Day 1 - Getting to Settle

Distance Walked: 8km, Time Taken: Didn't keep track, # Beers: 1/2 pint of porter

Today I left London to head north to Yorkshire in preparation for walking from coast to coast.  I'm taking my own sweet time getting to the starting point of St Bees.  The quick way to get there is, in theory, to take the Avanti West Coast line (UK train services are privatised) from London to Carlisle.  However, Avanti has a dire reputation for random cancellations, including partway through a journey leaving passengers stranded.  They swear that was all due to post-COVID staffing issues and they are all better now, cross their hearts and hope to die.  I didn't trust them and am headed up the centre of England on an LNER train to Leeds and from there across to Settle.  From here I'll take the scenic Settle-Carlisle line through the Yorkshire Dales later on this week.  I know it is going to be scenic because they told me so.

The forecast for Settle today was for heavy rain and strong winds.  However, your prayers are still working because when I arrived here around 2:30pm the rain clouds had all been blown away.  There was still a bitterly cold wind, but it was actually sunny.  Tomorrow, there is supposed to be light rain and moderate breezes.  That's OK.  It means if it does rain, at least it won't come at you horizontally.

I started my morning with my first full(-ish) English breakfast.  Start as I mean to go on.  I say full-ish rather than full, as I just had scrambled eggs, bacon, mushrooms and fried tomatoes - no fried bread, black pudding, sausages or baked beans, and only small helpings.  This was all washed down with two cups of suprisingly decent coffee.  I checked out of the hotel, impressed with my restraint.  However, I'd bought a 1st class ticket for the train journey to Leeds and this included a meal.  Ignoring all the lessons I'd just had in not over-eating I had second breakfast on the train, since they offered.  I had (artisinal) crumpets with plenty of butter.  They were suprisingly good.  They would have been perfect with a little vegemite.  Who would have thought you could get decent food on a train.

I got to my B&B here in Settle (the King William the Fourth Guest House) around 2:30pm but check-in wasn't until 4:30pm.   I opted to spend some time having "lunch" at a cafe in the main square.  This was full of retirees (like me) in hiking gear (like me).  Settle is on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales national park and is obviously a popular stop for hikers.  I had two more cups of coffee, with cream (because it was offered), which again was decent.  I also had an Yorkshire curd tart, which was just a baked cheesecake with currants in it.  It would have been perfect with candied peel instead of the currants.

After lunch (I suppose it could be called that) I went for an amble around town.  The principal shops here are either outdoor gear shops, op shops, antique shops, cafes and pubs.  The only purpose for this town these days seems to be to provide for tourists (retiree tourists?).  When I finally got checked in my landlady warned me not to try to dine too late as some pubs stop serving at 8pm and others at 9pm.  I told her this wouldn't be a problem as my body clock thinks it is 3am and just wants to go to sleep.

There is one Italian restaurant in town that I had very much wanted to try - just for the experience. It is called Rosa & Matteo's but there is no Rosa, only Matteo.  It is strictly a one man band.  He does everything.  He is the chef, waiter, bus boy and maitre d'.  The food is, apparently, good but the service, understandably, can be rather slow.  Sadly, his restaurant is only open from Thursday to Sunday so I'll miss out.

I had an early dinner at the Talbot Arms.  It was a good thing I went early, as when I arrived, almost all the tables were either taken or reserved.  I snaffled one of the last few that were free.  I had the steak and ale pie, which came with steamed carrots, peas and chips.  This is a meal I can see will feature heavily in my life over the next few weeks.  It was all Harmless.  It would have rated more highly but the pie wasn't really a pie so much as a ramekin full of stew topped with a puck of puff pastry.

I did manage to stay awake until 9pm last night (almost - lights out at 8:50pm).  I slept through until 7am.  I would have slept for longer but my room was in the basement.  While there are no longer live in servants, the hotel staff use rooms in the basement and they arrived at 7am.  They were a disgustingly chatty bunch for that hour of the morning.  I'll aim to stay awake until 10pm tonight.