Ian Jackson will be doing the 191-mile Coast-to-Coast walk starting on Saturday 16th April 2011 in memory of his wife’s son – Tom Morgan – who sadly died on 15th June 2009 of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome at the age of 30 years.
16th April 2011 – St Bees to Ennerdale Bridge
Ian is today walking from St Bees to Ennerdale Bridge – a total of 14.5 miles – piece of cake! I have spoken to him this morning and he was standing on top of the cliff: Hope there isn’t a huge gust of wind!!
17th April 2011 – Ennerdale Bridge to Borrowdale
This leg of the 13-day coast-to-coast walk is Ennerdale Bridge to Borrowdale – a total of – 16.5 miles. Ian had a terrible first night in his tent last night. He woke up in the middle of the night freezing cold and “wet” – no he hadn’t wet himself – it was the condensation inside the tent. Anyway he started his walk and had a high “mountain” to walk up but the last time I spoke to him he was at the top getting ready to come down the other side. He tells me that he has 3 more peaks to climb today. Tonight he is again camping so hopefully it won’t be as bad as last night.
18th April 2011 – Borrowdale to Grasmere
Before I put today’s blog on line I would like to add comments about yesterday’s walk. Ian had an horrendous day yesterday – taking 11 hours to walk 16.5 miles: but it was all up mountains. From Ennerdale Water he walked up Red Pike (753 metres) which he found to be a very hard slog. Then he walked up High Stile (807 metres) and then High Crag (744 metres). Coming down from High Crag the zig-zagging and the steps down to Scarth Gap was really hard. Then back up to Haystacks (597 metres) and over the top and down to Honiston Slate Mine Visitor Centre and by the time he got down and arrived at the Youth Hostel he was staying at his knees were hurting and he was knackered, so went straight to bed without any dinner!!! TODAY he went from Borrowdale to Grassmere up over Lining Crag and then down the Green Up Edge Pass and down the Far Easedale Valley Walk. He took the easy option on this one because he didn’t want a repeat of yesterday. He is now staying at the Grassmere Hostel (see picture). Ian has had a much better day today and is now sitting in the garden of the Youth Hostel with a can of cider!! I do apologise if I have spelt the names wrong.
19th April 2011 – Grasmere to Patterdale
From Grasmere Ian walked up Great Tongue, but as he didn’t want to risk hurting his knees again he decided to go down The Grisedale Valley route. It was a nice steady walk with really lovely scenery. He has a very long and very hard day tomorrow from Patterdale to Shap which is 16 miles: he also has to go up and over Kidsty Pike which is 784 metres – the highest point on the original coast-to-coast walk. He is now sitting outside The White Lion Pub in Patterdale having a beer!
20th April 2011 – Patterdale to Shap
After reading various write-ups about this section of the coast-to-coast walk, Ian knew that it was going to be a tough day – AND IT WAS. He left the Youth Hostel, Patterdale at 8.30 this morning and climbed the highest point of the original coast-to-coast walk – Kidsty Pike: 780 metres. Once at the top (see picture) he stopped for lunch (and to have a rest) before descending to Haweswater, then to Shap – 16 miles in total. He is now out of the Lake District. His knees didn’t fare any better than Sunday and he ran out of water six miles before he reached Shap and as it was extremely hot today the first thing he did on reaching the pub was to down a pint of squash and then down a pint of beer! He decided not to camp in the pub garden for various reasons and no doubt he will tell you about that when he comes home. He is now staying in another hostel. He has been to the fish and chip shop and bought himself dinner and a bottle of wine and is now sitting in the lounge of the hostel drinking the wine and reading the paper. He has another long day tomorrow from Shap to Kirkby Stephen (21 miles), although thankfully no more mountains……
21st April 2011 – Shap to Kirkby Stephen: 21 miles
Ian started walking at 7pm this morning on what was supposed to be a “recovery day”. To start with it wasn’t too bad but after the previous day his legs were still sore and there were still some gradients today; also his feet were hurting. Better day today drink-wise as he took his platypus bottle but unfortunately he finished the whole 2 litres by 3 pm. At the end of the walk he went wrong for 2 miles and had to go back 2 miles – this means that he has actually walked 23 miles today – he says it was the book’s fault, not his!! When he got to the campsite (see picture) he took his rucksack off and fell on the grass and lay there for half an hour. He has had to buy more savlon cream for his “sore bits” He is at the moment sitting outside The Black Bull Pub in Kirkby Stephen having a pint. Tomorrow he is off to Keld (13 miles) with more uphill walking but a shorter distance but as he is camping a mile outside Kirkby Stephen now he will actually be walking 14 miles. Tomorrow is also the day he leaves Cumbria and enters Yorkshire and once he arrives in Keld he is half way through his coast-to-coast walk.
22nd April 2011 – Kirkby Stephen – Keld: 13 miles
The route from Kirkby Stephen to Keld is 13 miles long but as Ian was camping a mile outside Kirkby Stephen and is now camping about a mile out of Keld the actual walk today was nearer 15 miles. Ian had a lay-in this morning and had to charge the battery in his phone but the lady who ran the campsite wanted to charge him 50p for a 20-minute charge so he decided to charge it in the toilets whilst he was having a shower. He then went to the co-op and bought himself an apple, 2 bananas and an orange for his lunch. He walked with two people today and took the slightly easier route which took him over bogs, moorland and some road walking. He has blisters on his toes now and his calves are hurting. He stopped for tea and scones at the farm featured on the Julia Bradbury coast-to-coast and he said it was a lovely lovely location. He is camping at Park Lodge in Keld tonight. Nice place but when he had a shower there was not hot water AND TO TOP IT ALL HE HAS LOST HIS BRUT!! Did some washing in fairy liquid, put it all through an old mangle and hung it on the line – how domesticated he is becoming!! He has just been out to dinner and is now heading back to his tent as he is starting early tomorrow because he wants to get to Reeth early and crash out as he is really really tired. It is a relatively “easy” day tomorrow to Reeth, probably about 12 miles.
23rd April 2011 – Keld to Reeth: 11 Miles
Rained a bit in the night so Ian’s tent is a bit wet again. He didn’t get much sleep because his mobile kept bleeping because the battery was almost dead. He got up at 5.30 this morning and left at 5.55. He didn’t see another soul until he got to Gunnerside where he thought he would stop for a cup of coffee but none of the cafe’s were open. It was a long drag up a hill from Gunnerside to the open moorland; basically he walked on the top of the moorland, past two hamlets when a huge mountain dog came charging out of a garden barking at him: he thought the dog was going to bite him so just stood still with his hands in the air but just in time the owner came out and called the dog off. It was a nice walk into Reeth but his shoulders are now hurting with the weight of the rucksack and both knees are now giving him hassle. He is taking between 6 and 8 Ibprofen tablets a day to try and get rid of the pain. He got to Reeth and had a beef baguette and chips outside The Kings Arms, and of course a pint. Went to his B&B and slept from about 1.30 to 5.30. He went out to dinner tonight and met 6 more coast-to-coasters who he had met before plus two new ones later on as well.
24th April 2011 – Reeth to Colburn: 18 Miles
Ian had breakfast in Reeth this morning and then started his walk. He walked through some lovely countryside and found it easier walking today – some hilly bits but quite enjoyable. He got to Richmond and it was really busy down by the river – with kids jumping in the water. He made a mistake with his dinner tonight – the pub he thought he was going to get dinner in was shut and he couldn’t be bothered to go back up the hill to Richmond, so for dinner he is having 2 chocolate bars and a banana and for pudding he is having an apple! He is really sore today (in places I am not going to mention on here) so has plastered himself in cream and hopefully these bits won’t be so sore in the morning! He is now camped in a garden by the side of a house. Because he walked two or three miles further today he only has about 18 miles to do tomorrow when he goes to Ingleby Cross.
25th April 2011 – Colburn to Ingleby Cross: 19 Miles
Ian had a lot of flat road walking today, resulting in a big blister on his toe. His feet are hurting again tonight also as a result of the road walking and to make matters worse he was chased by some cows this morning. He is camping in the back garden of The Blue Bell Inn, Ingleby Cross tonight but his tent poles are now bent due to the wind – so much for buying a cheap tent! He smothered his “sore bits” in so much cream this morning he could have slid along the road. He is going out tonight with 9 other coast-to-coasters for dinner and obviously one or two beers! He has a really hard day coming up tomorrow. He is going to Blakey Ridge which is just over 20 miles but all up and down hills.
26th April 2011 – Ingleby Cross to Blakey Ridge: 20 Miles
Ian left at 6 am this morning from Ingleby Cross and it was a really hard day. Total ascent of 4,000 metres which was hard on his muscles and the descent was hard on his joints. He walked with Neil and he didn’t bother with breakfast, just had an orange whilst he was walking. They did the walk in 8 hours. The end of the walk was all along an old railway track which was really painful on his feet. He got to The Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge at 2 pm and was absolutely starving. He has a really nice room and he went and crashed out till 6.30 pm then had a bath and went to dinner. The bottoms of his feet hurt and he again has blisters on his toes. Tomorrow he is going to Littlebeck which is 17.5 miles. ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT NOW!
27th April 2011 – Blakey Ridge to Littlebeck: 17.5 miles
Ian left at 6 am again this morning and it was really cold and foggy. It was an easy walk except for the hill out of Grosmont. He nearly got bitten again by another mad dog. He is staying in a nice B & B tonight in Littlebeck and has had a nice big dinner. He has only got 12.5 miles to do tomorrow – HIS LAST DAY – to Robin Hood’s Bay.
28th April 2011 – Littlebeck to Robin Hood’s Bay
What can I say, only that “HE’S DONE IT…..HE’S ONLY GONE AND DONE IT!!” Ian reached Robin Hood’s Bay at 11.50 this morning and dipped his boots in the sea and picked up another pebble. I don’t have his blog yet to put on here but I will be doing it later. I just want to say how proud of Ian we all are and I know that Tom would be so very proud of him too. It was a tough walk but he never gave up. I am putting on some pictures that Ian has sent me today and I will be back later to add Ian’s comments on the day’s walk.
I now have Ian’s blog, as follows:
Left Intake Farm, Littlebeck at 6.30 this morning and didn’t bother with breakfast but asked the farmer’s wife for a packed lunch instead. Had a lovely walk through Littlebeck Woods and I was walking slowly because I was supposed to be walking into Robin Hood’s Bay with my fellow coast-to-coaster, Neil. Over the top of Graystone Moors was really cold and I went wrong slightly on the moors (keep on the road and stay off the moors) but walking down to Hawsker I met another coast-to-coaster doing it the opposite way. I thought about giving him my coast-to-coast book but decided not to because I thought I would get lost again.
Finally got to the sea and had about a 3 mile walk along the cliffs. It took a really long time to get the first sight of Robin Hood’s Bay and I got really pissed off with the hills but eventually caught sight of it and about half an hour later I was there wetting my feet and tossing a pebble into the sea. I then picked up another pebble so I had one from West and one from East for Tom’s room. Went upstairs in the Bay Hotel (which is right next to the slipway), heard a shout and it was my fellow walker Neil, so instead of him being behind me and me walking slowly he was actually in front of me by about half an hour. Signed the book that says I have completed the coast-to-coast walk and got a certificate.
I got to the Guest House and had a rest for a couple of hours and now I have walked into Whitby for a couple of beers and an indian. “I am that sad little person you see in an indian restaurant at a table for one!!
I would like to thank everybody who has followed my journey through my blogs and to everybody who has sponsored me. For those who haven’t sponsored me yet – do it!!
THIS IS ME, THE WALKING BRICKLAYER, SIGNING OFF……..
