Log No 176. Tue 12th Nov 2013 - Workington to Sellafield, 23 miles (2701 miles walked)

Today's target was at least 17 miles as far as St Bees and possibly 23 miles to Sellafield.

It looked like being a good day with clear skies but there was a strong wind as I set off at 08.10.

I went to the point at the end of the river and then onto the footpath on the hill along the coast, on the map this went towards a steel works so I wasn't sure how far I could go.

I got talking to an old chap, Colin, out with his dog, I asked him if he knew whether the path went back to the road, he said it did and he was going that way so we walked together. It turned out he had Flett ancestors from Orkney but he didn't know much about them.

The path did come out onto a road but I had to take a detour to get across the railway line.

A footpath followed the side of the railway into Harrington then a track and minor road got me to Parton. From there a cycleway ran alongside the railway into Whitehaven.

Going round the marina I climbed some steep steps to get up onto the hill and the start of a good cliff top walk.

There were some ruins just outside the town of buildings from Saltom Pit.

This was England's first undersea coal mine and operated from 1729-1848.

This was an excellent cliff top walk, a plaque said this was the first section of the Cumbria Coastal Way to be opened in 1985.

It was easy walking on the well trodden path.

It seems a long while since I last had a really good coastal section to walk, unfortunately this was going to end at St Bees.

There was just the one stream requiring a descent and ascent at St Bees Head itself, apart from that there were no steep gradients.

For the time of year there were quite a few people about on the beach at St Bees and I had my third stop of the day to finish of my lunch.

I was ready to go again at 13.55.

The trains through Sellafield were every hour to 15.51 and the one after that was 17.39. I had just under 2 hours to do just over 6 miles to make the 15.51 train, which would be pushing it even if the terrain was good.

With 2 other stations between St Bees and Sellafield I wasn't unduly concerned if I didn't get as far as Sellafield but when I checked the timetable I discovered that the 15.51 didn't stop at these 2 stations. Time to panic or at least get my skates on, I was really going to have to shift.

From St Bees it was minor roads to Braystones then I had to find a way over the railway line onto the shore.

I wasted a fair few minutes trying to find the footpath shown going through the chalet park before backtracking towards Braystones staion to find a way over.

Luckily there was a rough track right alongside the railway but time was running out so I ran quite a bit of this final 2 miles.

At Sellafield I was going to have to cross a river, the map showed a bridge right by the station so I hoped it would still be there and accessible, it was, what a relief as I joined the mass of workers from Sellafield waiting to catch the train, 10 minutes to spare.

Yesterday the bus fare for the 19 miles I did was £8.50, today's 23 miles only cost £4.60 on the train.

A good days walk.