ACROSS LAKELAND - A Northern Coast to Coast Walk: From St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay - page 13

Here cross Rottington Beck and the journey has begun, leaving the
beach behind and climbing by a flight of wooden steps alongside the RSPB
St Bees Head Nature Reserve. Height is gained rapidly, and with it, on a
clear day, a widening panorama of far horizons.
To the south, beyond the towers of Sellafield, rise the whaleback sum-
mits of Black Combe and its acolytes, to the east the first tantalising
glimpse of high Lakeland fells, while far out to sea, 50km (30+ miles) dis-
tant, the blue-purple form of the Isle of Man looms hazily from a shimmer-
ing sea.
Still ascending by a prominent path, the walk soon reaches the remains
of a coastguard lookout post, where the suddenness of the drop to the
shore impresses itself noticeably. St Bees Head is formed into two distinct
halves, South Head and North Head, separated by the fissure of Fleswick
Bay, and as the gradient eases, near the top of South Head, the lighthouse
on North Head springs into view.
ST BEES HEAD
The whole of St Bees Head is formed from shales and sandstone, and dates from com-
paratively recent times in the geological evolution of the Lake District, between 135
and 225 million years ago. It is by far the most impressive feature on the Cumbrian
coast, unless one's point of view can accord even greater impressiveness to the nuclear
power plant at Sellafield!
At a stile the path moves away from the clifftop for a short while to follow
the bottom edge of steeply sloping pastures, an easy stroll on flowery turf
beside a fence.
Here, the openness of the view, the wheeling, swooping company of
countless sea birds, and the flitting butterflies, arouse sensations of well-
being and contentment, a perfect mental conditioning for what is to follow
on the journey eastwards.
Along the way a number of protected arenas have been constructed to
facilitate observation of the sea birds, which include gannet, kittiwake, ful-
mar, guillemot, razorbill, puffin and black-backed gulls.
For the moment, however, the route lies northwards, easing downwards
to Fleswick Bay. Out to sea is the Isle of Man, seemingly cruising along,
but going nowhere.
FLESWICK BAY