We left home at 10 am and drove to the airport in Chicago. It didn't escape our notice that we drove in 3 hours about the same distance we would walk in 16 days!
For unexplained reasons the outbound flight to London was delayed over an hour. Finally we boarded what must be the oldest, shabbiest plane in the American Airlines fleet. At least I hope it's the oldest and shabbiest. I can't imagine there could be one that's worse.
Because of the flight delay we missed our connection to Manchester. We were re-booked on the next flight but it still meant we would miss the train scheduled for St. Bees. The worst was yet to come when we arrived in Manchester but our luggage remained in London.
This is a major setback because most of our hiking gear is in that suitcase. Months of careful planning and preparation were for naught because we will hike our first day, one of the longest, without poles, rain gear, first aid and emergency supplies. At least we hope it will only be the first day, but who knows because the baggage agent seemed completely vague and unconcerned about when it might be delivered. All we can do now is hope for the best.
Once we boarded the plane to St. Bees, our positive attitudes returned and we were able to enjoy the scenery. As we made our way up to Carlisle we caught glimpses of the beautiful Lake District where we will walk the first few days.
Then we made the connecting ride back down to St. Bees where the train travelledalong the Irish Sea and the coast where our adventure will begin tomorrow.
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