10^th May 2014

I think I must be clinically insane. Last night I had the opportunity of sleeping in not just one bed, but three! Still rules are rules and thats that.

Well its weird because I'm not playing catch up today and feel quite relieved to be sure.

Last night I was able to take everything out of my bag and repair most things, I was also able to assess the contents, and more importantly my food/ration situation. I have only got 4 main meals left and a couple of noodle sachets. The problem is although the resupplies have been ordered I have been told they could take up to seven days to arrive. Add on to that the three days to organise and forward them on to me means that I need to survive 10 days in total! The next week and a bit could get a little tricky.

With this knowledge I left butlins, had a quick photo op on the giant sun lounger and headed off along the coast towards Cleethorpes. It was spitting a bit and the wind was head on so I put my rain jacket on and simply braved the weather.

I followed the promenade away from Skegness until it ended passing extensive beach repairs all the way. I then had to step down on to the sand, which is hard enough without the wind beating me down as I went. All the time looking at the plants growing wild along route. Eventually I came to a small set of beach huts and couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted a very familiar but illusive plant. Burdock!

I had been looking for this particular plant all the way from Southampton and now I've finally found it. I took out my hunting knife and with it still in its sheaf used it to dig out the root of one of the plants. My plan was to maybe add some nettles and make a lovely burdock and nettle soup thus saving one of my rations. I attached it to my backpack but just as I was about to set off I noticed another familiar leaf . It was that of plantain, you can eat the leaves raw and it would make a great companion to the soup I was going to make so I gathered some leaves up and put them in my pocket. I then continued along the sea front, still looking for goodies to add to the meal I was to have that evening.

After a couple of hours of relentless beating from the wind and the sand getting softer I decided to take a break and saw some houses ahead. I headed for them and noticed a sign saying"cloud cafe" I had to investigate.

This was no ordinary cafe though, oh no!

It didn't server coffee, tea or sandwiches instead it was an odd building with roof terrace that explained how you could predict the weather just from cloud formations. Really interesting stuff! I sat for a while reading the information and deciding whether or not to carry on or to go find a real cafe for a cuppa. After all the sign had started to make me really fancy a hot drink and the wind enforced this desire.

From the top of this odd attraction I was able to gaze down over the town of Anderby creek, a small town just off the beach. Just a few yards away I could see what looked like it could be a beach cafe or bar. Luckily for me it was both 

I headed down to investigate and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Unlike me I ordered a curry and pint of lager figuring I would still make the soup later before bed. I still had a couple of hours of light left and the extra calories wouldn't go amiss. Whilst I was in the beach cafe I startes chatting to the owners and noticed they were also raising money for the rnli. Naturally the topic of the trek came up and I started telling of some of the adventures I had had till now. 
Enter Bob and Al...to be continued!

10^th May 2014

When bob and al turned up at the beach cafe my walking for the day was over. Bob, a talented artist and comedian, was fascinated by my journey so far and the questions flowed. Al, the owner of this great little bar/cafe has the biggest heart of all and made me feel at home at the bar. As a couple of locals walked in for their evening night caps I ended up showing them how to get a fire going using cotton wool, vaseline and a magnesium rob (steel match). Impressed with how quickly and easily I was able to turn a mere spark into fire the evening quickly turned into an educational experience for all four. We discussed navigation by the sun and stars, how to purify water, how to treat blisters and the best ways to handle nettles and treat stings. It was a great evening. Bob also offered to do a characature (not sure how you spell it) of yours truly which I am very much looking forward to seeing sometime. Well before I knew it it was time to close the bar and I was invited to pitch up in the back garden of the cafe.

The following morning I woke late, it had been raining which meant the cloud cafe was wrong about predicting good weather today! Still I'll keep an eye out over the duration of the trek to see how accurate the methods are.

Al treated me to a breakfast and coffee before I set off commenting that at this rate it would take me three years to finish the challenge lol

I hadn't heard anymore about the body that had been washed up on shore the day before and headed off down the beach towards Sutton on sea. Along the way I saw an old red double decker bus, a little out of place by the sea. Usually you see them on the streets of London not parked up by the beach. I had to go take a look so I came up off the hardened wet sand by the shore line across the soft sand and up to the car park. It was a 1965 converted double decker from Edinburgh. The couple that had bought this unique vehicle had lovingly converted it into a mobile home that they took to festivals and events or on occasion simply to the beach with their kids. After we had chatted for a bit and had a glass of orange juice I was sent on my way with some bread rolls.

Thankfully the body had now been removed and was able to continue along the beach without a detour around a crime scene.

I then made it back to the harder sand and back on with the trek. It wasn't long before I spotted two stranded starfish and figured that as I wasn't hungry yet I would rescue them and return them to the sea where they belonged.

I've now arrived at Sutton on sea and have been treated to a coffee at the beach bar. I have been welcomed every where I've been in Lincolnshire and so far thoroughly enjoyed the experience