The shortest day

I could tell you that I planned this so meticulously that I thought we'd start with a mid length first day followed by a shorter second day in order to ease everyone into the physical aspect of the walk. In truth, however, these decisions were based on where I could find accommodation. (No, in case you were wondering, we are not camping)

There are worse views to wake up to 

A quick inventory of aches and pains this morning showed a pretty positive picture. A couple of sore backs, a stiff leg, a painful heel and a protoblister. Could have been worse.

Breakfast in the (very good) hostel and then we were off again, this time heading inlandish to start with so we could cross the river Coquet at Warkworth. Was it just me, or were all the settlements on this route designed to remind you that you are walking? Crest-well, Amble, Walk-worth,  Perambulate. (note: there may not actually be a Perambulate) 

Warkworth has an attractive castle and an attractive river (the one that we'd had to go there to cross). The path didn't really take us downtown, to whatever sense Warkworth has a downtown, so I can't really comment as to the level of buzz, or happening vibes. I didn't really get the sense that it would rival Manhatten or Berlin, but as I say, we didn't give ourselves the chance find out. 

Some Warkworthian images follow 





The path out of Warkworth skirted along a golf course, with frequent notices warning to be careful of wayward tee shots, which felt a little like signs saying "the regulars here aren't very good". We continued along the dunes and stopped for a break on the beach. Those who elected to have a paddle proclaimed the sea to be "so cold it stops your circulation". It was warmer and sunnier today but it still fell far short of the heatwave afflicting much of the rest of the country. Actually today was perfect weather for hiking. 

Not far after the end of the danger of mishit golfballs, Alnmouth, our destination, came into view. I had looked at a map so I knew its proximity was an illusion. We had to cut inland to cross over another river (the Aln, unsurprisingly). This didn't stop one of our party (who shall remain nameless) from complaining bitterly about topography. Why is there a river here? Couldn't they build a footbridge? Why do we have to go so far? These last 3kms are just so annoying. 

But, we survived another day, making it safely to our room-over-a-pub. Tomorrow will be significantly longer. I'm hoping we've built up a bit of resilience. 











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