Weather: Hot and sunny.
Distance:
31 km (19.3 miles) Total Distance: 3445 miles
It was
a grand sunny morning. I had been woken
very early by the dawn chorus but I did manage to get a few extra hours sleep
after that. I left the tent where it was
and arrived at Knott End not long after eight o’clock. Just as I parked the car there was a news
story on Radio 4 covering the Chemical Weapons Convention and how some
reporters had been sold some precursors to the nerve gas Sarin without too many
questions asked. I
was on the mobile to work at the start of the walk and a lady
told me off for not leaving my mobile behind when going for a relaxing walk. I
felt I had to agree with her!
It was
a very pleasant walk down the east bank of the Wyre. First over a golf course, without being hit
by a ball, then though country lanes, an odd sea defence. It was so pleasant that when I reached the
village of Staynall I sat for a while on the village bench and took in the
fresh air, bird songs and general tranquility.
The
village of Hambleton has a sizeable harbour full of yachts. A funny thought
crossed my mind – was it just pretending to the Hamble – which I think was a
large yachting harbour on the south coast.
The next stretch up to the Shard Bridge was marked as a footpath on the
map but in reality was on the foreshore and pretty muddy in places.
Over
the Shand bridge and onto the foreshore again – getting a little concerned
about some dogs that the owner appeared not to be controlling all that
well. A half-mile inlet full of more
yachts meant a detour up to the main road.
A man stopped me and keenly told me the rest of the route to Fleetwood –
not all that necessary as it was just following the coast! The path went in front of the yacht club and
then past a series of pontoons on which more yachts were moored. I stopped on one to cool off, take my boots
off and have some water. I was gain
worried by a dog but the owners looked equally aggressive so didn’t complain to
them too much.
The
next section ran along the front of the country park where my tent was – I
couldn’t see it but I could see the pylon under which I was camped. After this the path was less picturesque and
went along a chemical works – EVC an old branch of ICI. Much of the plant including that labelled as
vinyl chloride storage was flattened.
The way along the coast was then blocked and the path swung inland and a
leafy path took me to the main road and not to a shop on the caravan site I was
hoping for. Now I was desperate for a
drink and was pleased to see the sign for a café in a children’s farm over the
road. The cup of tea was much
appreciated but I forwent the trip around the farm.
After
a roundabout the main road into Fleetwood became very busy and the first part
was impossible to walk along. I was
forced to walk on the long grass of the verge for a long time before the relief
of a coastal path appeared and took me past the fishing harbour and then the
ferry port. I walked through a car park
and my way was then blocked by a fence so I had to get inland onto the main
road. The quickest way was to walk directly through a café and out the other
side – I doubt that the coastal path guide books have that one written into
them!
The
ferry I was going to catch was on the Knott side at the time it was meant to
leave Fleetwood so I treated myself to a Magnum ice-cream and waited
developments. When it did return I
overheard a man on a mobile coming off the ferry said he was in the process of
repairing the ferry. It did not fill me with confidence! I had visions of us being swept out to sea
but we made it across OK.
I went
back to the campsite, made myself a cup of tea and relaxed in the shade andncooled down. As it was still early I
took off again to Fleetwood, passing the Fisherman’s Friend factory. The crowds had gone and I parked near the
pier and walked along a pretty dull promenade to Cleveleys in the next few
hours. Then I caught a tram back on the
second attempt having got on the wrong one first but they were pretty
friendly. On the second bus I sat at the
back for cool air but some yobs got on two of whom started squeezing the others
spots and the other picked his nose directly in front of me – truly horrid!
I went
back and had shower then went to get a take-away, a pretty horrid chicken
biryanni from a chip/pizza/curry shop – I was filled with false hope when I saw
that the cook was Asian. It was
amazingly hot in the take away so waited outside whilst it was cooked.
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