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Journal: |
Had breakfast at 7:45am and said goodbye to Andy, who I will see
in two nights time in Bellingham (we are staying in the same B&B),
and Shirley. I left soon after 8:30am on a dreary windy,
cloudy and drizzling morning. Andy and I had spent some time
the previous evening reading maps and guidebooks and had worked out
a way of missing Blenkinsopp Common which seemed to be universally
acknowledged as a wet, boggy and boring part of the Pennine Way.
Instead, we both intended to use the South Tyne Trail for part of
the day which followed a disused rail line. However, Andy had
a few more chores to do in town before he left, and intended to have
a shorter day today, while I intended to have a longer day today and
a shorter day tomorrow so I would reach Bellingham, where I had maps
to pick up from the Post Office, in the early afternoon.
I did, however, follow the Pennine Way for the first 8km and,
although a bit wet underfoot, it passed through some pretty rural
and moorland scenery and close to the grassed ramparts of an old
Roman hill fort at Whitley Castle before following the River South
Tyne into the tiny village of Slaggyford. It was still raining
and quite windy. After a break, huddled under some trees on
the South Tyne Trail, I left the Pennine Way and followed the
disused railway. It was a good choice. Not only was the
walking easier and relatively drier underfoot, but the trail gave
good views over the South Tyne valley and surrounding hills. I
made good time until the spectacular Lambley Viaduct, which took the
South Tyne Trail high above the river. For the first time for
the day, I had mobile phone reception and took the opportunity to
call Alicia for her 21st birthday. Alas, no answer, but I'll
try again later. I decided to sit on the viaduct and have
lunch since the rain seemed to have stopped for the time being and I
could shelter from the cold wind behind the ramparts.
I still had quite a long way to go and the first part of the day
had been slow going, so I kept a brisk walk going when I resumed, to
keep warm, as much as for anything. Eventually, I had to leave
the South Tyne Trail and strike out across some field footpaths
towards Greenhead. At one point I had to descend a steep muddy
slope and, despite treading gingerly and using my trekking pole for
support, I still managed to slip and sit down in the mud. No
harm done. At the small village of Greenhead, I called into a
teashop for a warming cup of coffee and fairy cake for afternoon
tea, before walking the short distance to the crumbling ruins of
Thirlwall Castle and rejoined the Pennine Way.
Shortly thereafter, with some excitement, I started following the
remains of Hadrian's Wall. It's quite an impressive structure,
several metres wide and high, but it's a bit difficult to tell what
is original and what is reconstructed. Nevertheless, you had
to be impressed with its size and length, and its location along the
top of an escarpment, making it even more formidable. The
Pennine Way essentially followed the wall on the southern side for
the remaining 10km of my day, so I got a good look at it. Much
of it was up and down hills so the walking was tough and the wind
strong, but I enjoyed being so close to a very visible part of
history.
Finally, I reached a road that led down to the Once Brewed Youth
Hostel (next to the Twice Brewed Pub!) and checked in around 6:30pm,
just in time to get dinner there. It's a large hostel, popular
with school groups visiting Hadrian's Wall, and I was lucky to get a
bed. There's two bus loads of Year 6 kids staying here, but
they are well-behaved, if a little noisy. Flakey internet
connectivity again tonight, and I think this is going to be the
story from now on as I get to the more remote parts of Britain,
meaning that diary updates may come in batches.
A short, though apparently boggy and muddy day tomorrow.
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