11-15th April 2011
Introduction
Doesn’t time fly? It seems like only yesterday that Mike and I were returning from Haltwhistle after our latest episode of our end-to-end walk. Nine days on the Pennine Way had taken us to Hadrian’s Wall, Cawfield to be specific, and we were now to return to complete the task and then to begin our journey through Scotland. This, we recalled, would be our 12th annual 5-day walking holiday, a series which started at Minehead in April 1998 and which then, year by year with two exceptions, took us round the South West Peninsular path, up the Macmillan Way and Midshires Way to reach the Pennine Way.
Monday 11th April 2011: Backs to the Wall
So it was back to Haltwhistle by train. Felicity drove Mike over to Macclesfield Station, picking me up at the Flower Pot, in time for the first train. With all our connections working to perfection, we were deposited bang on time at Haltwhistle where we sought a taxi. But in vain. It is a sleepy little town where taxis and buses seem at a premium. The AD122 bus along the wall did not start until the following week so we had no alternative but to walk up to Cawfield. We found a delightful path up the Burn Gorge which took us off-road up to the Wall but put two unexpected miles on our day’s schedule.
It had begun to rain by the time we strode out along the Wall, but it was not heavy and coming from behind so it blew us along nicely. The steep descents were slippery in the wet and the sharp climbs told me how unfit I had become. But we were soon passing the famous sycamore and before much longer we arrived at Rapishaw Gap, the point at which the Pennine Way leaves the Wall. We had time for a short rest and quickly ate our sandwiches. It was too cold to hang around so, as soon as we finished eating, it was over the Wall and down onto low and swampy farm land.
Eventually we climbed out of the soggy grassland towards the first of our forests. As we entered Wark Forest, we saw two brightly colours birds of prey on the path in front of us. From the sound of tinkering bells we realised they were not wild. Then a group of walkers crossed our path, calling out to us that they were taking two Harris Hawks for a walk. The birds then flew around the trees above us. They were beautifully coloured. Then it was on towards Wark Burn. We met Phil, a serious looking walker who turned out to be from Buxton Road in my home town of Macclesfield. He was heading south having walked almost 30 miles on his first day from Kirk Yetholm and was set to cover another 30 miles today. At this rate he will be back in Macclesfield before us! We then missed the descent into Wark Burn and spent a few minutes on an unnecessary climb to the east. But not for long; the situation was soon retrieved and we were down, up and over to Hetherington Farm, our accommodation for the night. The Nichols had warned us that they would be at the races so we had a 30 minute wait in their porch before they got home and provided us with tea and biscuits.
Haltwhistle dep. 10.15
Cawfield 11.05
Sandwiches at Rapishaw Gap 13.00-13.20
Hetherington arr 16.50GPS: 16.57 miles in 6hrs 15.43We stayed with Mrs Nichol, Hetherington Farm, Wark, Hexham, Northumberland, NE48 3DR
Tel: 01434 230260
Mr Nichol ran us down to the local pub, the Battlesteads, some 3 miles away in Wark. I had cod, chips and mushy peas followed by bread & butter pudding with (to Mike’s disgust) custard. Tried two beers, a Corby Gold from Cumberland and a Magus from Durham. Then Mrs Nichol came to pick us up and take us home for an early night. It had been a long day.
Tuesday 12th April 2011: Forest and Bog
The day started with a road walk but the sky was bright with fair weather clouds and a biting cold wind. Got a signal on my mobile phone for the first time so I checked in with home, then set off after Mike as he flew along into Bellingham. It is a long time since Mike was walking as well as this. What a pity I was not fit enough to join him.
The route has obviously been changed since our guide and map were published, so we were intrigued to go along the north bank of the river and entered straight into the village square. There was a bakery selling lovely looking sandwiches so we bought our lunch rations including some Bakewell Tart. I topped my cash up at the ATM: it may be some time before we come across a bank. Then it was up the road out of the village and onto the open moors. These looked very beautiful in the morning sunshine.
My introduction to bog walking came early. A polluted stream was running across the path and I did not quite make the jump across. I ended up with one foot/shoe bright yellow with the iron rich mud. Mike had great pleasure in grasping a photo opportunity. We snatched a 20 minute break for our lunch crouched behind a low rock near Padon Hill. Then we set out on a section which would certainly clean the yellow stain off my shoes. It started on the scramble up the wall-side to Brownrigg Head where it became increasingly difficult to keep our feet dry. This did not matter because, on reaching the summit and the plateau beyond, we tramped through some of the boggiest part of the entire Pennine Way. It took what seemed an age to haul our feet through this mire and into Kielder Forest. What a great relief it was when we finally arrived at the main forest track.
From here it was 5½ miles along wide and dusty forestry trails. It was a pleasant surprise to find that much of the forest had been cut down and views to the east were still extensive. Eventually we got down to the river and along its banks towards Byrness village. It is hardly a village; it was more a remote hamlet on a main road. Even the petrol station was closed. But Mrs Jackson was expecting us and soon showing us to our lovely room. An early finish gave me time for a nap before the evening meal but we were still ready for an early night as there was little else to do.
Hetherington dep. 09.00
Lunch near Ponden Hill 13.13-13.33
Byrness arr. 16.20
GPS 20.61 mls in 7hrs 01.12
We stayed at the Byrness, Byrness, Otterburn, Northumberland, NE19 1TR
Mrs Jackson Tel: 01830 520100. We ate in the B&B as there is no pub in Byrness.
Wednesday 13th April 2011: Crossing the Border
It was a cloudy morning with a feel of rain in the air as we had an early breakfast and made an early start up a steep path through the trees. This led to a rocky outcrop and then onto a huge grassy ridge which seemed to stretch in front of us for ever. The next three hours or so were some of the best walking on the entire route, along grassy whaleback ridges with stunning views in all directions. In the cool spring sunshine it was a joy to behold.
There is a surprising amount of Roman connections up here with Chew Green an ancient Roman camp and a focal point for several Roman roads including Dere Street. We followed this ‘Street’ for a couple of miles before bearing off over the high ground. The purest ‘end-to-end’ walkers would head down at this point towards Melrose. But we had unfinished work to attend, the Pennine Way, and would not be back on Dere Street for over 24 hours.
The ridge started to get boggy and paving slabs were becoming an increasing feature of the lower ground. At one point we met a group of day walkers and took the opportunity of having a photograph taken of the two of us together. Then, as we left this liaison, I lost balance and put my foot off the edge of a slab. I sank at least two feet into the mire and had to haul myself up on a paving stone to get free of the cloying morass. This had to be done quickly because Mike was scrambling to get his camera out again whilst splitting his sides with laughter. I crawled quickly away before the photo shoot. I had had one indignity recorded on this trip already and was not going to expose myself to another.
Windy Gayle had been cloud free for days but, as is the fate of fell walkers, the moment we started our final ascent, the clag came down and the icy wind blew up. So there was little to see from the cairn and we quickly turned northwards and on across the moors. The next section was a featureless tramp over paving stones, broken only by the crossing of Clennell Street, another Roman road. We were searching for a suitable lunch spot, somewhere to get out of this cold wind. Eventually, just as we started the climb to Cairn Hill, we found a peat grough that was deep enough to give us some limited protection. We had a quick bite of Mrs Jackson’s sandwiches and then completed the ascent to the point at which the excursion to the Cheviot leaves the main route. We were in good time and, even though we were now in mist and cloud, we decided to give it a go. Much of the route was paved and we were out to the summit cairn and back within 50 minutes.
Then it was the turn for home and a steep descent. I had in my mind that it was downhill all the way from the Cheviot but this proved anything but true. There in front of us was a monstrous looking climb, the Schill, which was totally unexpected and rather unwelcome at this stage of a long day. From here at least is was downhill all the way and we soon came to the magical point when we stepped over the border fence and into Scotland, a pivotal moment in our walking programme. It got warmer at we dropped out of the wind into the evening sunshine and got into a nice rhythm down the grassy tracks to the farm and then the road to Kirk Yetholm. Pictures were taken at the end of the Pennine Way then we found the Farmhouse easily enough and spent some time with the owner Jon who is an avid Red and had been down to Manchester the night before to see the Chelsea match. We had to excuse ourselves so as to get showers and then down to the pub.
Byrness dep. 08.13
Lunch near Score Head 13.25-13.45
Kirk Yetholm arr. 17.35
29 mls (GPS battery ran out) in 9 hrs
We stayed at The Farmhouse at Yetholm Mill, Main Street, Kirk Yetholm, Kelso, Scottish Borders, TD5 8PE. Ms M. Bridger Tel: 01573 420505. We dined at the Border Hotel on Steak and Ale Pie and Chocolate Pudding. Two more beers were sampled, Pennine Way from Broughton and a local beer called Game Blonde.
Thursday 14th April 2011: Oh Dere, Oh Dere
Breakfast was a cheerful affair with a party of four who were doing St Cuthbert’s Way from a base of the Farmhouse. The package was that they were taken each day to the start and picked up from the finish whilst carrying only day packs. This seemed a good idea as we lifted our heavy sacks once more onto our backs. We had a leisurely late start but this was going to lead to a late finish on what turned out to be quite a tough day.
The start was easy enough with a flat walk out to the foot of Wideopen Hill. Then a steep grassy climb proved quite a challenge but the views from the summit ridge were magnificent. An equally steep descent to the flatlands led us to Morebattle. We had a sandwich from the B&B so we needed nothing from the shop. We set out upon our longest stretch of road walking, a four mile march to Cessford Castle. From here the route seemed to vary from the map and it appeared that, since our last trip down this route, various route changes had been made.
Just before we stopped for lunch ourselves we came across a lady lunching alone beside the path. She was a Dutch lady called Nanda who was walking from Holland to Iona. She had taken to ferry to Newcastle, come along Hadrian’s Wall and then turned up the Pennine Way as we had. She had not gone to Kirk Yetholm but had dropped off the Pennine Way at Clennell Street and stayed overnight in Morebattle.
We eventually broke out onto Dere Street, the Roman road that would take us more directly on our way north. The ancient route disappears under new road bridges and the estate at Monteviot. The woods along the Teviot were full of a flower we did not recognise, smelling rather of wild garlic.
Across the Teviot footbridge we were surprised to see the signpost taking us away from Monteviot Hall. Our last trip some 6 years ago had gone through the grounds. After a stop -start- reverse session, we convince ourselves that this diversion was intentional and set out on a long circumnavigation of the estate which eventually brought us back to the main entrance and to Dere Street.
Back on Dere Street we stopped briefly to chat to a guy who was just setting off on St Cuthbert’s Way but was interested in our End-to-End route as he has done it all in 7 weeks the previous year. He suggested we looked him up on russwalk.co.uk where we found him to be Russell Whitmore from Worcestershire.
It was then a long straight tramp along the Roman road, passed Lilliard’s Tomb. The traffic noise from the nearby road was ceaseless and rather depressing after our days in the wilderness. Eventually we arrived at a small lane and turned away from the main road towards Maxton. My feet were now quite sore from the hard ground and the road walking and it seemed a long way round the loop in the Tweed to get to St Boswell. But we finally came across the golf course and then turned up passed the club house into the village. We though the Old Manse would be near the church and this is where we were heading until we rang the house and found we had turned the wrong way at the entrance to the village. My sore feet did not appreciate retracing our steps. Then it was blister lancing to enable me to hobble to the pub.
Kirk Yetholm dep. 09.15
Lunch near Crailing 13.45-14.00
St Boswells arr. 18.15
26 miles 8hr 45mins
We stayed The Old Manse, Main Street, St Boswells, Melrose, Roxburghshire, TD6 0BB
Mrs Hepburn 01835 822047. We dined at the Buccleuch Hotel where I once more resorted to haddock and chips followed by bread & butter pudding and custard (Mike be damned).
Friday 15th April 2011: Along the Tweed
The weather forecast was for improving warmer conditions but these had not arrived when we left St Boswell and we headed back down to the river under grey skies. It gradually perked up as we came back to the road and then made our way under the Eildon Hills. The route gets to the very far end before turning uphill and traversing all the way back. It got warm on the steep climb but we became exposed to the cold wind once on the ridge. The St Cuthbert’s Way markers went missing on the top so we continued to the summit and off the east end. We then were required to take a contour path back to join the main descent which took us on to familiar ground down the fields and down the long set of wooden steps that drop a walker directly into town.
We passed a wine shop in the main street with two external tables for coffee drinkers. We could not see anywhere inside for a refreshment break but the guy at the outside table said that there was a café at the rear, ‘only for locals’. So we had a quick cappuccino and carrot cake before we set off on the final stint, passed the abbey and onto the banks of the Tweed and the Southern Upland Way. A pleasant stroll down the river led us to the tarmacked track of an old railway, now a cycleway leading through a line of light industry and towards Galashiels and the end of our week.
Two fellows in high viz jackets were standing on the trail. I thought they were doing a bird survey but Mike ascertained that they worked for Atkins and were surveying the area with a view to reinstating the railway line. ‘To the airport’ they said but which airport we had no idea. Just before entering the town, Mike decided he was going to change. There was no shelter so in the view of everyone using the cycleway we stripped off and donned the clothes for the trip home.
Through the shopping area we went until we came to the bus station. We sat for half an hour on broken seats waiting for the X95 to Carlisle. This arrived before 2.30pm and, after filling up to capacity, we were heading back to England on our concessionary bus passes. We had ample time for a sandwich and pint outside Carlisle station and then it was three fast trains back to Macclesfield and a meal prepared by the wives. From now on our annual week away will be north of the border.
St Boswell dep. 09.10
Coffee in Melrose 12.00-12.30
Galashiels arr. 13.50
GPS 11.89 mls in 4hrs 21.42
