Day 40 - Glastonbury to Taunton - 25 Miles

If ever a day felt like a filler,  this was it.  Ever since Inverness,  we have had the luxury of being able to follow long distance footpaths or canals,  linking up nicely all the way to Somerset, but today this ran out,  leaving the option of either following direct A roads, or weave a path through minor roads and footpaths.  The day started well enough,  with paths alongside the main road out of Glastonbury and on to Street, where it promptly ran out.   Continuing along it without a footpath or verge would have been suicidal,  so we rerouted onto Kings Sedge Moor, zig zagging along quieter lanes in more or less a Westerly direction.
It seems that every day we meet more people interested in what we are doing and it was whilst we were weaving our way through Kings Sedge Moor that we met a nice couple who informed us that we were very close to a H4H rehabilitation centre.   If we had had more time,  we could have popped in, but as usual we were desperately trying to reach our destination,  with the mileage getting higher with every detour to avoid the main roads.
Eventually we picked up on a direct route following some drainage canals called the East Deane Way which was a bit overgrown in places,  but better than being on the roads. This linked into the largely disused Taunton to Bridgewater Canal which brought us to our final destination for the day.  The final mileage was 6 Miles more than if we had followed the A road out of Glastonbury. A frustrating addition, but all part of ensuring we get there in one piece.

The East Deane Way.

Statistics

Distance: 25.2 Miles

Moving Time: 7 Hours 49 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 942.24 Miles

View the route for day 40 here.

Day 39 - Bath to Glastonbury - 33 Miles

We gained another day today.   The planned stopping point had been the quaintly named 'Midsomer Norton', but at just 11 Miles, there was no way we could pass off the opportunity to do a double day and try to get to Glastonbury.   It wasn't easy though,  anything over 20 Miles gets hard, but we pushed on through the persistent rain and made pretty good going along Sustrans routes, disused railway lines and fairly quiet country lanes. At one point along the way,  a cyclist who was linterested in what we were doing pointed out that we were passing a 6000 year old Long Barrow burial chamber and a car driver slowed for a chat near Glastonbury and told us that the road on which we were walking at Queens Sedge Moor was 2 Miles long and completely straight and flat.  We had actually noticed this.
Glastonbury Tor can be seen from at least 10 Miles away as you approach and looks rather like a child's sand castle with a flag stuck in the top.  Glastonbury itself lived up to expectations as a hippy magnet, with lots of people stranger than us walking around and the high street full of shops catering for their attire. It is a shame we don't have more time to spend here, I would have liked to have gone up the Tor, or visited the church that was offering 'Healing by appointment', to fix my feet, tired after our longest day so far.

Approaching Glastonbury with the Tor visible in the distance.

Statistics

Distance: 30.5 Miles

Moving Time: 10 Hours 13 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 917.04 Miles

View the route for day 39 here.

Day 38 - Chipping Sodbury to Bath - 21 Miles

Aside from the first day at John o'Groats, we have not met anyone else doing the end to end walk, be it North South, or South North.  We have spoken to lots of other people who have met other people doing it.   One chap we met in the Saloon in Stonehaugh said that he had met five people already doing it whilst walking the Pennine Way, including one person doing it with a banjo in his back!  I think that a banjo would be the last thing I would want strapped to the back of my rucksack. I did see on the news that a man had just finished at Land's End after having danced all the way whilst wearing a tutu! And I thought that we stood out as odd.
I think that we finished with the Cotswold Way today as we completed the relatively short leg into Bath. I quite liked the Cotswold Way, despite it being pretty hard going and getting caught in some torrential downpours. Bath is also a nice place and we visited the town centre to get some new waterproofs,  before heading off to the Youth Hostel which is slightly out of town,  hidden away in the hillside.   I wonder if anyone else staying here is doing the end to end.

Heading off on the Cotswold Way for the last time.

Statistics

Distance: 19.5 Miles

Moving Time: 6 Hours 47 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 886.54 Miles

View the route for day 38 here.

Day 37 - Stroud to Chipping Sodbury - 25 Miles

Our B&B for the night had been an interesting place, with walls completely covered with pictures of 60's rock stars, I half expected the owner to be playing Hendrix as we departed this morning.   He was a nice chap and we said goodbye and headed off down the same two miles of road that we had already walked twice yesterday.
We were soon back onto the Cotswold Way, which was very hard going,  but a nice change from the holiday home populated banks of the Severn Way.  As we stopped at one of the many hilltop monuments that the Cotswold Way takes you up, we were ambushed by an over friendly horse that took a close interest in our rucksacks and nearly made off with Tim's socks hanging from the back of his rucksack!
Having survived the horse attack,  our final days destination was a choice of either Little Sodbury, Chipping Sodbury or Old Sodbury.  The choice was made for us as we could only get accommodation in Chipping Sodbury,  or Sodding Chipbury as the locals call it.  Jokes aside,  The Bell turned out to be a great place to stay and the Cotswold Way hasn't been half as bad as I was expecting.

Tim had to fend off the affections if this horse, which nearly made off with his socks!

Statistics

Distance: 24.8 Miles

Moving Time: 8 Hours 29 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 867.04 Miles

View the route for day 37 here.

Day 36 - Tewkesbury to Stroud - 30 Miles

I finally lost patience with my phone today and bought a new one as we passed through Gloucester.  I now look forward to being able to take photos again and I will make extra sure not to get it wet.
Glocester was a lively place, there was a wedding going on in the town centre with lots if music and dancing.   However,  we couldn't stay around for long as we needed to cover a lot of miles.  We had previously left behind the river Severn which had been our companion for the last few days and we have now picked up the Cotswold Way. The Cotswold Way has a bad reputation as a long distance footpath because it is designed to take in every hill and point of interest, rather than just getting from A to B, so we will need to check the route very carefully to make sure that we don't go on any unnecessary detours.
We didn't quite miss the rain today,  it quickly blew in as we arrived at Kings Stanley and by the time we had walked back two miles in the direction we had just come to get to the only available B&B, we were drenched.   Thankfully my new phone was dry, still boxed and bagged inside my rucksack.
I won't mention my phone again...unless it breaks.

One walker for sale, high mileage, needs attention. 

Statistics

Distance: 29.9 Miles

Moving Time: 9 Hours 21 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 842.24 Miles

View the route for day 36 here.

Day 35 - Holt Fleet to Tewksbury - 28 Miles

My phone was on thin ice today.  It refused to turn on all the way to Worcester as we attempted to follow the Severn Way, before realising that the path had mysteriously switched to the other side of the river, with no bridges for miles, causing us some navigation stress and a hasty reroute into Worcester.  When we got to Worcester (which seems like really nice place), I popped into Phones 4 U to sort a replacement, but the model I wanted was out of stock, so I tried my phone again and it miraculously worked.  Will it make it to Land's End I wonder before I lose patience with it and put my size 12 boot on it.
The rest of the walk today was pretty simple, follow the river, stay cool, keep drinking and make it to Tewksbury to gain another day.  Simple, except that the Severn Way is occasionally blocked by private land which neccessitates big detours and the way is regularly overgrown with thistles and nettles , adding further sting to sunburnt legs.
Eventually we reached Tewkesbury and thus gained a fourth day.  This is significant because it now means we only need to stick to the remaining schedule to ensure reaching Land's End on the glorious 12th August. Then back to work the following day!

First sight of Tewksbury from the Severn Way.

Statistics

Distance: 26.5 Miles

Moving Time: 8 Hours 40 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 812.34 Miles

View the route for day 35 here.

Day 34 - Bobbington to Holt Fleet - 24 Miles

I have just discovered something worse than a wet phone, a wet sleeping bag.  It has been sat in the bottom of my rucksack for two days unnoticed and now that I need to use it, it is damp and not likely to dry very quickly. The thing has been rubbish from day one as it has been leaking duck feathers into my tent at an alarming rate, but it has at least been warm and comfortable, when dry.
Today's walk turned out to be a nice one, the first ten miles were on quiet country lanes, before we picked up the Severn Way, following the banks of the river Severn, with the Severn Valley steam railway to our left.  We followed this to Bewdley, which felt like a seaside town, then continued along the river passing lots of holiday homes on the river front, some immaculately maintained, some in total disrepair.  Our final destination was one of the many campsites along the way, making a convenient stopping point, well ahead of our planned stop.
A quick addition of our mileage shows that we have covered around 785 Miles, averaging 23 Miles a day.  That puts us 75% of the way to Land's End.

Strimmer anyone?

Statistics

Distance: 24.1 Miles

Moving Time: 7 Hours 37 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 785.84 Miles

View the route for day 34 here.

Day 33 - Penkridge to Bobbington - 22 Miles

It looks like the rain of yesterday may well have killed my phone completely, threatening to hamper our navigation, stop me taking any photos, Skype home and indeed keep this blog going.  There was no sign of any rain today, in fact the conditions were pretty much perfect for walking, which is more than can be said for the roads, which were in comfortably busy, so at the first opportunity we re-routed onto the Staffs to Worcs canal.  The decision was a good one and we followed the canal right through the centre of Wolverhampton (although you wouldn't have noticed it) and out the other side. We exited the canal near Seisdon and stopped for a drink at The Old Gate in Heathton where the landlord would take no money for our drinks and said to give the money to charity, which I promptly did.
Our final destination was the Red Lion in Bobbington, which turned out to be a fantastic place, in such a small town and had a great stuffed lion and tiger in the bar, which were apparently family heirlooms.
More rain on the way tomorrow, better keep the phone well protected this time.

The Staffordshire to Worcestershire canal.

Statistics

Distance: 20.8 Miles

Moving Time: 6 Hours 28 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 761.74 Miles

View the route for day 33 here.

Day 32 - Uttoxeter to Penkridge - 28 Miles

OK, so we got both the sex and hair colour of the royal baby wrong, but we did get one thing right today, full wet weather gear.  Yes, the waterproof trousers I have been waiting to use were definitely required today as we set off into the heavy rain and bolts of lightning this morning.  The waterproof trousers were also very useful for barging a path through the massively overgrown sections of the Staffordshire Way that we encountered.  Unfortunately, the rest of my gear didn't perform so well, my boots are letting in water, I'm not at all sure if they will see me to Land's End and my waterproof top leaks so much water that my phone got soaked and stopped working, so no camera for most of the day.
By midday, the rain had cleared and the difficult sections of the Staffs Way were replaced by a nice section of the Staffordshire to Worcester Canal, then onto the grounds of Shugborough Hall.  The Staffs Way then takes you on a mad stretch of the A51, before entering Cannock Chase Park which involved navigating a maze of paths criss crossing the pleasant woodland.  A final stroll along the canal brought us into Penkridge, our destination for the day.
Tim thinks the royal baby will be called Richard, and I think John.

Don't mind the rain, could do without the lightning.

Statistics

Distance: 26.9 Miles

Moving Time: 9 Hours 01 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 740.94 Miles

View the route for day 32 here.

Day 31 - Ilam Hall to Uttoxeter - 17 Miles

Apparently Ilam is historically famous for having contracted the plague from contaminated cotton and the residents who died became martyrs for not leaving the village and containing the outbreak (edit: this story is rubbish thanks to a Tim mispronunciation!).  Ilam Hall itself turned out to be a good place to stay, well organised with pretty much everything you need, at a good price.  No wonder then that the only other hotel in the area was derelict, overgrown with weeds and out of business.  The same could also be said for the section of the Limestone Way that we attempted to navigate at the start of the walk today.  Progress was very slow, crossing endless farmer's fields and trying to locate well hidden styles on the other side.  Eventually we switched to the Staffordshire Way which seemed to be a little better maintained.
The Staffs Way brought us right into Uttoxeter, next to the Race Course.  I didn't know what to expect from Uttoxeter, but it turned out to be a nice place, so we checked into a local (supposedly haunted) hotel, complete with unexplained hooks in the ceiling.
By the time we leave tomorrow, there should be a new royal baby, I think it will be a girl, and Tim thinks it will be ginger.

Which way now? On the Limestone Way.

Statistics

Distance: 16.6 Miles

Moving Time: 5 Hours 52 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 714.04 Miles

View the route for day 31 here.

Day 30 - Castleton to Ilam Hall - 30 Miles

It doesn't seem like 2 minutes since I was having my photo taken against the Pennine Way signpost that marked our entry into England, before all of a sudden, without even realising it yesterday, as we arrived at Edale, we had finished the thing.  There was no big start/finish line, or anything to indicate that our companion for the last 9 days had come to an end.
So as we left Castleton this morning and it dawned on us that we had just completed probably 80% of the Pennine Way, we picked up the new trail that will be our friend now, the Limestone Way.  Marked with white rams heads instead of acorns, the difference was immediate.  As soon as we completed the climb out of Castleton, the terrain became much less steep and we were able to cover ground much more quickly.  By mid day we reached Monyash where the roads got a bit busy, so we rerouted onto some quiet footpaths before reaching the Dovedale Trail.  This popular river trail passes by caves and rocky stacks that must make for some great rock climbing.
Finally we ended the day with the usual search for accommodation and were mightily relieved to get a room at Ilam Hall youth hostel.  I haven't stayed here since 1984, but the place is still going strong and a great place to stay.

 

Impressive stacks along the Dovedale Trail.

Statistics

Distance: 28.3 Miles

Moving Time: 9 Hours 47 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 697.44 Miles

View the route for day 30 here.

 

Day 29 - Snake Pass to Castleton - 13 Miles

Between Padfield and Edale lies approximately 20 Miles of nothing but moors and hills, certainly no hostels or campsites, we therefore spent a very comfortable night hidden from view near to Snake Pass.  We weren't the only ones to do it either and with an ethic of take only photographs, leave only footprints, you wouldn't have known we had been there.  What a shame the English laws on rough camping do not mirror those of Scotland.
After having made such good progress yesterday, it didn't take long to cover the 14 Miles to Castleton, via Kinder Scout and Edale.  However, we were both pretty depleted due to not having eaten properly for a few days, so we found ourselves a B&B to recoup for a bit, happy in the knowledge that we have now gained a third day on our schedule.
Whilst watching the BBC news from the comfort of the room, on the day that Mel Smith died, I watched a short documentary about Yemeni refugees trying to reach Saudi Arabia to find well paid work and better themselves.  The majority of them do not make it and end up tortured, robbed and worse and are lucky if they make it back home alive.  It really puts our little adventure into perspective when the biggest problem we encounter is trying to find a pub that serves cold beer every day.  In light of this, I will no longer complain about; the weather (although I may comment on it), blisters, the distance we have to walk or the quality of the accommodation.  All these are a million miles away from what some people go through and whose stories are never told.

The 'Pennine Way walker's look', tired, dishevelled and in need of a shower.

 

Statistics

Distance: 13.3 Miles

Moving Time: 5 Hours 13 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 669.14 Miles

View the route for day 29 here.

 

Day 28 - Diggle to Snake Pass - 23 Miles

Leaving Diggle behind this morning felt like quite a relief.  The accommodation had been noisy and chaotic, with the room next door being used as a kennel by the owners.  However, they did at least remember to leave our packed lunches by the door so that we could get away early.
We are into the Derbyshire Peak District now and it feels just as remote as parts of Scotland.  We saw no-one at all for 4-5 hours, then just a few people coming the other way as we descend into Crowden at lunch time.  There is a nice little campsite at Crowden where we rested for a few hours and stocked up from the shop.  Not wanting to repeat the mistakes of the Diggle diversion, we decided to wait around at the campsite until it was a bit cooler, then head off into the hills again, bypassing Padfield where we had originally planned to stay.  The move was a good one and we made good progress in the cooler afternoon and ended the day near the Snake Pass crossing.

Siesta at the friendly Crowden campsite.

 and baking at the top of the peaks as well!

Statistics

Distance: 21.7 Miles

Moving Time: 8 Hours 42 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 655.84 Miles

View the route for day 28 here.

Day 27 - Hebden Bridge to Diggle - 19 Miles

It pays to take a closer look at the following days route over a pint the night before, as it turned out that there is a canal that runs between Hebden Bridge and Little borough that seemed to be an obvious alternative to heading up and onto the ridge at the start of the day.  We decided to take the canal route and it turned out to be a good choice that saved us a few hours of climbing.  When we did leave the canal at the Pennine bridleway just before Little borough, the climbing began immediately and continued until we reached the 600 year old 'Aggin Stone' way marker, complete with informative plaque asking for the stone to be respected.  There was however, no plaque to explain how the adjacent 'Dick Slack' marked on the map came to be named.  

The remainder of today's route continued over the tops of the moors, before crossing the exposed M62 via a pedestrian bridge built specially to prevent Pennine Way walkers attempting a suicidal crossing of the motorway.  Immediately after crossing the bridge and before entering the infamous Saddleworth Moor, we arrived at a roadside tea stop, the owner of which informed us that he had been serving teas and food to weary walkers for the last 35 years, only taking Christmas Day off and that he features in Wainwright books, and a Doves video amongst other things.  I had in fact heard of this guy from reading Mark Moxon's book, so it was good to meet him and the refreshments were very welcome seeing as the only other pub on the route today had its doors firmly locked until 12.

The final destination today was Diggle, which meant a descent off the hillside, then a further 2 Mile walk into a very underwhelming town centre to get some food.  With hindsight, it would have been better to have stocked up from the 35 year tea man and stayed on the ridge for a rough camp.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

The Rochdale canal leaving Hebden Bridge.  The highest canal in England.

Statistics

Distance: 19 Miles

Moving Time: 6 Hours 42 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 634.14 Miles

View the route for day 27 here.

Day 26 - Skipton to Hebden Bridge - 23 Miles

Skipton was shrouded in mist this morning as we set off and as soon as we re-joined the Pennine Way, the climbing started and continued steeply until we eventually got a view looking back into the valley to see the whole of Skipton enveloped beneath the clouds.
We had started the day with only the Travelodge takeaway breakfast offerings to fuel us up, hoping to pass somewhere along the way to get a decent lunch.  However, there were no shops en-route, so we did the 23 Miles to Hebden Bridge on minimal food, which was not ideal. 
Even though the walking was tough, there were some nice parts along the way, Stanbury Moor was great, and later we passed the ominously named 'Midge Hole', but didn't pay it a visit.
Hebden Bridge turned out to be a nice place, buzzing in the heat wave, with plenty of bars, cafés and shops.  Apparently, Hebden Bridge was completely flooded out this time last year, no sign of that today on the hottest day of the year so far.

 

One of the many paved sections of the moor.

Statistics

Distance: 22.7 Miles

Moving Time: 8 Hours 13 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 615.14 Miles

View the route for day 26 here.

 

Day 25 - Horton-in-Ribblesdale to Skipton - 24 Miles

What a scorcher! Hot, humid and no wind.  All this made the 24 Miles today really uncomfortable and the early start didn't help much either, so instead of a nice walk, mentally adding up whether we had passed the half way point yet or not (we hadn't), all we could do was try to keep cool.  We were not short of water, experience has taught us to start each day with a full 1.5 Litres and buy more bottles along the way whenever possible, but the Pennine Way had us really sweating.  The nicest part was the river section shortly after Kirkby Malham which was cool and flat.
We reached Skipton right in the heat of the early afternoon.  Skipton is a big touristy place, with a canal running through the centre of town.  With no campsite or hostel and all the B&Bs' fully booked we were lucky to find space at the Travelodge, but it was a mile back in the direction we had already walked and they insisted we booked online, which was unbelievably painful to do on a mobile phone.
With the weather set to be marginally cooler tomorrow, things can only get better.

 

A very pleasant section of the Pennine Way.

Statistics

Distance: 23.6 Miles

Moving Time: 7 Hours 45 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 592.44 Miles

View the route for day 25 here.

 

Day 24 - Stonesdale to Horton-in-Ribblesdale - 29 Miles

It may seem a bit strange to be buying waterproof trousers in a heat wave, but that's exactly what I did today in Hawes, much to the amusement of the shop owner, "expecting rain?" he said, totally unaware of the length of the journey I was undertaking.  He also sniggered at me buying Compeed plasters, but this was the first chance I've had since the drenching in Scotland to visit an outdoor shop.  Suitably re-equiped for the inevitable end of the British summer, we headed off.  We successfully side stepped Great Shunner Fell by sticking to some quiet roads that skirted the summit.  This policy would allow us to gain another day if we could make it to Horton-in-Ribblesdale today.  As we reached the Ribblehead viaduct, I was for once on roads that I knew, having competed in the 3-Peaks cyclo-cross race more timed than I care to remember.  We eventually reached our destination at the base of Pen-y-Ghent and checked into the Golden Lion Inn.  The days' mileage had been high again, but it was worth it to get ahead by another day.

A beautiful morning in the Yorkshire Dales.

Statistics

Distance: 27.6 Miles

Moving Time: 8 Hours 46 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 568.84 Miles

View the route for day 24 here.

Day 23 - Middleton in Teesdale to Stonesdale - 26 Miles

The Pennine Way has a bit of a reputation for being a tough challenge and we've met quite a few people lately taking it on.  One particular walker we saw at Hadrian's Wall was on his 18th day of it and judging by his state of fatigue, it looked as if he was locked into some kind of battle between man and mountain.  After having spent a few days on the Pennine Way now, I think that the hardest part is just staying on track.  The sparse signposts all look older than the stone walls holding them up and the trails normally fade away into a confusing choice between boggy moor, sheep trails or long marshy grasses.  Combine this with the mist that covered the fells this morning as we headed off early to avoid the heat, meant that navigation was a real test.  Thank God for GPS, it is your best friend in situations like this.  Once the mist had cleared, we had made good progress and the walk over Slightholme Moor was fantastic.  Eventually we reached the 'Tan Hill Inn', which is apparently world famous for being the highest Inn in Britain.  The Inn had rooms available, but it looked a bit dull, so we pushed on another 4 Miles to a campsite that provided us with plenty of food and a packed lunch to set us up for tomorrow as we head for Great Shunner Fell.

 

Fog on the moors calls for navigation by GPS. 

Statistics

Distance: 26 Miles

Moving Time: 9 Hours 34 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 541.24 Miles

View the route for day 23 here.

Day 22 - Knaresgrave to Middleton in Teesdale - 30 Miles

For any train enthusiasts reading this blog (Ian), I have included a picture of the 'Thomas Edmonson' which we passed today, all fired up and ready to go at Alston.  I'm not sure where it was going though, because we walked the entire length of the South Tyne Railway over the last two days and the only serviceable stretch was between Alston and Lindley Stop, where there wasn't much at all.  However, it was nice to see at least part of the line being brought back into service, along with a footpath/cycleway alongside.
Once we got to the picturesque village of Alston, we left the railway line and headed off over the fells, following a quiet B road all the way to Landon Beck.  It had been another scorching day on the exposed fells, so the extended coffee stop at Landon Beck was very welcome.  Feeling refreshed, we headed off again to find somewhere to stay.  The Youth Hostel looked good, but we couldn't waste an hour waiting for the reception to open, so carried on into the now much cooler evening.  All accommodation was full until we reached Middleton-in-Teesdale where we opted for a B&B with complimentary beer, over the local camp site.  We are now one whole day ahead of schedule and well placed to take on the Pennine Way again tomorrow.

 

The "Thomas Edmonson" on the South Tyne Railway.  

Statistics

Distance: 28.9 Miles

Moving Time: 9 Hours 22 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 515.24 Miles

View the route for day 22 here.

Day 20 - Byrness to Stonehaugh - 25 Miles

The sun was back out again today and combined with the open moors and lack of tree cover, meant we got pretty scorched, despite the application of plenty of factor 30 sun cream.  It didn't help that we weren't on our way until 9 because we wanted to get a good breakfast, seeing as there were no shops at which to stock up in Byrness.  As we finally departed into the already hot sun, one of the lady's staying in the B&B gave us a donation for H4H, which was nice of her.
The route to Bellingham was only 14 Miles, taking in sections of the Pennine Way and we got there quite quickly, so after stocking up with enough food for two days, we decided to push on to Stonehaugh a further 10 Miles up the road.  Any settlement around here that has a shop or a pub is pretty special, Bellingham has both, so is a popular place.  Stonehaugh on the other hand, has neither and feels like a one horse town, where the horse has left.  A point which was reinforced as we passed the 'Saloon' at the entrance to the campsite.  The 'Saloon' turned out to be a friendly place, run by volunteers from the village and the barman turned on the fridge specially for us.  'Everyone's here tonight' he said in a Geordie accent as we looked around at the five of us in the bar.  However, it turned out to be a good night, playing songs on the guitar with the locals, before eventually returning to our tents to salvage any remaining food.

Stonehaugh, alleged population 95, had a great Saloon!

Statistics

Distance: 23.8 Miles

Moving Time: 7 Hours 36 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 465.24 Miles

View the route for day 20 here.

Day 21 - Stonehaugh to Knaresgrave - 22 Miles

Our start today turned out to be an hour later than planned, thanks to the 'Saloon' last night and we set off feeling a bit hungry having had only the two bananas that we managed to persuade the owner of the campsite to sell us.
The route today took us back onto the Pennine Way and we soon began walking alongside Hadrian's Wall.  The B road running parallel looked to be an easier option than the up and down wall, but we stuck with it for about 6 Miles before turning towards Haltwhistle.  We had lunch in the first pub we came to, this being the first decent meal we had had in two days.  We didn't linger in Haltwhistle, instead we pushed on along the South Tyne Way, which follows the tracks of a disused railway line.  This was a nice quiet trail that at one point, crosses a huge viaduct, shortly after which we reached our destination in Knaresgrave.  The extra mileage that we have covered in the last two days has set us up for a chance to get a whole day ahead of ourselves if we can reach Langdon Beck tomorrow.

 

Hadrian's Wall is a tough walk.  

Statistics

Distance: 21.1 Miles

Moving Time: 7 Hours 48 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 486.34 Miles

View the route for day 21 here.

Day 19 - Jedburgh to Bryness - 21 Miles

The first big milestone of our journey has now been reached,  at about half way through today's walk, at the point where we reached the first Pennine Way signpost, we crossed over the border between Scotland and England.  We can now say that we have walked the length and breadth of Scotland and that feels quite good.
The first half of today's route started by following quiet minor lanes, before joining Dere Street, an old Roman road, then passing by the remains of a Roman camp.  As we sat on a bridge attending to our feet, a lady out walking her dog approached us showing a great interest in what we were doing.  It turned out that she was a retired chiropodist and she couldn't resist examining our feet.  She then gave us plenty of advice on how to prevent blood poisoning and septicaemia and also said that my shin swelling was normal, provided that it goes down overnight (which it did, before ballooning up again each day).
After our impromptu chiropractic check-up, we continued on our way following the sparsely signposted Pennine Way, through bogs and firing ranges to Bryness Hill where we made a rapid scrambling descent to our final destination.  Our stay for the night was a friendly B&B where the owner had encountered many end to enders, so was able to offer plenty of advice and even offered to transfer our bags to Bellingham.  Tempting though the offer was, we had to decline as we decided that we needed to go further and set our sights on a campsite 5 Miles further down the road in Stonehaugh.

 This signpost marked our entry into England.

Statistics

Distance: 20.9 Miles

Moving Time: 7 Hours 12 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 441.44 Miles

View the route for day 19 here.

Day 18 - Melrose to Jedburgh 15 Miles

After yesterday's marathon, today was just what the doctor ordered, 15 Miles of easy walking. With Bob helping out again dropping our bags off at our destination, we had an opportunity to either get some extra miles in, or take it easy and let Tim's feet and my shin recover a bit.  A look at the map showed no real opportunities to get ahead, so we decided to have as close as possible to a rest day.  As it turned out, the route that follows St Cuthbert's Way, is a fantastic path, following an old Roman road, with tree lined trails that kept us keep cool in another baking hot day.
The 15 Miles passed quickly and we both felt significantly better than yesterday's thirsty mission.  As we stocked up on provisions in Jedborough, a crowd gathered in the centre of town and it turned out that a parade celebrating historic battles with the English was about to pass by, so we stayed to watch the popular local spectacle.  Hopefully the rest today will have repaired us sufficiently because we are currently in the eye of the storm, tomorrow we begin the next big challenge, the Pennine Way.

Parade day in Jedburgh.

Statistics

Distance: 14.8 Miles

Moving Time: 4 Hours 59 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 420.54 Miles

View the route for day 18 here.

Day 17 – Peebles to Melrose – 27.5 Miles

Today was a scorcher, the hottest day in Scotland so far this year.  We set off from the campsite at 6am in order to take advantage of some cool walking for an hour or so and for the first time, we had baggage assistance with Bob taking our bags ahead and depositing them at the B&B in Melrose.  This helped enormously and the long steep climb up onto Minch moor was much easier than it would have been with our big bags.

The route out from Peebles follows some quiet country roads, before starting on the Southern Uplands Way which is a beautiful walk with hardly a soul around for miles.  There were also no opportunities to stock up on food and water for the entire journey, meaning that we were very low on food and water by the time we closed in on Melrose.  We stopped for a while to cool our feet in the water of the river Tweed which also helped to ease the swelling in my right shin which has suddenly flared up.  A dose of Nurofen Express works wonders for killing the pain, but I’m not sure how many days it will be before the swelling disappears.

Tomorrow is in effect a rest day at only 16 Miles, so hopefully that will give our bodies time to repair a bit before normal service is resumed.

How to keep cool in a Scottish heatwave.

Statistics

Distance: 26.7 Miles

Moving Time: 9 Hours 10 Mins

Cumulative Distance: 405.74 Miles

View the route for day 17 here.