Some Final Thoughts

Coast to Coast Observations (in no particular order)

Book your weather

·         The Coast to Coast is one of the great walks. Like the Parson’s egg, it is bad in parts, but aren’t most trails. It is not a formally marked trail, so it can be what you make of it.
·         Book your weather ahead of time. Alternatively arrange your schedule so that bad weather days can be spent tucked away somewhere dry.
·         Bad weather days are most likely to affect the best parts of the walk especially in the Lakes District e.g. Haystacks, Helvelyn, Striding Edge, and in the Yorkshire Moors e.g. Five Standards. Apart from not being able to see anything, as was our case, some parts would be positively dangerous.
·         The best weather was supposed to be in September, for us it was about as bad as it could be.
·         Try and do all the “best” bits, like those mentioned, however some are not for the faint hearted. Some like Striding Edge and Helvelyn are probably better done on a “rest day” and in that order. From what I have heard and read Striding Edge is better climbed up, rather than down.
·         Take the non-road options particularly through the Vale of Mowbray. There are many permissive footpaths that can be used and are shown on the various maps.
·         Harvey Maps are excellent and detailed. Use in conjunction with a guide book. We didn’t like Cicerone, others do.
·         Don’t buy any maps or guide books-we have them all.
·         Some places deserve a rest day like Richmond for browsing, others maybe for more walking on other walks or doing parts missed the previous days. Some of the highlights as mentioned above can be done as loop walks.
·         Try and stay on or as close to the trail as possible. Packhorse, the company that does baggage transfers and arrange accommodation, try and book all their clients on the trail. Some of our accommodation was too far from the trail.
·         B and B’s are variable so be prepared for cramped rooms, hot water systems that are contrary and generally overheated houses, though this does help to dry out wet gear. Also be prepared to climb stairs. Very few B and B’s have bedrooms on the ground floor.
·         Newspaper is an excellent method for helping dry out boots. Pack it in tightly and as much as you can. Putting them ON heaters is not!
·         You get sick of pub food. There’s not that much choice, even the curries come with chips.
·         The English don’t know how to make salads, or what we would call a salad. If you find a good one, go for it.
·         You may get to like English beer.
·         The full English breakfast isn’t eaten every day by the English, so why should we? Many B and B’s have good muesli and a good range of cereal. Weetabix are definitely NOT Weetbix!!

Some breakfasts don't need to be hot!

·         However the full English breakfast can be used to make a not so full English lunch if you don’t mind a cold bacon and egg sandwich.
·         Most B and B’s now serve plunger coffee which can be quite good, though is often a bit weak. Coffee can never be too strong, you can always add water. Coffee that is too weak can never be resurrected!
·         We arranged our trip through Contours on the recommendation of various friends. Would we use them again? Well maybe, maybe not. I had no huge issues with them, a view not shared by all our party.  I would certainly canvass other companies like Packhorse, Sherpa etc. And ask them questions like is the accommodation on the path, do they have good drying rooms etc.
·         Multiples of two work best. Accommodation handles couples or pairs best. We had five in our group which created hassles with accommodation and with transport. Only a few B and B’s had vehicles that could carry us all at one time.
·         This is not an exhaustive list, just some random thoughts that have emerged.
Offas Dyke Observations
·         A great walk, highly recommended, that is easy to follow, and requires minimal navigational skills.

The best finish

·         Offas Dyke has probably the best finish of any trail I have walked on, presuming you’re going south to north.
·         Harvey Maps are good, as with C2C, and we found we had little use of the guide books we bought.
·         Don’t buy any maps or guide books-we have them all.
·         Accommodation was generally good, varying from B and B to pubs. The pubs were more interesting as that’s where you meet the locals.
·         Accommodation is not always on the path, especially if you are part of a larger group. There is less accommodation on Offas Dyke than C2C so options are less.

Offas Dyke Information Centre, Knighton

·         Baggage transfer is by the B & B or pub owners, unlike the C2C. There are no commercial baggage transfer companies that we heard of, so if you plan to arrange your own accommodation, check about baggage etc.
·         The only place that has any Offas Dyke memorabilia, like T-shirts or pack badges, is in Knighton at the Offas Dyke Information Centre, naturally. There is nothing at Prestatyn, even though some maps suggest a centre there.
·         The local shop in Longtown has Vegemite!
·         The pub food in Wales/England is much the same as for C2C except they don’t have salmon.
·         Be prepared to deal with cattle, of all shapes and sizes, and some may not be all that friendly.

There is probably more, however, this is enough! Happy walking.

Home at Last

The time has come to attack the Boarding Lounge. It seems that just about everyone has the same idea, and there are only two security scanners at work.
It takes ages to get us into the lounge.
Luckily they call the rows in correct order so actual boarding is pretty quick.
This time I have the seats I picked when booking the flight.
Port side, aisle seat.
For a while it looks like I may have the two seats to myself, however that was not to be.
A nice guy from Adelaide takes the window seat. He's been to the UK to take his mother's ashes home and on the way back went to Angkor Wat.
We talk a bit until takeoff.

Home!

The meal for the night comes round, I don't partake.
It's then on with the eye shades and try and get some sleep.
At least I don't have the restless legs this time.
I don't think I sleep, yet sometimes I think I may have been dropping off, as I note the engine noise drops a decibel or two, but of course that just wakes me up.
Finally, I look at my watch and it's 5.30AM, just two hours out, and we can start to see the sunrise.
Breakfast comes around, it is really just a snack, however is OK, as I'll be home soon.
Then we break out through the clouds, over Modbury.
Adelaide looks green still!
We're down just on 7.30 AM, with the usual crowd impatience (Flytience) to get off.
On the immigration form I have ticked the "Have you been on a farm box", so I know I will be delayed as they'll want to inspect my boots.
At immigration, they seem slow, and those who have used the new passport scanners are getting through faster.
Nevertheless, the baggage hasn't even started coming off yet. I am a bit concerned, as I didn't check at Singapore to make sure my bag had been transferred from BA to Qantas.
I had been told to, however somewhere along the way I have lost my baggage ticket, and I was embarrassed.
The carousel starts up, and lo and behold, my bag is third off. It's quickly retrieved and I am the first through Customs. They glance at my form, ask some questions about my boots and direct me to Channel E.
This is where I'll have to unload my pack.
No, it to be sniffed by  the dog and I'm out.
As I leave I notice the carousel has stopped and no more luggage is coming off.
Am I lucky or what?

The Way Home

London Day 5 pictures
Our last day and it's really a day to tidy up some loose ends, pack our bags and head home.
Margaret started packing last night and isn't finished.
I reckon I can pack in about 5 minutes and achieve this easily, just after breakfast.
We then put our bags in the YHA storage and all head off in different directions.
I want to have another longer look at the Science Museum, Eve wants to go shopping and Margaret is off to St. Pauls.
My walk takes just on an hour, back up through Picadilly, past the Palace, sort of, and finally to the museum.

Apollo 10 Capsule

It is still shut when I arrive, however opens after 5 mins. It's a mad rush to see it all, and that is really an impossible task.
Too much to see and too little time.
It's all overwhelming really.
 Lots and lots of very interesting stull covering all sorts of scientific endeavour.
It's then another long walk back to the British Museum to meet Eve at lunchtime.

Does this marble make my.....

A quick lunch then a run around the Museum, mostly just time to cover the Greek and Roman sections.
Again too much and feet by this time too sore.
I think I walked about 12 kilometres today.
We all meet up back at the YHA, release our bags from storage and order a cab to take us to Paddington Railway Station.

Harrods

We are joined for the trip by a Brazilian Gastroenterologist we got to know at the YHA.
We all get into a six seater cab, and the driver persuades us to have him take us to Heathrow, which he does. We get to see parts of London that we wouldn't have normally seen.
Check in is not that easy as we are travelling on Qantas using British Airways codeshare flight.
Eve is whisked away, with her Qantas Chairman's Lounge Card, and I don't see her again.
I think I hear her say "But I have to wait for my friend." though I can't be sure.
Anyway, they have no seat for me, and when they find one, I don't get my preferred aisle seat.
I complain and am quickly told most people book their seats on line in the 24 hours prior to the flight. My explanation, that I tried and the system wouldn't let me fall on deaf ears, so some poor bastard will have to get up every time I have to have a pee.
So much for being Qantas Club member, I guess carries no weight.
I do find the Qantas Lounge, however Eve is not here, she has been taken to a loftier lounge, she tells me when we make contact by phone.
She is hoping to be upgraded of course. Don't we all, but most of us in vain.
The Qantas lounge is OK, particularly if you want to get pissed.
It's basically an alcoholics dream-you want it, it's here.
I stick to orange juice and coffee, says he righteously. I tend to fly alcohol free.
I head off to find the boarding gate, about 45 mins prior to departure to find they are boarding.
It looks like a full flight. It is!
I am down the back between a tall middle aged man on his way home to Perth, and an older lady from UK on her way to visit relatives in Perth.
The seat isn't as bad as I had imagined and there is more leg room than I recall.
I don't sleep nevertheless, or if I do it is in spasms. Some nights I get restless legs, and this was one of them.
I would get comfortable, then just HAVE to move my legs. And so it went on.
Singapore arrives after 12 hours and we are served breakfast-it is 5.30PM in Singapore!
We unload and I go on a race around the Duty Free.
See nothing I want to head for the Qantas Lounge to link up with Eve.

YHA Computers down!

She's not there, so I call her.
She has missed her plane and is still in London!
Seems she read her boarding time of 2030 as 10.30PM and really missed it. She is trying to sort this out.
Meanwhile I have a shower in the Qantas Lounge and just wait.
The final episode tomorrow when I get home.