Episode 1: The One at Cross Porpoises

Day 1 31 May 2023
St Bees to Cleator

So the walk begins. A gloriously warm and sunny Cumbrian day (a bit of an oxymoron, we believe!)

The Coast to Coast Walk has a few traditions, and two of them are at the start – picking up a pebble and carrying it the length of the walk; and dipping your shoe/foot into the Irish sea. Yes, we did both – but it’s SO tricky finding the right pebble! We got there though…

Then, after the obligatory photo by the sign signalling the start of the walk, we headed off.

Day 1 takes the intrepid walker up and along the coast, around St Bees Head, for a few kilometres around the cliffs, before heading inland along paths and country lanes.

The views were dramatic!

The sea was calm, and the breeze light, so we took the opportunity to stop at the RSPB lookouts to see if by some chance we might see a puffin!   But no – no puffins.  BUT we did spot a couple of dolphins slowly making their way towards St Bees.  At least we are convinced they were dolphins, but a local did question whether in fact they might have been porpoises …… we like to think they were dolphins.  Well it is a well known fact that exercise releases endolphins !!!  You can thank Ad for that gem !!!

Leaving the coast, we headed east to start the long trek cross country.  This took us past a working quarry where they (there followed at this point a long discussion about whether the next word should be mine / quarry / excavate!!) which is the source of a distinctive red sandstone used not only in local buildings but also as far away as Iceland and Hong Kong !  As we walked away from the quarry we encountered one of their trucks coming towards us on an extremely narrow “road”.  Unbelievably the truck reversed back t

This is a glorious time of year, with the hawthorn in flower and so many of the wild plants in bloom. The tracks and country roads that we followed look soo good in the sunshine.  Our route through to Cleator followed footpaths, tracks and also a disused railway line that is now a cycle way.

Much to Peter’s chagrin, no pubs were open along the way, but we did sit in the garden of the Sandwith Pub, the Dog and Partridge for lunch (bacon butties secreted away at breakfast).  We caught a cab back from Cleator to St Bees with “Greg” the gregarious cabbie and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the beer garden of the Manor House.  All dressed in our matching polos, we had dinner at the local pub with Val’s lamb shanks the dish of the day.

Total distance: 15km