With only ten miles to cover and all day to do it in, we could afford to linger over breakfast and take our time getting started. To continue the relative sense of luxury we had from staying in the Snowy Owl we splashed out on a taxi to get us back to the bus station in Blyth where we had finished up yesterday.
Despite a restful night and an opportunity for extended first aid to my feet, I was still in considerable discomfort when walking and this meant another heavy day for Joanna with the rucksack, albeit I was able to take it for short periods to give her a break. Our journey today is relatively straightforward as it sticks mainly to the coast passing through the towns of Seaton Sluice, Whitley Bay and North Shields.
On the quayside at Blyth it takes the form of ‘The Spirit of the Staithes’ (Simon Packard 2003), comprising a series of polished stainless steel panels that merge to create an image of a train pulling coal trucks. Coal staithes were wooden piers with rails, which were built out over a river to enable coal wagons to deliver coal directly into the holds of colliers (bulk cargo ships specifically built to carry coal). The sculpture celebrates the coal mining tradition in the Blyth area, including at Blyth power station, which was a huge user of coal in its day and, its current ambition to be a provider of energy from alternative sources.