This was always going to be a long day, some 20 miles , going from Hartlepool to Middlesbrough. Hartlepool pool marina was surprisingly good and I got a good view of a lifeboat sitting in the harbour.
I walked then to Seaton Carew giving me good views across the bay to the wind turbines near Redcar. The walk to Middlesbrough was alongside a main road though most of the way the path had been moved away from the traffic.
Chemical and oil based industry was the order of the day and I arrived in Middlesbrough in the shadow of the transporter bridge.
This is very similar to the transporter bridge in Newport, Gwent. Other than the basic design the main similarities are neither of them work and both meant I had to take a big diversion to find a crossing place. After a five mile walk through the industrial estates of Middlesbrough I finally crossed the Tees on , just to confuse matters, the Newport bridge.
Then it was a walk along the Tees past the transporter bridge again then past the Riverside stadium, home of the ’Boro’ to finally reach my hotel.
My hotel gave me a first time experience as they couldn’t find me my room key. Things were a bit chaotic and there was a card board box full of keys, some on fobs, some not. Rather than put me in another room they decided to put me in the same room and bring my keys to me later.
I discovered I was in an apartment with a shared kitchen and bathroom. Luckily I wasn’t sharing with anyone. Upon sitting on the sofa received a sharp dig in the buttock and discovered I was sitting on a large bottle of mould remover spray that someone had thoughtfully tucked away behind the cushion.
The bathroom had no toilet paper, luckily us campers carry our own. Finally the bedroom furniture consisted of two beds. No bedside tables, wardrobes or even bedside lamps.
And I never did get any room keys.😀