It is again the Patrington Pumping Station that calls the shots, forcing us inland towards the end of the walk, but as it turns out the deviation is more than acceptable.

Our arrival in Kilnsea attracts the attention of the owner of a camping van, tucked away in the corner of the carpark – he walks over to get a closer look so I wait patiently while he and Damian talk cars.

We then head off right, up the road, looking for a left turn which will take us back to the shoreline. And here it is – a couple of horse riders are also going our way.

The tide is right out this morning revealing the endless expanse of sand and mud – difficult to capture with the camera but there are people out there digging for something, They leave only footprints.

The first part of the walk along the shore is not particularly pleasant as the path is strewn with plastic debris washed up from goodness knows where. Shampoo bottles from Germany and Latvia, one discarded flip flop, and chunks of polystyrene, which the Danes call rather poetically “flamingo”.

Strangely, this display of inconsiderate rubbish disposal suddenly stops, almost as if someone has been busy clearing up and then given up. About three miles on, just opposite a decaying concrete breakwater, the path is closed.

We turn off right but very soon we are diverted back to the coast on a brand spanking new gravel path which continues along the edge of the marsh and a long way into the distance.

New bird hides have been built and the whole area seems to be undergoing a serious re-landscaping.

We stop to sit on the bank outside this one for sandwiches and coffee.

Soon we can see the silhouette of Patrington Pumping Station in the distance and it’s time to turn inland, also down a completely new tarmac path. At the foot of the bank we meet a local walker coming towards us and we stop to ask him about the path ahead (you never know). He has no idea where the path leads to after the tarmac finishes, as it was at that point he turned back. We decide to carry on and after a bit of wandering around, we do manage to find a narrow grassy path, which winds its way through farmland until it hits the minor road to Patrington Haven and Patrington. The path has not been used for a long time so there is a bit of swatting undergrowth, but it is very peaceful.

We have some time to fill when we reach Patrington, so we decide to take a look at the church which is of course locked. Such a pity we have to guard churches against vandalism – goes against the whole ethos of a church being a place of refuge.

We sit in the sun next to a tree carving of St, Patrick……..

This is what it looked like when it was freshly carved. There are more scattered about in the grounds of the church but it is time to go now and start organising our trip back to London. ……………….https://www.stpatrickspatrington.org.uk/photos/gallery.php?id=6

Obviously not organised enough as we later discover we have left our walking boots in the BnB!

Distance: 10 miles