Contact — Penelope Janu

Nurofen, blisters and rashes

In respect to things you may need to know about the medical consequences of walking across England, I’ll focus on three members of our party, Tea Bag, Sherbet Lemon, and Butterscotch Keeper.

Tea Bag: The good news is that, after a 35.5km hike today, all that hurts are Tea Bag's feet and left shin (and her knee, but only when she bends it). I attach a photo of her pre-dinner cocktail.

Sherbet Lemon: Things were looking up for Sherbet Lemon today. Four days ago he tumbled down the stairs while carrying a suitcase and skinned his side. Two days ago he banged his head on a low beam in the bedroom while making his way to the bathroom (head wound). Shortly afterwards, he fell asleep in bed while reading his laptop. The laptop fell on his mouth (fat lip). He also has a blister at the back of his heel that’s as large as a sixth toe. Today he has a heat rash. But this little malady is nothing compared to…

The Butterscotch Keeper. The Keeper has a stride that is twice as long as most other walkers. He glides over bogs like a bog dweller (he’s almost as fast as The Queen of the Bog). He crosses rivers (almost as well as Gollum). He strides up hills in a purposeful (Darcyish) manner. But today (to the delight of the rest of us) he developed a rash. A crimson shiny tide of dots, stains his calves and thighs. But he walks on…

The Route:

Today was a Wainwright route where it was impossible to avoid roads, so we spent quite a lot of time on them. Most were country laneways however so not too bad. We walked through barley and wheat fields as well. There weren’t any hills, and the properties were much larger than those in the dales. At first I thought the cow in the image below was called Lotte (Charlotte - how delightful!). It was later pointed out to me that her tag, in fact, said 'Lot.'

Cows at the gate on the way to Ingleby Arncliffe

Signage (the Coast to Coast sign led around a corner)

Our night’s accommodation at Ingleby Arncliffe is at the foot of the Cleveland Hills, a range of mountains that runs from North to South. When we get to the pinnacles we should be able to view the North Sea (another three days of hiking away). According to Wainwright, 'only a genius could get lost in the Cleveland Hills.' We shall see!

And speaking of signage. I spoke to someone on a guided tour today and she said, 'I just follow the leader.' There is a difference of opinion from many hikers. Some want no signs at all. At the beginning of the walk I would have believed them to be demented. But now…. it is fun to navigate! (or to watch those who navigate while some in our party search for little yellow dots or camouflaged signs or (and lets face it, this is a woman thing) ask for directions - which will then be scrupulously checked for accuracy by our navigators).

So a combination of an occasional sign and a series of guidebooks is a wonderful compromise. I would not want to 'follow the leader' (particularly over a bog). The sight of The Water Tank (finding his own way) stuck thigh deep in a bog has been a highlight of our walk!

Penultimately…..we walked through a field today and were unable to identify the bean like crop. We did identify the thistle. Incidentally, is thistle a weed, or not?

If anyone can identify the crop, please let me know.

Finally…what type of horse is in the photo below? It was like a mini shire horse with regard to mane and feathers, but much much smaller. All the horses in the herd were brown and white. You can comment at the end of this post!