Day 7 Roker to Dalton Piercy (somewhere near Hartlepool)

Managed to get here, though it took 10 hours, without a map - just had a A to Z with a scale of about 1mm to 1o mile. Aven't a clue how to get to Stockton On Tees tomorrow though.

Day 6 - Whitley Bay to Roker

More like this one please! Got the train across the river Tyne and then a nice easy stretch to Roker, which is on the outskirts of Sunderland and surprisingly nice. Hats off to Tynemouth for also leaving a good impression on me, with its castle, priory and magnificent monument to some local chap (who took place in the battle of Trafalgar and lived to tell the tale). Was glad to leave Whitley Bay in the end, save for “The Fat Ox” pub, it’s all a bit sad really, with rather too many boarded up, and derelict beach front buildings, it looks a bit pitiful to be honest, and is even outshone by South Shields.
I’ve been sat up all night worrying about tomorrow, it’s 22 miles (absolute mimimum), and without a proper map for this part of the journey, I’m probably looking at a disaster here.

Day 5 - Ashington to Whitley Bay

Well, how’s about that then guys and gals! Managed the whole trip of around 15 miles, without walking around in circles, going in the wrong direction for hours on end and staring at the map as if it were a Chinese telephone directory. From Ashington I headed south to Beddlington, east across to Blyth and picked up the coast road down through Seaton Sluice (however you pronounce that) then on to Whitley Bay. The weather was a bit dodgy though and the gorilla had to don his cagoule for an hour or so which was like being sat in a sauna in a duffle coat and wrapped in cling film, - was mightily relieved when the rain ceased a couple of miles from the end. Met up with girlfriend Nikki for a couple of nights R and R, before I head for Roker on Monday.

Day 4 - Lesbury to Ashington

Well, there’s another belter, - I’d written down today’s walk as 13 miles in my little book but somewhere along the line I’d mistaken a 3 for an 8, because this one turned out to be 18 miles. That’s 18 miles minimum, and if I’d have gone down the coast road, you’d have never seen me again. So I had to go directly to Ashington the quickest way which was all the way down the A1068. This meant walking mainly on the grass verge dodging on coming traffic, which was not nice, they simply aren’t designed to be walked on with their thick spongy grass and little pot holes acting as man traps and I stumbled along for mile after mile like a drunken woman in stilettos. The highlight of the day was when I stopped for a banana and to re duct tape me toes.

For the first time I wasn’t panicking about getting lost though so had to amuse myself by talking to no one in particular and singing (my radio packed up 2 days ago).
If you had ever cause to write home, Ashington would not be the cause of it, but the campsite about 2 mile away is excellent, and just as well as I’ve got a day off tomorrow! – might go to Newbiggin-By-The-Sea which is where I should be anyway (I’m about 4 mile from the coast here). Need to do some washing an all – me socks have just had me in a head lock.

Day 3 - Beadnell Bay to Lesbury

After looking at the map I decided that today it would be impossible to get lost as the coast road went all the way to Lesbury, surely even I couldn’t find any woods down there. Anyway, after 10 minutes the path led to the beach and confused the life out of me. I did a detour and ended up down a private road over looking someone’s garden, the somewhat frosty woman put me right and sent me on my way, exactly 10 minutes later I appeared at her garden once more. – What is it with me wanting to walk in circles all the time?! – think I’ll get a check up when I get home as I think that maybe I’ve got one leg longer than the other.
And so another walk that should have been about 4 hours turned out to be 7! – my estimates as to the distances are turning out to be grotesquely inaccurate and the last couple of hours today were pergutory as I battled the blisters incurred after yesterdays fiasco. What I didn’t realize when I planned this was how much more the treading the coastal paths add to journey times, I turn up everywhere late which means I don’t have the strength or the inclination to look round and have a nosey at these places.
The gorilla collected £1:50 in donations today as he came through Craster (another place you’ve never heard of), 3 different couples giving 50p each, add to that the woman from “Brock Mill Farm” giving me a fiver (cos I left before breakfast) and a bacon sarney, and you can see I’m going great guns. Todays comments, - from an elderly chap sat on a wall “Woof Woof” (no, me neither), and a well to do woman who said “We could see you coming towards us and from a distance we thought that maybe you were a Bee Keeper”

Day 2 - Beal To Beadnell Bay

Well that was a laugh, a 16 mile walk that turned out to be a 25 mile mystery tour – and took 9 hours! – but it was a nice day. It was hot alright, and after 10 minutes sweat was pouring off the end of me nose and dripping out of the end of the gorilla mask – via the nostril. From a distance it must have appeared that the old boy was suffering with a heavy cold.
When it appeared that I couldn’t walk along the A1 as originally planned I realized that it was going to be a longer walk than the 16 mile originally planned, I then decided to make the decision to shed the gorilla skin, the distance would now be beyond him, I felt bad about it but there was no way I could carry (or purchase) the water I’d need. He’s a big drinker.
My map reading skills are a joke – though not a very funny one, and I started as I meant to go on by passing the same workmen building a bungalow twice in 45 minutes. I’d actually thought I was getting better but now come to think of it, when I went to the passport office in Liverpool the other day I set off in the opposite direction and ended up in “China Town”. Then, I ended up in thick woodland – for a very long time. As I scrabbled through bracken and bobbed my head up over fences seeking out civilization it struck me that I’d made the right decision about going it alone – the gorilla would probably have ended up with tranquiliser dart up his arse. After about 7 hours I was running low on water and getting a bit edgy I hadn’t seen a single shop since Berwick and the sheer vastness of vegetation becomes un nerving at times like these. When I happened across the village of Bamburgh, the sight of the huge castle gave me a big lift – but not as much as the newsagents across the road – WATER!!! It was only the backpack digging into me aching bones that stopped me from doing a jig around the maypole.

Day 1 - Berwick To Beal

And we're off! - I bounded through the streets of Berwick-Upon-Tweed this morning hoping no one would see me, and though there were a few folk about I was largely ignored - in that marvellous English way, rather as if they woke up every day to the sight of some tosser parading down the high street in a gorilla suit and green hat. (I had originally attached a knotted hanky, but the clouds looked a bit threatening so I plumped for the paddy field job). There was the odd toot of a van's horn as they drove past me, but save for a little girl - "Mummy, what's that?" and a well spoken lady later on on the coastal path - "Excuse me, but can I ask what you're doing?" it was all quite painless really.

It's really remote up here mind and when I located the B and B I noted that there was no road or path leading up to it, just a small stream, and failing to hitch a ride on a Poo Stick, I had to walk all the way round, sticking another couple of miles on the journey. When I arrived there was nobody here, and I hung around for a bit before ringing a number I spied in the porch. "Oh, my wife doesn't get back until 4, just go inside - it's open (not a cat in hell's chance of a burglar finding this place - and the drive is a half a mile long!). After a quick shower, I went out to seek a shop, for I was starving. - No shops, no nothing, just vast, well...nothingness. In the end had a meal in a pub and bought 3 packets of salted nuts for me supper.

I haven't even seen Holy Island which is why I stayed here, by the time I got round to looking for it, it started throwing it down so I bid a hasty retreat and never ventured out again. Tomorow it's the 16 mile trek to Beadnell.