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With renewed energy I start this new day. I’m looking forward to a challenging and exciting cliff walk to Staithes. Coming down from Saltburn town to sea level, the England Coast Path is joined by the Cleveland Way. Right from the start it’s a steep climb up to about 150 metres. On a very muddy path. This turns out to be the theme of the day.

Today I have to leave my wonderful B&B in Hartlepool. With pain in my heart, because it was such a nice, warm, welcoming place. I decide not to walk along the river Tees, because of all the heavy industry and only paved paths probably, which is bad for my foot. So I go by train back to the coast path at the coastal town of Redcar.

Hartlepool is a lovely town with distinct Dutch influences, which struck me immediately when I arrived here on Friday. The buildings of the Royal Navy Museum could have been relocated houses from Amsterdam, Delft or Leiden.

I start off on the wrong foot thinking it’s a little less cold than yesterday, so I don’t put on my extra legging, underneath my trousers. That’s a misjudgment because it’s even colder. Many roads and paths are still covered with a thin layer of white frost, which gives it a beautiful, but also slippy look. Apart from that, I miss bus 23 to Easington (long story), so I take bus 24 to Horden to start the coast path from there. Well that’s the plan anyway.

Just before sunrise, during rush hour I’m back on the road. First I have to make my way through the more deprived areas and industrial estates of Sunderland. The council made an effort to create a pretty look along the river banks, but up here in the southern part of the city it’s a very bleak picture. Fortunately I have to keep my eyes peeled to the ground, because most pavements have become ice tracks and I also have to slalom around many dog poo heaps. But I don’t pay enough attention to the ECP signs and so I miss one.

Have you ever been in a Hotel or Inn where you were all on your own, no one else around, just you. It’s very uncanny and not normal is it? It is what I experienced this morning. Yesterday I ordered breakfast to have this morning at 8.30. But when I come down this morning, there’ s nobody there, anywhere. Not in the restaurant (which is locked), not in the bar, not in the lobby.