EchoStars: Walking the Coast2Coast for EchoStars

I have just arrived in St Bee's England. A small crofting village on the Solway Firth / Irish Sea. Grant and I are about to begin our trek across England on the famed Wainwright's Coast2Coast walk. We are both in EchoStars city2surf team and thought it would be interesting to share our English jaunt and encourage support for our BrightStars in Dhaka.
The few days since arriving in England were spent driving through the Lake District where we shall be walking and visiting Hadrian's Wall. Of course we managed to visit a magnificent garden 'Hatton in the Forest'; a stately manor home with a large formal garden of herbaceous borders and clipped yews. The prime attraction of this magnificent estate though was the forest arboretum. Conifers and Broad leaves over 200 years old were a delight to wonder through in the woodland setting.

Join our journey as we take this epic trip across England.

Hatton in the Forest was a taste of those grand English Manor Homes that are reminisent of a the grand and glorious life style and wealth of Empire. From my perspective I am sure the gardeners are the soul of this place and through their labours the beauty of a classic English garden was on show for our delight.

The walled garden was set out in a large cross lined with clipped yew hedges and central lawns with the most stunning variety of herbaceous perenialls all just beginning to come into their summer glory. The misty English drizzle lovingly tending them but concerning me that I am to be walking in this cool wet climate for the next three weeks.

Palatial lawns surrouding the walled garden with Espaliered crabapples and Rose towers.

Grant and I enjoyed the forest walk especially with the arboretum collection numbered and named. This is a 300 year old Red Wood. (Secquoia something??? I will add the botanical name later)

This dove cote set in the woodland built in 1729 for meat and eggs in the winter when food was scarse was perfectly preserved. The interiour showed many hundreds of nesting boxes where the birds could hatch. The handmade bricks were so cleaverly constructed to provide the nests - a work of great craftmanship.


We enjoyed a day's drive along Hadrian's wall. Unfortunately the wet weather and our nasty colds kept us close to the car. Her you can see a glimpse of the remaining wall.

Arrived at the starting point here at St Bee's village via rail; a quaint hand made brick station.

St Bee's Priory Church magical wildflower garden.

It is worth visiting St Bee's just to see this Norman Priory Church dating back to 1150. This village church interior was buillt like a mini cathedral and truly awe inspiring. The wooden timber beams of the roof came from the shop wrecks in the bay. The 'St Bee's Man' exhibit in the church shows the incredible archielogical discovery n the 1980's of a 700 year old knight. His lead coffin unearthed in a dig exposing his fully preserved body down to liquid blood in his lungs. We both enjoyed a quiet time of prayer in this sacred space.