I'm sorry if you've been worried about us. We've not had internet since St. Bee's. The adventures that we've had since then will take days to write but I'll do my best to catch you up but please be patient. Internet is a rare commodity As is cell phone signal. Sheep, on the other hand, are everywhere.
As I type, it is 8 of the clock (in the am) and all of my family and American compadres are still snoring away, drooling on the pillow. Lauren and I are at the very lovely Brookfield House in Shap. Penrith, Cumbria. We are warm, dry and safe and about to go downstairs where Margaret has a pot of hot tea waiting and breakfast will follow shortly thereafter.
Today is a rest day for me and Sacajawea (that's what I call Lauren after watching her scramble up sheer mountain cliffs, hopping easily over boulders to find the path. More on this later.) so I should be able to post some amazing pictures and tell you about the past week.
Thanks to those of you who've checked in on Dougie. He says the house is very quiet. Poor Bear and Boozer must think Lauren and I have deserted them. We miss all of our boys. Okay, enough of that. We're off to tea and bacon buddies! More later.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
St. Bee's
We left a very wet and dark Manchester this morning on a train headed for St Bee's. We learned a crap load about UK train travel that we didn't know because ... well, we aren't bloody Brits. I assumed train travel was much like metro travel in DC. In fact, it doesn't resemble it in many ways other than its sort of a train that takes you from point A to point B. After that, it's a whole new world.
Being the UK Train Virgin that I was, we hopped on the first accessible car, just happy to have caught the right train. I was feeling victorious! I got us from Miami, FL USA all the way to the train that would escort us to St. Bee's, Cumbria UK. I was proud of myself so far. Turns out, I was a moron because we were in the First Class Car with Reserved Seating. "Excuse me, Madame. May I see your tickets?" I was not afraid. I knew I'd paid the right fare and we were where we belonged. How wrong I was.
"You can sit anywhere but here, Madame. You didn't make a reservation for first class." I turned red and told Lauren to follow me as we shrunk off to the next car through an inner connecting door. We found two seats and although not together, we had enough room and I was actually sitting at a table. I could see several people in the car in front of us who were forced to stand because there were no seats available. We soon discovered that we were still in First Class and my seat was Reserved. Fabulous.
After one stop, a gentleman approached my table and announced to the man across from me that he was in the wrong seat. He produced his ticket and kindly told the seated gentleman to shove off and get out of his seat, which he had reserved and paid for. Oh great! Every time we stopped and people approached me, I silently rehearsed my speech of "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize these seats were reserved. Please forgive me." After several stressful stops, I finally asked another passenger who told me that I'd lucked out. The reserved sticker on the back of my seat indicated that the poor bastard who'd booked the seat was supposed to board at Manchester (where we boarded) but never showed. I could relax in peace and occupy a seat that I hadn't paid for and shouldn't have been in. I'm convinced that those Coast to Coast gods I mentioned have our backs. We sat in first class without harassment until we changed trains in Lancaster. We thank you!
At Lancaster, we had 15 mins or so to catch the next train to St. Bee's. We shivered and chatted our teeth on the platform until we climbed aboard a much smaller and less crowded train. The landscape began to change drastically from city scape to green farmlands of large fields of sheep, cattle and horses. I smiled a lot. The smell changed too. From rain to manure. I continued to smile. We hugged the coast of the Irish Sea quite often but jagged inland quite a bit as well. The hills became mountains whose tops were hidden by the clouds. Lauren pointed and asked if we were climbing stuff like that. When I answered in the affirmative, she said "shit".
We arrived in St. Bee's and asked some fellow train riders if they knew where to find the Queen's Hotel. He pulled out his trusty GPS (which hadn't occurred to me) and pointed the way. He was a moron and I was too for following him. After quite a distance, we happened upon a lovely gentleman hanging out his living room window. I hollered "hello" and he replied. I asked him if we were headed in the right direction for the Queen's Hotel. He laughed and said no. Of course not.
After a course correction and a promise to poke our fellow train riders in the eyes should we happen to see them again, we found our destination. What an adorable old home turned B&B!! It's full of staircases and hallways and has three lounges, two bars and a great outdoor garden with tables. Our room is very quaint (read cold. As in without heat.) with an enormous bath tub that I would love to soak in except I'd be naked and cold when I got out. Instead, I'll look at it and say what a lovely tub it would be to soak in but I'll never really soak in it. Again, the getting naked and cold and wet part is a big deterrent.
We walked to the store attached to the post office to buy hats and gloves. (I told you it's cold.) We found a lane that looked out over some hills and from behind the stunning Irish Sea was crashing into them....what a gorgeous view. Lauren agreed whole-heatedly and as she was taking a picture, a lady came into view. She quickly caught up to us and struck up a conversation. It turns out that Mary lives at the top of the hill in St. Bee's. She's 69 and climbs these "hills" every day...hills that we call mountains. She was holding an arm full of rhubarb that she'd picked from her brother's place, where Lauren had photographed her. Lauren and I instantly took a liking to her. She told us how much she loves to meet visitors and spoke of her work at The Priory. She strongly encouraged us to stop into the Priory for a look-see in in the morning before we head off on our walk. She asked us to follow her to another place of interest. Another climb found us at a 6 or 7 ft stone circle with a plaque reading "Pinfold". Here was a place that Mary and her friends played in as kids. It was originally used to hold wandering sheep and cattle and when the owner came to claim them, they had to pay a fee to reclaim them. I asked how old it was and Mary simply replied, "Och, it's old." She sported a bit of an Irish brogue mixed with her English accent.
She told us what a lovely time we'll have and how happy she was to have met us. She complimented Lauren's gorgeous hair and Lauren reached out and touched Mary's hair and told her that she too had beautiful hair. My only regret about our encounter with Miss Mary is that I didn't take a picture with her and Lauren. I think we both felt like we'd met an old friend.
As I type this, we sit in the bar at The Queen's Hotel. Lauren is enjoying fish and chips and I'm having chicken and mushroom pie. I love England!
Being the UK Train Virgin that I was, we hopped on the first accessible car, just happy to have caught the right train. I was feeling victorious! I got us from Miami, FL USA all the way to the train that would escort us to St. Bee's, Cumbria UK. I was proud of myself so far. Turns out, I was a moron because we were in the First Class Car with Reserved Seating. "Excuse me, Madame. May I see your tickets?" I was not afraid. I knew I'd paid the right fare and we were where we belonged. How wrong I was.
"You can sit anywhere but here, Madame. You didn't make a reservation for first class." I turned red and told Lauren to follow me as we shrunk off to the next car through an inner connecting door. We found two seats and although not together, we had enough room and I was actually sitting at a table. I could see several people in the car in front of us who were forced to stand because there were no seats available. We soon discovered that we were still in First Class and my seat was Reserved. Fabulous.
After one stop, a gentleman approached my table and announced to the man across from me that he was in the wrong seat. He produced his ticket and kindly told the seated gentleman to shove off and get out of his seat, which he had reserved and paid for. Oh great! Every time we stopped and people approached me, I silently rehearsed my speech of "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize these seats were reserved. Please forgive me." After several stressful stops, I finally asked another passenger who told me that I'd lucked out. The reserved sticker on the back of my seat indicated that the poor bastard who'd booked the seat was supposed to board at Manchester (where we boarded) but never showed. I could relax in peace and occupy a seat that I hadn't paid for and shouldn't have been in. I'm convinced that those Coast to Coast gods I mentioned have our backs. We sat in first class without harassment until we changed trains in Lancaster. We thank you!
At Lancaster, we had 15 mins or so to catch the next train to St. Bee's. We shivered and chatted our teeth on the platform until we climbed aboard a much smaller and less crowded train. The landscape began to change drastically from city scape to green farmlands of large fields of sheep, cattle and horses. I smiled a lot. The smell changed too. From rain to manure. I continued to smile. We hugged the coast of the Irish Sea quite often but jagged inland quite a bit as well. The hills became mountains whose tops were hidden by the clouds. Lauren pointed and asked if we were climbing stuff like that. When I answered in the affirmative, she said "shit".
We arrived in St. Bee's and asked some fellow train riders if they knew where to find the Queen's Hotel. He pulled out his trusty GPS (which hadn't occurred to me) and pointed the way. He was a moron and I was too for following him. After quite a distance, we happened upon a lovely gentleman hanging out his living room window. I hollered "hello" and he replied. I asked him if we were headed in the right direction for the Queen's Hotel. He laughed and said no. Of course not.
After a course correction and a promise to poke our fellow train riders in the eyes should we happen to see them again, we found our destination. What an adorable old home turned B&B!! It's full of staircases and hallways and has three lounges, two bars and a great outdoor garden with tables. Our room is very quaint (read cold. As in without heat.) with an enormous bath tub that I would love to soak in except I'd be naked and cold when I got out. Instead, I'll look at it and say what a lovely tub it would be to soak in but I'll never really soak in it. Again, the getting naked and cold and wet part is a big deterrent.
We walked to the store attached to the post office to buy hats and gloves. (I told you it's cold.) We found a lane that looked out over some hills and from behind the stunning Irish Sea was crashing into them....what a gorgeous view. Lauren agreed whole-heatedly and as she was taking a picture, a lady came into view. She quickly caught up to us and struck up a conversation. It turns out that Mary lives at the top of the hill in St. Bee's. She's 69 and climbs these "hills" every day...hills that we call mountains. She was holding an arm full of rhubarb that she'd picked from her brother's place, where Lauren had photographed her. Lauren and I instantly took a liking to her. She told us how much she loves to meet visitors and spoke of her work at The Priory. She strongly encouraged us to stop into the Priory for a look-see in in the morning before we head off on our walk. She asked us to follow her to another place of interest. Another climb found us at a 6 or 7 ft stone circle with a plaque reading "Pinfold". Here was a place that Mary and her friends played in as kids. It was originally used to hold wandering sheep and cattle and when the owner came to claim them, they had to pay a fee to reclaim them. I asked how old it was and Mary simply replied, "Och, it's old." She sported a bit of an Irish brogue mixed with her English accent.
She told us what a lovely time we'll have and how happy she was to have met us. She complimented Lauren's gorgeous hair and Lauren reached out and touched Mary's hair and told her that she too had beautiful hair. My only regret about our encounter with Miss Mary is that I didn't take a picture with her and Lauren. I think we both felt like we'd met an old friend.
As I type this, we sit in the bar at The Queen's Hotel. Lauren is enjoying fish and chips and I'm having chicken and mushroom pie. I love England!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Foul Weather Gear!
We made it to Manchester at 2:30am east coast time, 7:30am UK time. We're a little jet-lagged but the view while landing was heavenly. Everything was soooooo green!
The Coast to Coast weather gods obviously have taken us under their wings because it hasn't stopped raining since we got here and it's quite cold. Hell, its really flipping cold. We just watched the evening news and the weather forecast is FOUL! Lauren and I are laughing but deep down, I'm wondering just what we're in for. The weather is going to be unseasonably cold and wet (even for England!) and the weather wench on TV voiced her surprise and confusion over the weather that's expected for the next two weeks. Yep, when we order rainy weather we don't mess around.
Our trip here was fairly uneventful except for my neighbor on the flight to Manchester from NYC who refused to turn off his overhead light until midnight....since the flight attendants came around at 1am with breakfast, it wasn't much of a sleep. He's not getting a post card or a Tshirt.
I was surprised to find out how sad I was about leaving Dougie behind. Of course I knew I'd miss him but I didn't expect to be weepy. He insisted on parking and coming into the airport to say goodbye and seeing us through security, which was very sweet. I started crying as I hugged him goodbye. I was trying to hide it from him and Lauren and the millions of other travelers who were watching me fall apart but I wasn't very successful. I cried again on the plane when I called him to tell us we were preparing to take off. I realized how hard it is to be excited about this trip when I know I won't see Dougie for a month.
He assured me I'd be fine and we'll have fun and we'll talk and so on. He's right, I know but....
Anyway, we're crashing early tonight because we have to catch a 10:15am train to St. Bee's in the am. We're gonna shop for gloves and warm hats and we've decided we packed waaaayyyyy too many shorts and Tshirts and not enough long underwear and parkas. The budget is about to be blown on things we'll never wear again.... until our next walk. Stay tuned for Ireland!!
I know you're wondering.... the beer is glorious!! I've had ales and stouts and porters and it's only the first day. Where are those stretch pants.....?
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Is This Really Happening?!
The calendar tells me its June 7th. There are two stuffed backpacks, a suitcase and a carry on by the front door. It would appear that we begin The Long Awaited Adventure today but it just doesn't seem possible. All these years of dreaming and almost an entire year of planning and . . . here we are? Really??? I'm afraid I'm going to wake up and it'll only be March.
I've been awake since 3am trying to get my feeble brain to comprehend the fact that we are about to attempt to walk across the country of Great Britain. It just won't register. I sure hope it engages before I have to start navigating or we'll be lost before we even begin!
It's the last day of school and Lauren wants to go to say goodbye to one of her favorite teachers who is leaving the Keys next month to spend a year teaching in the Dominican Republic. So off she'll go, leaving me with another two hours to triple check our packing list and then Doug and I will pick her up on our way to Miami Intl (Hell On Earth). It'll probably be a tearful goodbye knowing I won't see Dougie for a month and that we'll be gone for Father's Day and our Anniversary too. But absence makes the heart grow fonder. . . it's hard to imagine feeling more fond but time will tell.
Thanks to everyone for your well wishes and farewell gifts! We'll take you with us in spirit. Nicole, we'll dip your stone into the Irish Sea, carry it across England and then toss it into the North Sea. For those of you here in Islamorada, please check in on Dougie now and then to make sure he's surviving as Head Dog Handler, Chief Fish Feeder and Senior Turtle Keeper. I'd like to know that he's eating decent meals too - not just PB&J sandwiches.
May the Coast to Coast weather gods deliver the perfect weather, may our feet land firmly on safe ground every step of the way, and may those we love be waiting for us upon on return!
I've been awake since 3am trying to get my feeble brain to comprehend the fact that we are about to attempt to walk across the country of Great Britain. It just won't register. I sure hope it engages before I have to start navigating or we'll be lost before we even begin!
It's the last day of school and Lauren wants to go to say goodbye to one of her favorite teachers who is leaving the Keys next month to spend a year teaching in the Dominican Republic. So off she'll go, leaving me with another two hours to triple check our packing list and then Doug and I will pick her up on our way to Miami Intl (Hell On Earth). It'll probably be a tearful goodbye knowing I won't see Dougie for a month and that we'll be gone for Father's Day and our Anniversary too. But absence makes the heart grow fonder. . . it's hard to imagine feeling more fond but time will tell.
Thanks to everyone for your well wishes and farewell gifts! We'll take you with us in spirit. Nicole, we'll dip your stone into the Irish Sea, carry it across England and then toss it into the North Sea. For those of you here in Islamorada, please check in on Dougie now and then to make sure he's surviving as Head Dog Handler, Chief Fish Feeder and Senior Turtle Keeper. I'd like to know that he's eating decent meals too - not just PB&J sandwiches.
May the Coast to Coast weather gods deliver the perfect weather, may our feet land firmly on safe ground every step of the way, and may those we love be waiting for us upon on return!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
How Dumb Do I Look?
Don't answer that.
We leave in two days. Two. That's less than three, which doesn't leave much time to tie up loose ends. As I was printing some emails with detailed directions to various places we'll be staying, I was surprised to see that I didn't have a confirmation email from the B&B in Robin Hood's Bay (where our walk ends). The notes in my spreadsheet indicate that I paid in full via credit card and I confirmed that with a quick look at my account online.
Something kept telling me there was a problem. I shot off an email asking for a confirmation of our booking. The response indicated that, in January, when we changed our booking from two nights to only one night, the owner explained to me that they don't take single night bookings on summer weekends. His email went on to remind me that I'd cancelled our booking.
Excuse me, sir. How dumb do I look? Firstly, our original booking was for only one night. That never changed. Secondly, you charged me in full and had I cancelled, wouldn't you have refunded the charge to my account considering it was 6 months in advance?
I'll spare you the rest of the details but it involved a call on Skype to the establishment during which I may have cried a tiny bit. It matters not. All that matters is that we have a lovely B&B at which to stay on our last night of the walk. What Lauren doesn't know yet is that our home for the night is at the very crest of Robin Hood's Bay, which means we'll have to walk past our warm, dry beds and navigate the very, very steep hill down to the North Sea to toss in the pebbles we'll have carried from the Irish Sea. It's quite a walk. Funny, though. It's not nearly as difficult as the walk back up to the B&B is going to be. Even funnier, taxis can't navigate that part of the village. It's funny now but ask me on the 29th of June when I have 200 miles behind me and blisters on my blisters.
Hey Barkeep...I'd like another Guinness please, sir! Two more days!!!
We leave in two days. Two. That's less than three, which doesn't leave much time to tie up loose ends. As I was printing some emails with detailed directions to various places we'll be staying, I was surprised to see that I didn't have a confirmation email from the B&B in Robin Hood's Bay (where our walk ends). The notes in my spreadsheet indicate that I paid in full via credit card and I confirmed that with a quick look at my account online.
Something kept telling me there was a problem. I shot off an email asking for a confirmation of our booking. The response indicated that, in January, when we changed our booking from two nights to only one night, the owner explained to me that they don't take single night bookings on summer weekends. His email went on to remind me that I'd cancelled our booking.
Excuse me, sir. How dumb do I look? Firstly, our original booking was for only one night. That never changed. Secondly, you charged me in full and had I cancelled, wouldn't you have refunded the charge to my account considering it was 6 months in advance?
I'll spare you the rest of the details but it involved a call on Skype to the establishment during which I may have cried a tiny bit. It matters not. All that matters is that we have a lovely B&B at which to stay on our last night of the walk. What Lauren doesn't know yet is that our home for the night is at the very crest of Robin Hood's Bay, which means we'll have to walk past our warm, dry beds and navigate the very, very steep hill down to the North Sea to toss in the pebbles we'll have carried from the Irish Sea. It's quite a walk. Funny, though. It's not nearly as difficult as the walk back up to the B&B is going to be. Even funnier, taxis can't navigate that part of the village. It's funny now but ask me on the 29th of June when I have 200 miles behind me and blisters on my blisters.
Hey Barkeep...I'd like another Guinness please, sir! Two more days!!!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Anticpation
My promises of T-shirts and beer mugs must have been pleasing to the Coast to Coast weather gods because it's in the mid 40's to low 50's along most of the route. Clouds and rain. That makes me smile. Lauren and I will continue to make our offerings and hope that the weather gods remain faithful by keeping the weather cool and slightly rainy. Some sun and blue sky will be welcome every now and then, but in small doses please. Coming from the Land of Constant Sun, we're overdue for some dark and rainy days.
My dreams are improving. I guess that's due in part to that fact that I've given up worrying about getting lost. I'm sure it'll happen (it's happened to every Coaster whose blog I've read) and given I'm with one of the smartest kids in the school district, I am not worried. (Lauren just received her school's highest score on the 9th grade Algebra exam. She's in 7th grade. Better yet, she received the 4th highest score in the entire district, including all of the 7th and 8th graders and high school students who took the same exam!!!) I'll hand over the guide book and GPS to Lauren, pop a squat on a rock and wait for her to riddle us out of the mess I'll no doubt have gotten us into. Maybe I should just let her be Chief Navigator from the start so that we don't arrive at any pubs after they've closed. I don't want my poor navigation to interfere with my sampling of local ales. That would be unforgivable.
Did you notice that I've managed to write two paragraphs without once mentioning how many more days until this long-awaited adventure begins? It's been rather hard so you better have noticed or all my suffering will have been in vain.
The anticipation is overwhelming. FOUR MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Perhaps we should start thinking about packing.
My dreams are improving. I guess that's due in part to that fact that I've given up worrying about getting lost. I'm sure it'll happen (it's happened to every Coaster whose blog I've read) and given I'm with one of the smartest kids in the school district, I am not worried. (Lauren just received her school's highest score on the 9th grade Algebra exam. She's in 7th grade. Better yet, she received the 4th highest score in the entire district, including all of the 7th and 8th graders and high school students who took the same exam!!!) I'll hand over the guide book and GPS to Lauren, pop a squat on a rock and wait for her to riddle us out of the mess I'll no doubt have gotten us into. Maybe I should just let her be Chief Navigator from the start so that we don't arrive at any pubs after they've closed. I don't want my poor navigation to interfere with my sampling of local ales. That would be unforgivable.
Did you notice that I've managed to write two paragraphs without once mentioning how many more days until this long-awaited adventure begins? It's been rather hard so you better have noticed or all my suffering will have been in vain.
The anticipation is overwhelming. FOUR MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Perhaps we should start thinking about packing.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Now That's More Like It!
The Coast to Coast gods must be keeping up with this blog because the weather on the C2C trail is more like what Lauren and I ordered. Its in the low 50's and cloudy in St. Bee's today. That's just about perfect! Thank you C2C weather gods. I will bring you back a T-shirt or a beer mug to show my appreciation for your continued proper management of the weather.
We discovered that the Gortex rain jackets given to us by the generous staff at WorldWide Sportsmen were not intended to be worn in Islamorada. Robbie Silk from the Free Press stopped by our house yesterday to interview us about our Walk and he asked us to don some of our gear for a photo. We gladly put on our rain jackets, hiking boots and our packs and went outside to say "cheese". Although we were only out there for a matter of minutes, it was extremely uncomfortable to say the least. So if you see our photo in the paper, you'll know why we look so odd. We were cooking from the inside out.
I'm posting two maps of the C2C in response to a couple requests. Scroll to the bottom of the blog to see them. You know who you are and you are welcome.
15 days without Diet Coke. I only managed two weeks without beer and then I caved and had one. It really wasn't that great so I haven't had one since. Because it wasn't the religious experience I thought it would be, I'm not counting it and neither should you. Our story is that I've gone 15 days without DCoke and beer. Stick to the story.
6 more days until its Guinness time!! Only 6 more days!!!
We discovered that the Gortex rain jackets given to us by the generous staff at WorldWide Sportsmen were not intended to be worn in Islamorada. Robbie Silk from the Free Press stopped by our house yesterday to interview us about our Walk and he asked us to don some of our gear for a photo. We gladly put on our rain jackets, hiking boots and our packs and went outside to say "cheese". Although we were only out there for a matter of minutes, it was extremely uncomfortable to say the least. So if you see our photo in the paper, you'll know why we look so odd. We were cooking from the inside out.
I'm posting two maps of the C2C in response to a couple requests. Scroll to the bottom of the blog to see them. You know who you are and you are welcome.
15 days without Diet Coke. I only managed two weeks without beer and then I caved and had one. It really wasn't that great so I haven't had one since. Because it wasn't the religious experience I thought it would be, I'm not counting it and neither should you. Our story is that I've gone 15 days without DCoke and beer. Stick to the story.
6 more days until its Guinness time!! Only 6 more days!!!
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