Friday, 7 July 2006

Coastwalk

Freiston Shore → Wrangle

[Looking across The Wash from Freiston Shore]

Distance: 5.82 miles
Ascent: 83 metres
Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes

Take no chances
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I left my car at Boston railway station and after two minutes' silence I took a taxi to the start of the walk. The ride was short and I was pleased to not be treated to the xenophobic ranting I've had from previous Lincolnshire drivers. This is a strange place to be today.

On the coast I waved to the man in the '52-reg Astra and twenty paces beyond his car I hear the doors unlock.

"Where you going?" he asked. Then - softening - he explained, "I locked the doors, see. You never can be too careful about these parts. Like you with those cows."

(In the field before the car park I'd taken a wide berth around a herd of cows that were standing on the path.)

"You never can be too careful," he repeated.

In his right hand he held a heavy pair of binoculars. I presume they were there when he was in the car though he could have brought them for extra protection. ("You never can be too careful," he might have said as he swung them in defense.)

My friend looked back towards The Wash. "There's something out there. Wasn't there on Friday. Appeared on Monday," he told me. "Don't know what it is." He's taking no chances.

And as he talked a pair of military aircraft flew past and dropped bombs on the Wainfleet range a mile or so to the north. Someone else taking no chances.

Posted by pab at 17:00 | Comments will be back one day. Please email me instead!