I’m sitting in the bedroom at our bed and breakfast in St Bees the night before I set off to walk Wainwrights Coast to Coast walk for the second time. Wainwrights popular long distance walk goes from St Bees on the Irish Sea to Robin Hoods Bay on the North Sea, covering three National Parks and about 190 miles of some of the finest walking country in England. Twenty six years ago I was sat, not ten yards away from where I am now, in the building next door (now no longer a B&B but a private house) about to walk the Coast to Coast for the first time, with my mate Gary. Now, twenty six years later I am about to walk it again, this time with my daughter Gwen.
I give myself some time to reflect a while on the intervening twenty six years, the twists and turns of life as it is lived out day by day, unable to see the path ahead but always able to reflect on where you have been. Very much like long distance walking in fact. Churchill said “those who don’t learn from the past are condemned to repeat it” he was of course talking about the great events of history but applied to hill walking it might go something like “remember to take your over trousers this time because you got soaked last time”. And this time I have my over trousers. Time waits for no man and there have been births, deaths and marriages for both Gary and I over these last twenty six years. But, the past is history as they say and now, I am on the brink of completing that journey again and forging new memories, this time with my own flesh and blood for company.
