the security guy could only suggest the cycle track beside the
busy main road. Spotting a trod leading back towards the coast, I found myself
in another holiday park with an indoor market and was soon able to regain the
cliff-top without further obstacles.
A trig point marked the start of a
dead straight grass track into Atwick. Ignoring the next ‘Private’ sign, I
pressed on through yet another holiday park and over grassy fields into the
outskirts of Hornsea. The map showed a turn through a cul-de-sac back onto the
coast where descending grassland led to
the prom and the Floral Cafe and a welcome bacon bap. It was too early to check
in so I spent 45 minutes reading and drinking cappuccinos. At the famous town
beacon, I headed inland through Hornsea town centre to locate the Hayloft b&b
which was run more as an Airbnb. I was shown though the conservatory and
washhouse up to a lovely bedroom. The Coast Path in East Yorkshire was far from
a fait accompli, and this was just the start!
Bridlington dep. 09.01, Hornsea Airbnb arr. 16.01
GPS 14.80 miles in 5hr 38mins 27secs,
plus 30 min stop at Balmston and 45 mins in café on Hornsea Prom. Stayed at the
Hayloft, Back Westgate, Hornsea and ate at the Victoria, Market Place, steak
pie & mash then jam sponge & custard. The beer was Shropshire Gold
(3.8%) from Salopian Brewery and the glass of red wine was a Shiraz.
Tuesday 5th November 2024 Hornsea – Withernsea
Getting into Deep Water
As there was no breakfast provided at the Hayloft, I left very early in
search of a café. At 8am there wasv little open in Hornsea town centre, just a
supermarket where I bought a butty for lunch. The seafront leisure centre was
just opening and I managed a quick bacon bap before setting out on what was to
be a long day of beach walking. Just beyond the beacon was the terminal point of
the Trans Pennine Trail and the ’S’ shaped symbol on the pillar, a twin to the
trail-head at Southport. The first section of the day’s walk was over to
Mappleton. This looked rather flat and featureless so I contacted Rachel, my
daughter, and had a good natter whilst I traversed the cliff-tops, caravan
parks and field edges, with cracks in the ground showing where the next piece
of coast will soon disappear into the sea. The entire coast is crumbling away
as stormy seas attack the soft cliffs .
The cafe at Mappleton closes on Tuesdays so I got no break before descending
the ramp down to the beach and condemning myself to the beach for the rest of
the day. It was a good job I had studied the tide tables because, if a walker
gets caught by rising water, there is no escape route up the cliffs. Facing 12
miles of sand and mud, I set off keeping close to the sea, the firmest
underfoot conditions. This turned out to be a huge mistake. Stream outflows
from the land seem to be turned southwards, probably due to longshore drift. I
found myself at one point on a sandy spur that disappeared into the sea with a
deep estuary between me and the beach. Rather than reverse half a mile, I
decided rather unwisely to wade across the inlet. It was far deeper than I
expected and I got much wetter than I was prepared for and was lucky not to
submerge my phone and wallet. The rest of the long march was spent drying out
my lower parts and clinging to the safer ground near the foot of the cliffs.
The only break from the tedium was a five-minute sit on a muddy boulder
to eat my butty and top up with water. I was shattered by early afternoon and
was most relieved to see signs of civilisation as I neared Withernsea. Pulling
up the steps onto the prom, I sat for some minutes on the first bench trying to
compose myself before walking along to the café near the castle. Once again I
was too early to check in so I sat for 45 minutes replenishing my diminished
energy supplies before staggering round to my accommodation. It had been an
unrelenting day of beach walking and I was very grateful for a shower and a
couple of pints before heading out to eat.
Hornsea 08.09, Withernsea arr.15.35
GPS 16.67 miles in 6hrs 16mins 21secs
walking time plus 20 mins for a bacon bap in the Hornsea Hub Leisure Centre and
45 mins for a coffee & cake in Castle Café in Withernsea whilst killing
time until check-in.
Stayed at the Alexandra Hotel in
Queen Street. Drank pints of Sea Fury (5.0%) from Sharp’s Brewery in Rock and
Cwtch (4.6%) from Tiny Rebel Brewery in Newport. Went across the road to the
Bengal Lancer for a chicken tandoori.
Wednesday 6th November 2024 Withernsea
– Kilnsea
My Point has been Spurned
Another early start with no breakfast. I searched the main street for an
early café and found a haven in Smiles for Miles amusements where a friendly old
dear made me a bacon butty. The south prom came to an abrupt end and, reluctant
to take to the beach, I diverted inland through a housing estate and out onto a
country road. Breaking back to the cliff edge, I was again faced with fences
and private land so I lowered myself down a loop of rope and back onto the
beach where the retreating tide had left wet but firm walking conditions. By
the time I had done 8 miles passed wind farms and gas storage facilities, I
was
ready a mental home. One last holiday park at Easington and I was ready to take
to any opportunity of getting off this damned beach. A grassy trod led me into Beacon
Lagoons nature reserve, a series of freshwater lagoons inland of the dunes.
Progress was on a narrow path atop a raised seawall running for two miles
or so through the lagoons These hosted interesting birdlife including a great
egret. I stopped for a short break, a sandwich and a drink, wishing that I had brought
my binoculars. At the southern end of the reserve, the fenced path continued
over farmland and returned the coast at a lane leading to what is left of
Kilnsea. Whole villages on this eroding coast have disappeared into the sea
around here. The lane continued as a tarmac road to the Spurn Discover Centre
where, to my horror, I found the café to be close. I negotiated a bag drop with
the volunteer crew in the workshop and set off for Spurn Point without all that
weight on my shoulders. My newly released stride did not last for. The initial
part of the route was across soft sandy at the neck of the peninsula where the
sea had ingressed. I was crossing onto a tidal island and had to keep an eye on
the tide tables to avoid being cut off. Once back on dry land, I made faster
progress on the remains of the road than ran down to the lifeboat station. Beyond
the lighthouse were some modern housings, now empty, and a radar station for
shipping. The point is reached through a sandy heathland where a sign-post
proudly displays distances to various parts of the known world.
The only way was back the way I had come. I must have been the last
tourist on the island as I strode out to recross the sand causeway before high
tide. I retrieved my rucksack from the discovery centre just as they were closing.
Darkness was encroaching as I headed to the pub where I booked a table for a
later meal and then moved on to the bird observatory and my bunkroom for the
night. Rob, the manager of the observatory, came up to collect payment and I
had time for a quick shower before returning to the pub for a lovely evening of
food, drink and chatter. I had rounded a major turning point in my walk and
tomorrow I would be leaving the North Sea behind.
Withernsea dep. 08.24, Kilnsea arr.16.18
GPS 18.79 miles in 7hrs 10mins 31secs
walking with 15 mins stop for a bacon bap in an arcade in Withernsea and a 15
min stop to eat a butty overlooking the lagoons near Easington. Stayed in the
Bird Observatory at Kilnsea and ate at the Crown and Anchor next door. Had
haddock, chips & mushy peas followed by ginger sponge & custard. The
beer was Landlord (4.0%) from Timothy Taylor and I finished with a half of Old
Peculiar (5.0%). Had a pleasant chat with Bob & Alice, two Lancastrians now
living in Hull,
Thursday 7th November 2024 Kilnsea – Paull Holme
Diversion into the Unknown
I am not averse to climbing over ‘footpath closed’ fences but this
barrier looked beyond me. The entire sea wall was cordoned off for miles with
just an inland-pointing arrow by way of a diversion. I followed a winding lane
heading northwards towards the village of Skeffling. The only dwelling was a
small bungalow and fortunately a man was fiddling with his vehicle on his
drive. ‘Everyone else has turned left at the next track’, says he pointing
towards a group of cabins across the fields. The containers turned out to be
the temporary offices for the construction site that I was trying to circumnavigate.
Another stroke of luck was the dog walker who stopped me from disappearing for
ever in the new workings, She showed me the
route up a ramp onto a containing wall for a set of lagoons. An
artificial surface led me for some miles around this newly created nature
reserve, passing brand new luxury bird-hides as I went. All this came to an
abrupt end when I came to a remote country road. I had no idea where I was and which
way to go: there was a total absence of signage. The map was useless. It showed
none of these new workings and the tracks marked on the map seemed no longer to
exist. I came to a gate marked ‘No Entry’ and had no alternative but to climb
this and push on in the general direction of Hull. Gate after gate I climbed until eventually I found a field
track heading towards Outstray Farm, my only point of reference. As I approach
the farm, a birdwatcher, complete with telescope and tripod, challenged me as
to my route across the nature reserve. I was rather miffed and told him what I
thought of this unsigned diversion with no help on offer to a coast path
walker. We parted with him promising to pass my comments onto the Environment
Agency and then he put me on the optimum route back on the river passing the
Latitude Zero monument as I did so.
I was now getting increasingly concerned about the encroaching dusk as my
diversion had put me well behind schedule. A quick stop for some emergency
rations whilst sitting on some boulders near Hawkin’s Point then across a
marshy area where I was eaten alive by flying bugs and insects. The blisters
and welts took weeks to go down. As I rounded the final corner, darkness was falling
and I could barely make out the farm where I was booked to stay. A set of steps
led off the raised bank and a rough trop had been made across a dry dyke. A
locked gate in an overgrown thorn hedge had to be climbed to gain access to the
field in front of the farm. Soon Warren the owner was showing me to my chalet
in the farmyard. He then rang the local pub and reserved me a table. After a
shower and change of clothes, he then drove me the two miles for a well-earned
meal. He even volunteered to pick me up afterwards..
After 21 miles and an unexpected diversion, I was very grateful for this
kindness. It brought a peaceful end to a very arduous day.
Kilnsea dep. 08.22, Paull Holme arr.16.30
GPS 20.54 miles in 7hrs 52mins 46secs
walking time plus 15 mins stop to eat my sandwich at Hawkin’s Point.
I stayed at Paull Holme Farm and
ate in the Humber Tavern in Paull, steak & mushroom suet pie & chips
followed by jam sponge & custard. The beer included Frothingham Best
(4.3%) from Great Newsome Brewery, South
Frodingham.
Friday 8th November 2024 Paull
Holme – Hull
Unable to Dock
I sat alone in the guests’ kitchen and helped myself to yoghurt, toast
and coffee before packing my sack and setting off back over the field, over the
gate in the thorn hedge and up the grass bank onto the sea wall. This I
followed round the fort and out onto the riverbank. Passing a line of cottages
with well-kept gardens and a car park full of fishermen after some protein, I
arrived in the village of Paull and last night’s eating house, the Humber
Tavern. At the far end of the village street, the sea wall started again and
this turned sharply inland up a side stream passed a power station which I
assumed was oil-fuelled. The path emerged onto a dead straight road onto which
I turned alongside an estate of heavy industry. A busy flyover carrying the
A1033, a major dual carriageway running eastwards from Hull City Centre,
blocked my way. By risking life and limb, I was able to cross the traffic on
the slip roads to gain a cycle-path on the far side. The map showed several
rights of way, some marked as national trails continuing through dockland but I
was stopped by security at the entrance to this industrial complex and told
that no such paths exist, Dockland is forbidden territory. I continued for two
miles further, as I had been directed, to find a permitted route back to the
coast.
Half way along this arterial road, a petrol station advertised a coffee
stop, A counter in the corner of the shop was serving coffee and bacon rolls
and I took a brief break from the traffic noise outside. At the designated for the ferry terminal, a
footpath sign, my first for some three miles, proudly pointed towards the
river. But when I got down to the ferry and the right-of-way marked on the map,
there was still no access for a walker. I stopped a guy out for his lunchtime
run apologising profusely for interrupting his rhythm, He explained that I had overshot
the walkers’ path and, if I returned 400m, I would find a bridleway passed a
wind turbine assemble site. Here I could pick up Trans Pennine Trail signs to
access the riverside residential developments that led me to Hull’s famous
aquarium, the Deep. A lovely new footbridge crossed a side river/canal and into
a lively street full of bars and cafes that ran along to the marina. Calling it
a day for my coastal walking, I turned inland alongside the marina, took a
footbridge over Clive Sullivan Way and arrived in the pedestrianised shopping
centre of the city. I was soon at the car and preparing for the drive home.
Another section of the coast path was in the bag.
Paull Holme dep. 09.02, Hull arr. 13.50
GPS 11.54 miles in 4hrs 27mins 09secs plus 20 mins in café at a petrol
station.
Conclusion
This 82-mile stage in my journey
from the Scottish border around the England Coast Path had got me as far as
Hull. It was my 4th section walked over the last three years and in
many ways the least enjoyable. I loved walking through Northumberland and the
North Yorkshire coast was spectacular. But the industrial areas in between were
a different matter. In choosing to walk the entire coast, every inch of it,
then one must be prepared to take the good with the bad. However, I did not
expect some of the problems that I met on this last trip. I knew in advance
that the coast was eroding and falling into the sea but I had no idea that it
was happening that fast and that dramatically. Add to this the reluctance of land
owners, whether they be holiday parks or golf courses, government agencies,
farmers or nature conservationists, to facilitate the passage of the coast path
walker and many of the objectives of this new national trail become a mockery.
My last concern is the approach of the mapping bodies, Streetmap or Ordnance Survey
in provided up-to-date information to the foot traveller. The indication of
tracks and rights of way that are closed off or totally inaccessible and the
lack of communication between map makers and local authorities, agencies and
developers is patently obvious. I feel sorry for oversea walkers, enticed by
reading about this new path opened by the king and supposedly the longest coast
path in Europe. They do not know what they are letting themselves in for.
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