Day 118 – Saltfleet to Ingoldmells: 17.6m: 5.8h

Ben and Gary meet Mike at Doncaster station and together join John on his connecting train from Sheffield. We arrive in Cleethorpes around noon and are met by our pipe playing Colin who, despite encountering several over cautious drivers on the way, gets us back to Saltfleet shortly before 12:45. A short stroll from the New Inn (still closed) along a country lane and over a field brings us back to the North Sea, and our afternoon route is one of almost uninterrupted coastal purity along beaches, promenades and grass/sand paths through dunes. The only fly in the ointment is the wind which is diagonally against us and of sufficient strength as to make the walk a bit tiring, particularly when we’re on the beach. Indeed, after a couple of hours, we’re beginning to wonder whether we’ll be able to manage all of the six hours or so required to get us to Ingoldmells, or whether an earlier bale out will be needed. However, things seem to get slightly easier once we’ve arrived at Mablethorpe. This could be due to a marginal drop in the strength of the wind and/or the fact that the second half of the afternoon includes more built up (and, therefore, more sheltered) areas. Certainly, the route through Mablethorpe, Sutton-on-Sea, Anderby Creek and Chapel St Leonards takes us past an almost continuous stretch of large fixed caravan sites. And as we approach Ingoldmells, our pace actually quickens in an attempt (which proves successful) to achieve an average speed for the day of 3mph. We arrive in Ingoldmells shortly after 6:30 and a short walk past a couple of amusement arcades brings us to The Anchor Hotel and Bars. This is essentially a family pub with two huge bars (one containing a stage with a rather worrying area for a DJ and karaoke machine, and the other with a children’s amusement area) and around 30 rooms in an extension at the back. We order our customary beers/ciders and John goes to check in at the reception desk in the extension. It transpires that the reception closes at 7 and doesn’t open again until 9 in the morning which is also the start time for breakfast. Given that we want to leave well before then, payment in advance is required. After sorting ourselves out in our rooms, Gary and Mike have a further pre-supper beer and then move onto the couple of bottles of wine into which John and Ben have started to make inroads. We choose a table as far away from the DJ/karaoke area as we can (only three or four other tables are occupied) and the music isn’t too intrusive. The by now almost standard fish, chips & mushy peas, or ham, egg & chips, are okay – not quite as good as the Kingsway at Cleethorpes, but a lot cheaper. We conclude with a glass of malt and decide that we’re not sufficiently interested in whether Arsenal hold on to their 1-0 lead at Watford (Deeney red carded early doors) to delay bed much beyond 9:30.