Pennine way - Day 18: Windy Gyle to Kirk Yetholm

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The last day.

21km

The End.

Just have to walk a little bit more.

That was the plan and of course in true English / Scottish weather fashion; it rained.

The taxi back to Windy Gyle, Mr. Gruber racing away, and off we set. No more days to go following our logic: it would be easy. The low cloud and Scottish Mist meant that we didn’t see much of this easy day. The rain made life pleasant. The fog made it grey. The wind made it loud. 

Bertha was still letting us know she had been through.

A fitting finale to our walk. 

A last reminder; ‘England my country, home of the free. Miserable weather.’ 

We had planned to climb the Cheviot, before entering Scotland. But, given that we couldn’t see it, we decided against going up into the cloud, sacred we would miss the top and just keep going. Apparently, not much of a view and boggy to boot.

FYI: The Cheviot is entirely in England.

The Glorious Twelfth wasn’t so glorious here. Rain and fog save the grouse. But there is still time for their party, tomorrow.

Right: Mr. Gruber

Vannessa and dog hadn’t got the taxi back with us yesterday. 
Having a plan to sleep in a mountain Refuge Hut. Just before the hut we met a walker, we asked if he had seen a lady and a dog. A popular question apparently, Mr. Gruber had also enquired.  He hadn’t and we worried, briefly. Another 20m and we were in the hut. No bodies.

The guest book contained a message from Vanessa. She and dog had spent a pleasant night and had even been visited by the air force. After she had made house, a helicopter came flying by hovering round until she went out and waved. 

Refuge Hut

They had waved back and left.

FYI: this type of wave is best accomplished with your arms below your head. As arms above your head 'Y' means yes, I need help.

The army must have a standing watch on the place – training. They had seen, and reported someone going into and not coming out of the hut, a lady too. So, they sent someone to check – in the form of a helicopter. Not bad service.

The weather

The walk into Kirk Yetholm is of course a big anti-climax. As is the end of any achievement.

Sometimes the journey is the important thing.

Almost

There

Finishing is both good and bad. We all took photos under the Border Hotel sign. In the rain. We had our free drink – we didn’t ask but I guess we look like walkers.

Son suggested turning around.

We had dinner, a beer, with my father and Mr. Gruber.

The End.

It even says so on the sign.

Now to plan for next year’s adventure. Somewhere hotter, geologically and geographically different. 

No bogs and maybe some wildlife – live wildlife that is.

		Cumulative
Distance Walked	21km	409km
Start Point	Windy Gyle
End Point	Kirk Yetholm
Via	Not the Cheviot
General Comments Parting gift That’s why we pay taxes The End

Our Other Walks

Walking Across Slovakia

Pennine Way - Day 17: Byrness to Windy Gyle

Not worse weather

The weather hadn’t worsened, it was still shit though, so we decided to go. 

No rain was forecast but lots of wind. For safety, we teamed up with Vanessa and Gretel, and Mr. Gruber. But Mr. Gruber, an Austrian, was too fast for us. Or maybe just liked to be on his own. Every time he stopped, he would set off again before we got there. 

We could see that he was safe, usually. But,  it seemed a bit odd. But he was nice when we chatted that evening.

The climb out of the valley through the wet forest was a challenge but between us we managed. 

View back to Kielder reservoir

When we got out of the forest the real speed of the wind became apparent. It would gust and simply move you a couple of meters to the side. Impressive.

We had been told that bogs were up to six feet deep. Daughter had been provided with a stick, just to try and confirm this I think. The stick failed to reach the bottom, we tried. They were deep. Luckily the flag stone path was largely dry.

But the dead floated just below the surface.

We passed a couple of interesting signs.

Really?

I mean get a car up here?

But apparently, they do, because they can and because they are dickheads.

Walking was hard enough. But if there wasn't a sign then who would people know that it wasn't allowed.

Apparently common sense is on the endangered list. But at least it makes for a good picture.

The other sign was more worrying. We were walking next to a big military training area. 

Don’t touch anything!

No messing about

50mph wind

There is also a Roman fort on the way – but we walked passed it without noticing. Mr. Gruber who had gone to investigate was also equally impressed. He was standing in it and couldn’t see it. We knew it had been excavated and reburied – but it had been reburied well.

Windy Gyle really lived up to its name that day. With nothing but Atlantic to stop the wind between us and America. The wind blew and blew making lots of little pigs homeless.

Today pigs could be flying.

Where are the goats

Off the track and down, down to meet the taxi. The Ministry of Defence had apparently given special permission for this taxi service so we were honoured.

Wildlife!

From the van we saw some of the extremely rare and fabled Cheviot goats (an introduction) but wildlife note-the-less.

Warmth and another three-course meal.

		Cumulative
Distance Walked	22km	388km
Start Point	Byrness
End Point	Windy Gyle
Via	Moors and Rain forest
General Comments Bertha And may kill you. Wild life

Our Other Walks

Walking Across Slovakia

Pennine Way - Day 16: Bellingham to Byrness

Wolf

The world is emptier here. With nothing to speak of between Belingham and Byrness and nothing much to speak of in Byrness. 

However, we had the scent of victory in our noses. They were firmly pointed at North – to the borderlands. Only 3 days to go. Then we will have done it.

Walked the Pennine Way.

The moorland scenery was a wonderful mix of colours and grouse who were still getting ready for the party on the twelfth. The sun was shining, the clouds white and fluffy a wonderful English (still) morning (not in Scotland yet). There was nothing to see, nothing to distract you from the views. Other than our feet, rucksacks, ... but we didn’t care. We could do two more days. 

Changable

Today doesn’t count, does it?

We are already doing it.

Eventually the moorland turned into forest. More forest than the guide book mentioned. Or maybe the trees just grew up a bit. But the Way seemed to find the wettest bits around and join them together. 

Oh how we longed for the drought of Kinder Scout. 

The path was dotteded with stone markers “GH” which we took to mean Getting Humid-er, as the nice fluffy clouds of the morning had turned nasty. But, GH apparently stands for Gabriel Hall, the High Sheriff of Northumberland. Not so well known as his twin, the High Sheriff of Nottingham, now pronounced ‘Nottinjum’.

More of the 80%

The path was a muddy river with water on either side. We tried going round but it was a waste so through the middle and swim if you have too. Daughter was sent to the back given her affinity with deep water. Wet from below and wet from about. You have to love walking in England. At least my scaremongering was now a reality. I feel vindicated.

The wet path soon turned into a wet forest path – the unnatural and ugly Kielder forest. A man-made monstrosity of monoculturally introduced(?) trees. We love forests but not this one. But fortunately, the rain had stopped and logging made for a couple of views. 

A quick chat with a forester, he had seen no wolves or no little girls with red hoods, and we continued down to Byrness, which only exists thanks to the forest.  The forester was nice and helpful. Which was a surprise because we thought that they were all lumberjacks and didn’t care.

A flat bit

The village was devoid of life. Another old postbox, Georgian and a hunt for the old YHA.

The YHA was closed, of course. Closed permanently.

But, luckily someone bought it and now it offers accommodation, free boot, well free everything drying and wonderful three course meals. There is a deal, and it’s a good one. The end of the next day is at the top of a hill in the middle of nowhere. 

Not convenient for anyone. 

So this enterprising couple offer two night’s accommodation and a free taxi service from and to / or to and from, depending on your direction of walk, Windy Gyle – the nowhere hill. This makes the Pennine Way at this end doable. 

There are some alternatives but this old YHA is now often fully book: YHA what did you do?

We found it, we entered, were stripped of wet stuff, save our underwear and were led to our rooms. A warm dry heavens.

Bertha wasn’t being friendly.

Two more day's smiles

Bertha, the ex-hurricane was making conditions scary. A yellow warning had been issued and it wasn’t sure if the next day’s walk would be advisable. Forecasts of 80 – 120 km/h gusts and with nothing on the tops to protect you. America in line of sight sort of thing.

The weather forecast in the morning would decide.

The lost lady with the dog, from yesterday. The not lost Vanessa and Gretel had been following us. The old couple  has been Vanessa’s parents. Small world. They, Vanessa and Gretel caught us in Byrness.

Two more days.

5/8		Cumulative
Distance Walked	24km	366km
Start Point	Bellingham
End Point	Byrness
Via	Moors and Rain forest
General Comments The bogs had gone on holiday They had gone to the forest Why doesn’t water flow down hill

Our Other Walks

Walking Across Slovakia

Pennine Way - Day 15: Once Brewed to Bellingham

The best Mile Castle

Off we go. Back to the wall, briefly thankfully.

There is a long an apocryphal story about how Once Brewed got its name. It involves generals and innkeepers and threats of death resulting from weak beer. This had been told to us by my father who was devastated to learn that this was in fact not true. In fact, the YHA named it Once Brewed as the location was simply next to Twice Brewed.

 Simple, but boring.

(But the story might still apply to Twice Brewed, next door. Says the romantic in me)

The Tree

We had been informed in the informative visitors center that there was a colony of red squirrels living somewhere near the wall. But they were few and wary. We wouldn’t see any we were told. Kill and eat the grey that is my motto, can’t sit on the fence on every issue. Squirrel pie, beats shepherd’s pie and shepherds are rarer than the red.

An Ex-parrot

In the end, we saw a red squirrel. It may have been few, it may have been wary. But it was definitely dead. It seemed to have committed suicide on the path in protest, probably of the lack of action with grey squirrels.

Given that we hadn’t seen much wildlife. Just the dead moles, we took a picture for posterity. Whoever she is.

You have to love it

We got to the most photographed tree in England. Made famous by Kevin Costner (a.k.a. Robin Hood) who passed it returning to Sherwood Forest. Sycamore gap, see photo. Very something or other in the right light apparently. We didn’t have the right light. So, it was just a tree.

Just a big and mature tree. We couldn’t help notice that a young tree had been planted nearby as a stand in, so to speak. Keep those tourist dollars rolling in.

We left the wall and headed towards Scotland. The rest of the day is a bit of an anti-climax. We met a friendly bull, who rather disconcertingly lead us along the path. Which of course went through a little gorge type thing. Luckily, he didn’t want to change direction as he was an impressive bit of beef. And we boy’s looked.

Don’t say that. We can’t help it. It’s a genetics thing.

Sticking to the path

It was a nice day, so we took shelter in a stone enclosure to have lunch out of the wind. This was the only structure in sight other than walls so I guess it often doubled as a restaurant / toilet for walkers. I was just not sure which bit was which. But I assume everyone makes the same decision and we weren’t dining in the toilet end.

Around a corner after a bit of wet stuff we met an elderly couple. They asked if we had seen a lady and a dog. Our reply was that we hadn’t seen anyone since Hadrian’s wall and went on our merry way. Apparently, without saying anything to each other we had all thought of Venessa and Gretel. A set of likely stories.

Just follow the green grass path, Dorothy

Green or gold or purple or brown or yellow or all of the previously mentioned and undulating described the rest of the day. Pretty in a very relaxing, not in a hurry type of way. The way walks should be. The type of countryside that had been created for walkers.

Bellingham: which we were informed is called Bellinjum was a nice little nothing. A nice B&B straight out of fiction land (But not Rising Damp) and dinner and a beer in the best Pub.

Life is hard.

We have tried to have a different beer every day. Real beer – not Euro-larger. It has had its ups and downs, but we do like a nice pint or two or three or four.

We’re trying to get binge drinker qualifications.

		Cumulative
Distance Walked	25km	342km
Start Point	Once Brewed
End Point	Bellingham
Via	Hadrian’s Wall
General Comments A famous tree A lady and a dog? Elocution lessons

Our Other Walks

Walking Across Slovakia

Pennine Way - Day 14: Greenhead to Once Brewed

The 'Roman' Wall

Because of the visit and lack of available public transport we decided to walk this stretch of the Way in the opposite direction to our prevailing trend. So we set off from Once Brewed toward Greenhead. 

This may become a worryingly difficult to maintain tradition.

The way quickly took us up onto the Roman Wall, we were lightly laden as the YHA was kindly looking after our stuff. This section is quite complete and the wall is about two thousand years old. The stones that make the wall are much older, but this very rarely get a mention.

Scale

We walked beside,  and on (sorry) and occasionally through the wall to get different views. The general impression that I walked away with, sorry for the pun, is that the wall was actually quite new. Rebuilt, perhaps, to attract tourists to the area. But since we had walked all of this way to see it, we paid our homage to the Roman invader’s and the wall to keep out the Scot. Or, probably more likely, the wall to regulate trade so that it could be taxed.

The Roman’s were occupying land far to the north of the wall so my money is on taxation.

More wall

Maybe, as there was so little to do up here, they kept the soldiers busy by building and then defending the wall. It stands sort of chest height and the mile castles just one or two very neat layers marking the spot. All a little to convenient for me. I think that we were walking along a modern replica of a wall built on the site of an older wall; possibly but not necessarily using some of the same stones,  as the wall that was build by a geezer called Hadrian.

Call me a skeptic.

Old and New?

In one place a quarrying operation had quite happily basted through the wall, so on there is a bit of a lake instead of a bit of a wall. If it was so old who would have let them do it – unless the stone from the quarry was actually building the wall…

But either way, the wall once must have been an impressive feat. And our feet were suitably impressed.

The Wall is very up and down. But these ups and downs are not big enough to make it onto the maps. So a flattish walk turns into a surprise roller-coaster of possibly reconstructed history.

Towards the end, or maybe the beginning, of the walk we met a couple of gentlemen who were running the length of the wall, or at least the old route. We met them in a car park and they asked for directions to the wall heading East. 

1.6km Castle

‘Just up there and past the trees’ I replied, ‘It’s the big stone thing, can’t miss it’. 

Some people have no senses of humour.

A storm was brewing, pardon the pun. But it certainly brought some atmosphere to the place. The Spaniards, Germans and odd Roman in the legions must have been impressed with the weather up here. 

It is, as they say, shite.

We ended by a castle, built with one suspects the old stones from the old wall. But didn’t have time to explore. Our guests had arrived. Not before time. You can get sick of Roman, when everything is Roman.

The weather was turning English again.

The storm approaches

Then the weather really started to make it's presence know.

We ran. 

Day into night

But not quick enough.

		Cumulative
Distance Walked	10km	317km
Start Point	Greenhead
End Point	Once Brewed
Via	Hadrian’s Wall
General Comments This bit we did backwards The old wall built just in case of a Yes vote for Scottish Independence History worth less than stone

Our Other Walks

Walking Across Slovakia

Pennine Way - Day 13: Alston to Greenhead

A big boy and a big toy

We started by the old railways station with big boys playing with their big toys.

But steam engines are always interesting so we stopped for a chat and learned a bit of local history.

We had been warned that the moors of today's walk were very very very wet. We had seen very wet close up, some of us closer than others. So very very very wet was scary.

Luckily, an alternative had been constructed; the disused railway is an apparently much much much better alternative, and just as free. 

So we decided to do it the hard way. But took a political wrong turn and stayed on the railway. 

Accidentally, of course.

The New 'Way'

Flat yes, but you make your own entertainment and we weren’t bored on this ‘boring’ section. Really, we are never bored. There is always something to see, something to laugh at and definitely many things to complain about. Also, this meant route finding didn't need the help of a compass.

Our cheat –  has been going for so many years it may as well be classed as the official route. I have never met anyone who didn’t do it. I had 'cheated' twenty five years earlier. So the tales of bogs and water filled boots may not be accurate or might have simply been a wet Tuesday in 1965 when the walk was officially opened.

But the two routes run parallel so you don’t miss the scenery.

No canal!

There was a river, with a road bridge crossed by the rail bridge: we had been out there a long time so were impressed. Slaggyford, also raised a few laughs; all lost on Son. Too young and too innocent. If oxes crossed the river at Oxford…

We had asked the big boys if the steam ride would eventually get to Greenhead, they had said no. Someone had bought some land and was complaining about them constantly. When we got to the land in question and old railway station had been turned into a nice house and the track into a nice garden. A lack of historical foresight.

A bridge

We crossed the old railway bridge – a big viaduct, after having walked around the nice house with the nice garden. We were suitably impressed and had something to eat in the middle. It was high. With arches. But not 24.

This is the Lambley Viaduct, probably named after a Mr. Viaduct who apparently lived near here in Roman times. Or possibly not.

We got some nice views of the bridge in part thanks to the nice house and nice garden.

It's nice to look down from something like this gives a sense of scale, lets you appreciate the achievements of man. Sort of triumph over nature, albeit a temporary one. It also gives me a sort of scared giddy feeling so I don't spend too long look over. Rather enjoying the closeness of the sky. Not scared of heights, mind you. Oh no. Scared of depths is much more accurate.

There was a Roman Inscription on the bridge. That's how we know its name.

Roman Inscription

 Scary depths, but worth it.

A deep depth

		Cumulative
Distance Walked	26km	307km
Start Point	Alston
End Point	Greenhead / Haltwhistle
Via	The Old Railway
General Comments Cheated – missed the boggy bits and walked along the old railway A nice bridge The South Tyne

Our Other Walks

Walking Across Slovakia