VSO Morecambe Cross Bay Walk - 14 Sept 2013

Wading in the sea.......

Once again, we were blessed with fantastic weather. It took us 2 hours to drive to Grange-Over-Sands (the end point of the walk) in time to catch the train to Arnside (the start of the walk) at 12.30pm. Grange-Over-Sands is one of the most scenic train stations I have ever seen - with views overlooking Morecambe bay.

Led by Cedric Robinson MBE and accompanied by about 500 other walkers, we set off at the blow of a whistle. The walk started off along a very rocky and muddy route along the coast before passing through a caravan site further inland. After a wee stop in which food was consumed and long trousers were rolled up, we headed out towards the estuary. It all felt rather firm underfoot despite the odd wobbly, jelly-like, potential quicksand sections. Pale clean legs were soon splattered with mud thanks to splashbacks from neighbouring walkers. There were lots of dogs running around having a field day! I had my eyes set on a little black poodle and a king charles spaniel - they were just sooo cute!

Mesmerised by the clear blue skies overhead and its reflection on the water underfoot, I took over 140 photos! Soon it became clear why we had been advised to wear shorts/quick drying trousers. Alas! My attempts at rolling my trousers up were in vain! Before long, I found myself wading deeper and deeper into the sea water with my hands up in the sky to keep my walking pole dry. The water was cold, but not too cold. And yes Cedric, my knickers did get wet!

The next part of the walk was across a sandy part of the estuary - with some risk of quicksand and to my delight, lots of samphire (albeit a bit beyond the season)! Just in case one didn't get wet and muddy in the first 3.5 hours of the walk, the final squelchy bit of the walk took care of that. Despite the good coverage of grass, the terrain was very wet and muddy. Perfect combination for slips and falls.

At about the 4 hour mark, the walking group naturally formed a single file as we walked through the stone stile gap. After shaking hands with Cedric and exchanging pleasantries about the walk, we made our way back to Grange-Over-Sands and devoured David's delicious homemade orange jaffa cake before setting off home. Tired after a long day out. But feeling elated from the lovely day and equally fantastic company.

Peak 2 : Ben Nevis (1344m), here we come!

Life is uncertain, death is certain.

With reference to the above, life is constantly changing and fluid. Hence, Peak 2 has ended up being Ben Nevis instead of Snowdon. Nevertheless, Snowdonia is still on the radar, albeit slightly delayed.

I don't know how summer flew by with so much and yet so little happening. Contradictory? Sorry, but it is true. Before we knew it, The Day was upon us. All my grand plans of training before setting off for Ben Nevis went out of the window. I did however, take half a day's annual leave for the commute up to Scotland - good thing too, as despite leaving at 3pm, we didn't arrive at the B&B at Crianlarich till 9.30pm. That did however include a stop for dinner at a service station. Lo and behold, believe it or not, dinner was a Chinese takeaway in the middle of nowhere.

Holding on to every last word of the weather forecast, we decided to do the track on Sunday as there was slightly more sunshine and less risk of rainfall predicted.  Saturday was instead spent on a leisurely drive from Fort William to Mallaig as the Jacobite train tickets were sold out. I was stopping every few minutes for photo opportunities, not wanting to miss out on shots of the beautiful scenery we drove past. Alas, I must admit that the camera did not do the views any justice.

The weatherman did not disappoint. We set off on a slightly misty morning with promising blue skies overhead. Parking at the Glen Nevis visitor centre was only £3 for the day (2013). Before long, we were bathed in sunshine and treated to stunning distant views from the Ben Nevis Mountain Track. Despite the very obvious path, we were well equipped with an OS map and compass - just in case!

The trek was uphill all the way, but a lot less strenous than Scafell Pike. However, due to the awkward height of the wet stoney path in some parts of the trek, the descent was painstakingly long. It took us just over 6 hours in total for the ascent and descent. Lucky for us, we managed to snap lots and lots of photos before the clouds drew in just as we finished our lunch on the summit and headed back down, taking particular care to avoid (but stare in awe) at the 'Five Finger Gully'.

So far, we have been particularly blessed with perfect weather on two of our National Three Peaks challenge trips. We couldn't have asked for more. No doubt if the weather had been different, it would have drastically affected our enjoyment ratings. Enjoyment rating : 10/10. Muscle ache rating for the next 2 days : 8/10 (where 0 = no ache, 10 = excruciating pain).