Queen’s Guide to the Sands
Henry VIII appointed the 1st Guide to the Sands in 1548 to reduce the fatalities on the bay, as crossing over the sands was quicker than using the roads.
The guide could be seen as he would always ride a white horse to guide carriages across the sands.
After more than half a century, the most recent Queen’s Guide to the Sands, Cedric Robinson MBE retired.
In that time, he has taken people such as Prince Philip and Melvyn Bragg and thousands of others across the sands, raising thousands of pounds for charity.
Starting in 1963, Mr Robinson has witnessed huge changes in the landscape and explains that the Morecambe Bay sands are more treacherous now than they have been in a lifetime.
For almost twenty-five years, he led walks from Hest Bank and across the sands to Grange.
Due to the changing sands, the River Kent crossing is now not as good due to the river running deep. Again, in the future, the sands may change for the better.
Before the walk, the Guide walks the route, marking out the safest path and the river crossing to take.
Laurel branches are used as markers and put well down into the sand.
The first river to cross on the walk is the Keer that runs out from Carnforth.
After crossing a few dykes the next River to cross is the much deeper Kent, which flows into the bay after passing through Kendal.
The walks usually take around 3 hours before coming ashore at Kents Bank.
Cedric Robinson’s successor, Michael Wilson, a Flookburgh fisherman, continues an unbroken succession of guides spanning 470 years between the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the present day.
November 2021
In November 2021, Cedric Robinson MBE sadly passed away at home in his 700-year-old grace and favour farmhouse in Kents Bank on November 19th, aged 88.
He was born in Flookburgh in 1933 and had a lifelong love of The Bay and horses.
He had very little in the way of material possessions, but he led a rich life.
Cedric’s life changed when he met Olive (a former Miss Leeds and Miss Yorkshire), who was a widow bringing up three sons and a daughter on her own.
The couple fell in love, and he gladly took on her four children. They were delighted when daughter Jean came along a few years later.
If you are looking for a holiday rental near Kents Bank, Grange-over-Sands, Lothlorien is an ideal base for a cross-bay walk.
Where to stay for a cross-bay walk
Book directly with us by ringing 07785944194 or Enquire Here.