Day 1 – C2C Walk

We’ll here it is at last. After months of planning we are now here and on our way. The day started with an alarm call at 4am and by 5 I had picked up Mark and we were on the road to Richmond. We arrived at around 7am with dark skies looming and the minibus driver warned us of heavy rain from his trips over the last week. The forecast was for heavy rain showers so we packed the rucksacks with plenty of waterproof clothing. The minibus transported us on a 2 hour journey to St Bees before taking our luggage to the first hotel. So suddenly there we were, stood on the sea front with 190 miles ahead of us but amazingly the weather forecasters had got it totally wrong. Gorgeous blue skies greeted us as we made our way down to the waters edge, posed for a few photos, collected a pebble and dipped our boots in the water. Then we were off.
The route starts gently with a nice undulating stroll along the coastal path and in the glorious sunshine from St Bees lighthouse we were treat to good views of Southern Scotland and the Isle of Man. After 4 miles the route turns to the east and we then have the sea behind us. The day is a fairly steady walk and we managed to get a good pace going. Around 7 miles and another photo opportunity with the statue of a walker pointing the way. From their we just went through a lot of farmland to Cleator.
Then came a shock. We knew there was a hill but just hadn’t realised how hard and steep it would be. Nearly 2 miles of vertical ascent up a grassy path but to be honest, the views at the top were stunning. Looking back we could see our full days walk all the way back to the Irish Sea and forward was the stunning forest of ennerdale. A sharp decent with just a large style (which Mark fell off lol) and then a steady walk to ennerdale bridge and the day was over.
We really couldn’t complain at the weather and the walk felt fairly easy. Mark has a few minor problems with his toes and my Achilles is hurting a bit but we feel really good. The Stork Hotel where we are staying is very nice and the landlord is a top bloke. We had a cracking lasagne and 5 pints of alcoholic beverages so need to work hard tomorrow.

Today’s full route: Day One