Well Greg and I have returned to our respective homes in Winnipeg and Toronto (still feels weird for me to be saying this given my 60 year Winnipeg roots).
Greg, given his IT System background, thought a final wrap up lessons learned blogpost was required…oh what fond memories of sitting through many such soul searching lessons working on IT projects from the Business side 😏!
My last blogpost was completed with the nightmare traveling arrangements back to London Gatwick airport as the final step…how did it go? Was it really that bad?
It was in a word terrible...worse than I could have imagined 😢 however upon reflection pretty darn funny 😆
After throwing our rocks in the North Sea I had to light a fire under Greg…he was desperately looking for the following sign.
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| Ben and Jason |
We had to check in to our B&B…take showers…rearrange all our bags…find out about bus schedules to Middlesbrough…and ahem do a little blogging 😀. Claire the owner of Lee-Side B&B was ever so helpful with bus schedules…"last one leaves just after 7:00pm…also one at 6:45pm which I would recommend taking". It’s now past 5:00pm and I feel some discomfort (mild panic) setting in.
The Journey Back
Warp speed for everything…hustle like crazy…phew get to bus stop by 6:20pm…ah perfect timing! Bus rolls in... pay 2 GBP and off we go for an ultra boring 1.5 hour bus ride…stopping everywhere for drop-offs/pickups to Middlesbrough where the real fun starts. It’s now around 8:15pm…
Everything is shut down and locked up in the Middlesbrough bus terminal…EVERYTHING…no food…no information about where to catch our 11:50pm bus…no WC 🚽. The latter is a major problem! I am old!
Along comes a roly poly security guard…he stops noting the “look of utter disbelief” on my face…which comes naturally and something I am well known for and very good at…and asks “can I help you?” Well glory be…sure where is a WC to start. “No problem…just go out that door over yonder…take a right…walk a ways and you will see Club X…enter and voila.”
It’s dark outside…I am sure I will get lost...everything looks a little (lot) seedy around here and I am about to enter Club X which is sure to be some kind of weird sex cult type of club. Deep breath and off I go...turns out Club X is an immense neon lit Arcade with zillions of machines and a bowling alley 🤣.
Somehow we manage to find or way back to the Middlesbrough Bus terminal...forgot to mention Greg accompanied me to Club X as a bodyguard and route finder...and we again meet our friendly security guard who has now become my BFF. He directs us to the upstairs waiting area where MegaBus (yes actual name!) will be arriving...I ask “Anywhere around here where we can eat?”...keep in mind this should be a no brainer for our rather rotund security guard. “I dunno...there must something around here?”
Back to Club X where I ask the female security guard this same question and she mentions the Buffet place just down the street. Well pay your 20 GBP and geez more food there than you can imagine...so we overeat (likely why I gained 5 pounds after walking 320 kms like a a crazy demented person...or was it the cider/beer, English breakfasts, Mars bars etc etc?) relax a bit before returning to said Middlesbrough bus station.
It is now shortly after 10:00pm and we go upstairs to wait for our bus with the many many other folks who have the same bright idea of taking an overnight 10 hour bus ride to Heathrow Airport.
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| Greg with the many other waiting ghost passengers chatting away |
Shortly thereafter our Security Guard friend strolls by “Letting you know the MegaBus will NOT be stopping by the bus terminal...will stop down the road instead”. Look on my face must have been priceless “What the h*ll is happening...is this not a Bus Terminal...why would the bus not stop at the Bus Terminal?” My new friend “Don’t worry I will let you know when/where to go...it’s not that far”.
I don’t remember or choose not to remember what I said to Greg at this point about his brilliant plan to take the 11:50pm overnight bus 😳. 11:00pm rolls around and my BFF security guard pops by to let us know the Bus Terminal is shutting down shortly and we are to leave for the British Broadcasting building where MegaBus will arrive...failing to leave will result in our being locked up in the Bus terminal overnight.
I am now in a living real time Monty Python sketch...John Cleese has always been my favourite comedian and here I am playing him. How can this possibly be happening? The world has officially gone crazy!
Ok we are directed to the British Broadcasting location...however before getting there we meet a group of 6-8 young women streaming out of Club X feeling more than a little joyous. One of them seeing Greg pulling his wheelie suitcase says “Hey you can I have a ride on your wheelie thing there?” Oh my that was funny...I think this is why Greg has been sprint training all these years as he just sped off not wanting to know anything more about what the young woman was looking for.🤣
...And we are now waiting outside...no longer in a sheltered Bus station...next door to a very raucous Bible Church meeting where there is a very very loud revival type meeting taking place. I have to admire the faith and stamina of the woman leading the 5 person congregation...the trance like singing, shouting, and dancing was something to behold for well over the hour and a half we were there.
Oh the MegaBus was delayed to 12:35pm or so...no WC around...a new problem. So off I go to find Club X...no question in my mind I am about to get mugged and likely die...why now after all we went through walking on Days 3/4? Club X is closed however I note that some seedy Bar is open and ask the Security guard slumped over in the doorway about WC...”no problem just go through those people over there”. Those people are in the middle of some kind of weird crazy Karaoke type session...moving arms and legs this way and that...somehow I make it though the crowd unscathed...now back outside waiting for MegaBus.
We meet a couple of fellows from India...in Middlesbrough... here for deep sea oil drilling training which is their specialty. They are also impatiently waiting for a different bus to Heathrow where they had a scheduled mid morning flight (hope they made it)...was fun chatting...they were also somewhat laughing about the ridiculous situation.
Bus finally rolls around...ok not too bad...seats not too cramped however no way hosay am I going to sleep. Maybe got 45 minutes total over 10 hours...thankfully there is a WC on this bus. Weeellll let me tell you about this contraption. Somehow you wedge yourself in...no need to go into detail here...not nice in there at all...give me an outdoor biffy anytime! 😱 The problem though is the bus is moving and you are bouncing around like a pinball in there...the designer of said WC must be a demented madman as there is nothing to hang onto as every plastic surface is round.
Lesson learned: Wait until bus stops at next passenger station and use WC
Finally we arrive at London Heathrow where we must transfer to an Oxford bus for our prepaid trip to Gatwick Airport. Weelllll there are a million people crammed into a postage stamp room with a huge board with a billion possible bus arrivals and departures...all the while simply flashing “stay here until bus bay is announced”. We don’t wait and off we go looking for bus bay.
By this time I am ready to take ANY darn bus that says London Gatwick Airport...I don’t care...tired and close to a mini/major meltdown (note meltdowns occur quickly and tend to dissipate within reasonable period of time...there is nothing logical to them)...no chocolate bar is offered. Greg emphatically states the bus must say LGW on it...fine we wait and it shows up.
Last horror show journey leg...show our ticked to ultra grumpy bus driver “No not my bus...don’t take MegaBus tickets...you have the wrong bus”. Me “Look this ticket says...”. “No you are on the wrong bus”. Three people around us get the same treatment. Now close to a full scale meltdown...Greg has presence of mind to simply ask “Can we just pay?" "Sure 15 GHP per person"...we pay.
I am not even seated and already firing an email to the company where I purchased our bus tickets. Get a quick reply “You have prepaid tickets...mistake has been made”. So I tell Greg that when we arrive I will calmly show bus driver this info and give him a chance to change his ridiculous position...and that’s exactly what I do. Nothing doing so without getting upset I just let him know that this will be pursued...”Go ahead not my problem...your tickets aren’t good for my bus”.
Flurry of emails...booking company quickly agrees to reimburse us for the 30 GHP however their financial wizards require the following:
"In order to refund you for the amount you have paid on board the bus, can you please provide the following information:
Bank Transfer Details
Full name:
Address:
Post code:
Sort code:
Account number:
Bank name:
Bank address:
Amount:
International Bank Transfer Details:
Reservation number:
Account holders full name:
Home address:
Bank Country:
Bank Identification code (BIC) / Swift Code:
IBAN number or account number:
Bank Name:
Bank Address:
Amount:
Right a week earlier I had to lock my credit card due to a phishing scam and I will just email you this confidential information. NO WAY is this going to happen...further emails and finally I receive a...”very sorry this is our policy" response.
Well I am not giving up just yet...we are owed a refund and make one last attempt to right a wrong.
“Hi X,
Both Greg and I are quite dissatisfied that this is the end result. I am sure if you were a visitor to the UK you would be very leery of providing full banking information in an unsecure email exchange. This is certainly not done in Canada…ever.
It is beyond our understanding as to why you could not reimburse the 30 pounds to Greg’s credit card or even mine which was the original payment method.
The exchange with the bus driver…who was quite rude with us and at least 2 or 3 other passengers in exactly the same position as us leaves an unfortunate sour taste.
We will not be pursuing further…the bus company has in the end simply overcharged us…extra profit.
You do however have a significant process problem that needs resolution otherwise this situation will repeat itself over again.
Respectfully
Guy Arbez”
End of saga...Company sees the light and reverses their position on a one time exception only basis...reimburses my credit card...and is pursuing with Oxford bus line to discuss bus driver’s demeanour and lack of knowledge
Lesson learned: Sometimes one must simply persist...stubbornness can be a handy trait...every now and again...we deserved a refund...we received our refund! Similar situation...which was resolved much more promptly with my 40 GBP Smidge refund for non existent midges earlier in the walk.
Lesson Relearned: Carry a second credit card with a low limit and use this as the primary credit card while overseas. This is what I did in my 2013/2014 long walks thus the “relearned”. At this time it would be nice not to have to contact the dozen or so monthly credit card withdrawals. 😅
Final chapter in journey from h*ll...Get to Gatwick Airport and wander over to taxi stand. No one is there...WHAT? We notice a small office where some folks are congregating...it’s where one reserves a taxi. Greg reserves a taxi and is told “No problem sir...it’s about an hours wait”. Come on...tired...starting to be just a tiny little bit of a grumpy Gus. Holy moly...huge airport and we have to wait an hour for a 5-10 minute taxi ride...thankfully after about 15 minutes we get our taxi as others ahead of us in the queue have wandered off.
THE END!
Lesson Learned: One must roll with the punches, embrace change as it comes...it’s all an adventure. Sure...easy to say... saying so was a bit of a stretch 🤣😱 however in the end that is what we had to do and we simply did it.
Mac’s Adventures
We booked with Mac’s Adventures and I highly recommend this company. If you are at all interested in a walking holiday they provide a superb service. They offer many walking options...almost all of them would be hmmm 😉 a little less daunting than what Greg and I did. There are numerous Easy Walking options where one walks/strolls maybe 10 kms a day between villages in countries all over the world. They take care of everything...plan rest days as you would like. It’s an incredible way to see the world at a slow relaxing pace.
Lesson Learned: While Mac’s Adventures has a great smart phone App one should always also review the website as it invariably has additional functionality. In this situation...geez...the online website has a big GPX download button. Sure wish I had known this as this should have allowed me to download the daily GPX files...then upload them using the Wikiloc website and voila Greg and I would have had the additional functionality of Wikiloc. Beep when you stray a short distance from the track, urgent beep when one has lost the trail...very nice beep once one has rejoined the trail. Oie...a missed opportunity!
The Walk
A walk to remember in so many ways. I have admitted the following to very few people... if I had known what we were about to do on Day 3/4 I may well not have had the gumption to walk those days. Maybe I would have followed in the footsteps of 90%+ who bailed and took buses, cabs to skip Day 3. Weather conditions, trail conditions were really really really not good.
However Greg and I decided to venture out and simply start day 3...never in any way thinking about turning back once the first mountain stream had been forded. We just kept plodding along...soaked to the bone...filled our boots 😂 and we were as careful as we could be. Tumbles happened and perhaps we were lucky...I did hear some folks were air lifted on some crag however the end result was fabulous!
Lesson Learned: Not sure what the lesson is here...it was the toughest day walking ever for me. It just happened...we kept our cool...sloshed our way through and all was good.
Statistics
Well you knew I would get here eventually ☺️. My daily blogpost stats got messed up along the way...I corrected the numbers post walk on the online blog...I so enjoyed blogging after walking each day. While blogging is sometimes tiring after a long day it is my way to wrap up the day...enjoy a laugh. However typos, mistakes are inevitable when tired...corrected information is shown below...daily averages in red:
Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Walk
Total Kms walked: 319.4 24.6
Kms per hour: 4.3 kms
Elevation G/L meters: 7,884 / (8,045) 606 / (619)
Now I was intrigued to see the variability through the 3 National Parks on the Coast to Coast walk.
Days 1 - 5 Lake District National Park
Total Kms walked: 106.7 21.3
Kms per hour: 3.7 kms
Elevation G/L meters: 4,150 / (4,040) 830 / (808)
Days 7 - 9 Yorkshire Dales National Park
Total Kms walked: 58.3 19.4
Kms per hour: 4.7 kms
Elevation G/L meters: 1,211 / (1,254) 404 (418)
Days 11 - 13 North York Moors National Park
Total Kms walked: 82.1 27.4
Kms per hour: 4.8 kms
Elevation G/L meters: 1,787 / (1,902) 596 / (634)
Days 6, 10 No National Park
Total Kms walked: 72.3 36.2
Kms per hour: 4.9 kms
Elevation G/L meters: 736 / (849) 368 / (425)
Lesson Learned: Everything is a factor in long distance walking...there isn’t a single easy way to determine in advance how challenging a walk will be. Distances, elevation gains/losses are key metrics...however weather and trail conditions tell the tale. The Lake District National Park days when compared to other days so very clearly shows this.
The Coast to Coast walk...perhaps more so than any other long walk simply reinforces the need to adapt, change and go with the flow (sure including meltdowns as they occur) as situations evolve. As Greg pointed out on the Coast to Coast “If this walk was easy...everyone would be doing it”. We met some fun adventurous folks along the way...like me they are not thrill seekers...just out to do something they enjoy...an adventure! ☺️
Finally Greg...thanks for the company and here is the proof that you were looking for that we did indeed see the sign... We did it!!!
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| Success!!! |
Received a coaster from Greg with a nice message written in the back “Guy, Thanks for a GREAT adventure. A coaster to remember our Coast to Coast Sept 2023”
So I thought what can I possibly get for Greg...Costco delivered this today 🤣.
Final Lesson Learned: Always have chocolate on hand...just in case of...
Paulo and I have set a 2023 year end target for deciding on the 2024 two week Sept walk...somewhere... Paulo I am sure has to review/assess all kinds of local Legal stuff about whatever in various locations. If you ever meet Paulo you would know how far from reality this last statement is 🤣. New adventure awaits!