Day 109 – Speeton to Bridlington

The South Dene provides a good cooked breakfast at 7:30, our cab arrives on time, and the journey back to the Honey Pot includes the shock horror revelation, via the car intercom, that Ernie is in fact around today. We’re slightly delayed in the pub car park by Gary having to make a call regarding some “suspicious activity” on his credit card, but we’re under way at 8:50. The distance to Bridlington by road is only 6 miles but, by the more circuitous coastal path, it’s about 10 miles further. As anticipated yesterday, Ben has decided to take an inland route at least as far as Flamborough Head and, when we split up at Speeton, we arrange to meet at the Flamborough lighthouse. After going alongside some fields, the climb for John, Mike and Gary to the top of Buckton Cliffs is certainly one which Ben would have found tricky at best, although the initial walk along the cliff top itself (known as the Headland Way), whilst distinctly breezy, isn’t too bad. The entire walk today proves to be above some pretty spectacular cliffs and rock formations – to include the section beyond Buckton, namely Bempton Cliffs which is an RSPB reserve and, accordingly, something of a draw for the local twitchers to observe the huge amount of bird life on and around the cliff faces. It is here that John takes coastal purity to a new level by walking out to and around each of the four or five betwitchered observation platforms along the path at Bempton. After leaving the reserve, our lighthouse rendezvous soon comes into view, but the walk around the coast – including the edge of the Flamborough Cliffs golf course – takes almost an hour, so we don’t reach the lighthouse until just after 12, but only 5 minutes later than Ben. We all walk out to Flamborough Head itself and turn south east for the last couple of hours to Bridlington. But although the cliffs aren’t as high as they were earlier today, the path is still close to the edge and, after another 10 minutes or so, Ben returns to the lighthouse to continue along some minor roads. For the rest of us, the immediate impression of the walk in front of us is of a cliff top descending gently towards our destination. However, this impression proves to be deceptive because there are several hidden inlets with descents and ascents needed to cross them at South Landing, Hartendale Gutter and Danes Dyke. But once we’re alongside Bridlington Links golf course, the gentle descent becomes an actuality as we pass Sewerby Hall and Gardens and eventually reach the Bridlington sea front. We finish at the harbour which is conveniently close to Rags but we decide that, for our pre-departure refreshment, it might be more prudent to find a pub closer to the station which is half a mile away. An enquiry of a postman elicits the local knowledge of, and directions to, the Fat Badger. Duly ensconced there, we contact Ben who is just arriving at the harbour and joins us at the pub as we’re ordering our second beer. The station (very traditional – like a small Marylebone) is only 5 minutes away. Ben and Gary, and John, catch a train via Hull to catch connections at Doncaster and Sheffield, while Mike returns to York via Seamer. We reckon that the rest of Yorkshire, together with Lincolnshire and East Anglia, will be a cliff free zone, so hopefully we’ll be able to stay together on future walks at least as far as Kent – and subject, of course, to the not too distant problem of the Humber Bridge…..