As we are based in Grimsby we’ve had a good look round and oh dear………Grimbarians have a lot to put up with. There are apparently a few historic buildings, but the only one we see houses Wetherspoons – the rest of the town centre consists of empty boarded up shops and unloved public space. I had previously surmised that the Vikings had named the town “grim” meaning “ugly” and “by” meaning “town” but it was of course another era. Google has another theory: “The name Grímr is common across the Scandinavian world and recorded several times throughout Lincolnshire in the Domesday Book. According to legend, Grimsby was founded by a Danish fisherman called Grim. In Old Norse, ‘by’ means village.” I still prefer my own theory……………………

The planning of this walk was as arduous as the walk itself, the two challenges being the enormous expanse of Immingham and Grimsby Docks. Trying to keep as close to the coast as possible is problematic when both of these areas do not take kindly to unauthorised visitors on foot. We did our best…….

I will not bore you with the logistics of getting back to Saltfleet, so let’s just say the whole process was trying and expensive but here we are, dropped off in front of the horrible pub we ended up in some days ago.

Horseshoe Point is perhaps not an obvious choice for the start of a walk – a small carpark facing the marshes. It is however roughly ten miles south of Cleethorpes, our final destination.

Behind the backs of a row of beach huts we find two large carparks with no indication of where or how much to pay. Damian asks someone just getting into his car if he knows anything. The man in question laughs and says “Yes you’d think there would be a board wouldn’t you? It’s National Trust property and my wife works for them, but as yet she’s not been able to get them to put up a simple sign – in the meantime you need to go and pay in the cafe up on the promenade” Damian goes up to pay and is not given any ticket or sticker to put on the car. Weird…………..

Starting at Skegness Pier I am expecting this to be an uncomplicated walk up the coast passing more than enough holiday resorts along the way. I was right…

Oh when will they stop these Lincolnshire dykes? I see them in my dreams.

Waiting in the bus station at Skegness at half past eight in the morning I am wondering whether I should have brought my gloves. A couple of hours later I’m wishing I had some sturdy sandals to walk in.

We are delighted to see a blue sky today – the first one for four days. Small puffy clouds float lazily across the sky and what’s more important, there is hardly any wind.