My Mum and Dad were kind enough to bring me to the start
of the walk in St Bees. It was a long drive from Nottingham which was, unfortunately,
made longer by a ball-bearing failure in one of the front wheels of the car.
As a consequence we arrived at the starting point at around 15:30. Before setting off I wandered down to the sea and dipped
my boots in the salty water before looking around for a small pebble that
I could carry for the whole distance. My Dad was keen to do the first days
walking with me and so we both left the car park at 15:40 and made our
way up the coastal path. My pack felt heavy but comfortable although initially
I found it surprisingly hard to balance on uneven ground. The walk along the coast was fantastic with gorgeous clear
blue sky's and impressive cliff views. Many others were enjoying the scenery
too on what, for them, would have been a pleasant bank holiday afternoon
stroll. We turned inland to towards Sandwith and then along a number of country
paths to the foot of Dent Hill. The climb up Dent Hill was a little gruelling
and I think we were both pleased to reach the top where we had a great retrospective
view of the sea where the sun was beginning to set. Looking forward I could
see the beginnings of the Lake District. We got a little off track coming down Dent Hill and had
to switch on the GPS to help us correct our error. At 21:30 we arrived
at a small campsite/farm and I pitched my tent whilst Dad phoned Mum so
that she could come and whisk him away to a comfy B&B. I had a cup
of tea and then cooked myself some pasta before settling down for the night.
Although I was excited to have started at long last after so much anticipation,
I still slept well, waking just a few times in the night to the sound of
rain hitting my tent.