Day: 222 22/2/00 Hull to Salt End

Weather:  Cold and clear

Distance:  9 km (5.6 miles)    Total Distance:  2853 miles

I had a short walk to do today to get me to Salt End after which there was a long stretch that would have to do in one go.  I paid my £2.40 to get over the Humber bridge and after getting lost in the middle of Hull a couple of times, managed to get somewhere to park not too far from the bus station where I would be arriving back at in three or so hours time I would have thought.  

I walked gently today – enjoying the thought that I was not under any pressure.  I went down to the docks and tuned left then kept as close as I could to the estuary, having to cut inland once to get over a busy road bridge. There was even more evidence of new housing and office development on this side of Hull.  Eventually the housing came to an abrupt halt and I was now wandering through the docks, with a fence between the path and the industrial companies in the docks including the machinery sieving the sand and gravel.    

There were some more lock gates that saved me going inland and this time as soon as I crossed them they began to open! 

Half a mile further on, having made such good progress all morning, I was disappointed to find tall fences across blocking the path and signs saying footpath closed as I neared King George Dock.  I tried to ask in the gatehouse near where the path was blocked but it was all locked up.  I therefore had to cut inland up onto the busy main road.  

I had thought about going through the roads of the dock but knowing my luck I would have walked for a couple of miles and found no access back to where the footpath started again. The road was a busy dual carriageway taking all the traffic out to this industrial area.  I was horrified to find a taxi-driver changing a flat tyre on the inside lane, lorries and cars whistling by.  I could not work it out why he had not pulled into the lay-by right by there. 

As I neared Salt End and the entrance to the BP Amoco works I spotted a bus stop.  I was not too optimistic because a bus had not long gone by.  I was very pleased therefore that as soon as I got to the lay-by a bus arrived going to Hull bus station – great! 

I drove back to Derby, did a couple of hours work in lieu of leaving early the next day to go and pick Margaret up from the airport.