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Jean, the 2 Joans and Arnold crossed Morecambe Bay in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care, in the company of around 300 others! Lovely weather made it a day to remember.
We were bussed from Kents Bank Railway Station to Arnside, where a band - Nottingham Music School - turned out to greet us, and a special railway engine, The Duke of Gloucester, crossed the viaduct just before we set off. This was all a coincidence, we think, but it did give the occasion a carnival atmosphere.
At Arnside Pier we met Cedric Robinson MBE, the 77 year old Queen's Guide to the Sands. He is every bit as pleasant and unassuming as he sounds in his recent autobiography - Sandman.
Unlike Rossendale Ramblers, Cedric's walks do not include a 'sweeper', nor does he count everyone in and out, but he insists that he has not lost anyone yet! (How does he know??) We walked on the shore around White Creek Bay, then through New Barns caravan park and thence to the coast for a bit of refreshment and some filming, as the walk will be featured on the BBC Inside Out programme sometime in October.
We then set off across the bay, many in bare feet, Jean & Joan B in Crocs, and Arnold - stupidly - in old trainers with no socks. We had first to cross an arm of the Irish Sea, shortly followed by a crossing of the River Kent - up to one's knees, but lovely and warm. We had to cross in a broad line between markers set out by Cedric the day before, to avoid quicksand. He was very strict on this point, which is probably why he hasn't lost anyone so far!
Although for most of the time we seemed to be heading for Heysham Power Station, eventually we swung around and headed back towards Kents Bank, across the grass and up and down a few ditches en-route.
At the finish we had the opportunity to examine our injuries, shake Cedric's hand, and collect our certificate of achievement, before having a cuppa and an ice cream in the rather nice Abbott's Hall Hotel near Kents Bank Station.
All in all, a great day, for a worthwhile cause. Highly recommended.
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