| O.K. I lied a bit to you, I will have to admit it now. I
really saw the whole walk on T.V. years ago and thought then - yes what a challenge - it
really looks great - Yawn - yawn - maybe I'll do it someday? Well, then it lay dormant,
just the seed of an idea, another thing added to the list of.... what I will get round to
doing sometime or other. But by 1993 yes I had to go. It had to be done - and I WAS GOING
TO DO IT! May 1994 and there I was at St. Bees, each day planned, all the
accommodation booked and each step calculated and worked out! Go for it! Well I
arrived the night before and the B & B lady (O.K. what am I talking about? - well B
& B in English speak means - an overnight bed, in a nice and comfortable house, with a
massive stonking fry up breakfast !) took great delight in telling me of a previous coast
to coaster who fell at the first style (that's English speak for an awkward gate
designed to keep animals in and let walkers through!) and broke his leg. Instead of
glorious walking for two weeks he spent that time staring at ceiling in an exclusive
Cumbrian hospital. Well buddy I can tell you here and now that's not going to be me
- I'm going to do this thing and I'm going to do it dammed good! Well so I admit it - my
rucksack was a little bit to full, O.K. , sorry, yes I had only walked a few miles so far,
but their I was in the lovely church of St. Bees praying - Dear God ( I always call him
Dear!) please help me... my back is braking. How on earth can I carry this thing another
190 miles? - HELP! Well the very next day some other folk at the B & B said they
were using the Packhorse service, no rucksack to carry they do it for you - hell this was
it - Yeah I'm doing it too! Yes this was easy, day one, and here I am just wandering
along; wearing a waterproof coat, pockets stuffed with sandwiches, waterproof trousers,
and maps and guide books off every description. And it was great, Wow what scenery -oh I
loved that Cumbrian coast, miles of hedgerow flowers, plaintiff cries from seabirds
nesting on the cliffs below and sunshine glorious sunshine it just had to make you feel
happy. One minute resting at Sandwich, enjoying a well earned pot of tea, next minute on
the top of Dent, meeting other coast to coaster's and surveying the vista towards the Lake
District, the beauties of Nannycatch and next minute being there - at Ennerdale - hum
maybe this thing is not so tough after all - I made the first day! |
