Monday, May 2, 2011

Pennine Way 25 Auchope Rigg to Kirk Yetholm

The final day

Ray had indeed come up with another cunning plan and his landlady had assisted with a phone call to check that we could ascend to the Pennine Way via Sourhope Farm, just an extra half mile to deal with. It was a relatively easy way to begin with apart from the last steep stretch up Auchope Rigg. After a few moments for everyone to catch up we set of for the Schil, the last peak of the Pennine Way.















We had to climb over a barbed wire fence to gain access to the summit but it was worth it for the splendid views while we ate our lunch. It was a very cold wind on the summit and today there were a few clouds in the sky. In the distance we could see a patchwork of fields and woods and beyond them hills in the distance.





There was a choice of route near the end, the high route and the low route. Very little difference in length but one went up and one went down. I chose the low route led by Rita. She had set us off on this journey many months ago and now she was bringing us home despite her dodgy knees!
The only casualty we had en route was a bumped head a mile from the end on a road!

At last after a rather cruel hill we arrived at the Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm and celebrated with cups of tea and coffee or pints of beer according to taste. Book signed, certificates collected, official photos taken on many cameras by David Bailey, sorry I meant Eamon Smith, and we set off for home with quiet satisfaction that we had achieved another goal and shared the highs and lows of a splendid walk along the backbone of England.




Unfortunately Eamon is leaving JAK travel so this was his last trip with us but I think he has caught the walking bug and hopefully he'll be joining us on a walk now and then, a whole walk Eamon not just a short section!

As usual I would like to thank all those willing volunteers that organise these trips, plan the routes and lead the walks. Without you none of this would be possible. Many thanks for all your hard work. Thanks also to Peter for taking many of the photos and dashing backwards and forwards to get the best views. I certainly haven't got the energy for walking as well as taking photos and the quality of the blog has gone up since he joined us half way through. Also thanks to Jean Moxon who also supplied some photos and Colin who did the narrative for one section.


'To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping'

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Pennine Way 24 Windy Rigg to Auchope Rigg

We awoke to a beautiful sunny day again without a cloud in the sky. Still quite windy on the tops but the ground was really dry and the peat bogs were as dry as a bone....brilliant!


The 'A' party went back up the track they had descended yesterday and walked all the way back to Kirk Yetholm. The 'B' party split into two groups, those who wanted to climb to the summit of the Cheviot went ahead and I joined this group. I wasn't sure I wanted an extra climb but I'm glad I did as it was very easy.






First of all we had to gain all the height we had lost yesterday and then set off for Windy Gyle where we had half our lunch.










A large part of today's walk was on stone flags or duckboards as the alternative would normally have been peat bogs. The weather had been very dry for a couple of months so we didn't have any trouble with peat bogs at all. We had splendid views all day walking amongst the bilberry bushes, cloudberries and cotton grass waving in the breeze. Cloudberry was a new one on me and I forgot to take a photo but if you follow the link you can see what they look like. I wonder if they would go well with vodka........!!




On the way to the summit we had a view of the North Sea in the distance but the walk was a bit of an anti-climax as it was mostly on duckboards. A brief stop at the trig point that Peter ascended to fly the Union Jack someone had left behind and then back down the same track to continue on our way to the cairns we could see in the distance.















The views around Hen Hole were very spectacular but there should have been a waterfall down there. If you have 6 minutes to spare put your coat, hat and gloves on and follow this link to see what it looks like in a bad winter.



I'm glad it wasn't like that for us but it just shows what a difference the weather makes to your walk.








As we arrived at the refuge hut Eamon arrived on the scene having walked up to meet us. He had been warned by the farmer, who had a gun, that we weren't really welcome on his land during the lambing season but on this occasion he would let us go through, so we left the Pennine Way and made our way down to the coach. The first group passed through the farmyard without any problem but the farmer got rather nasty with the last of the group and said he didn't want us back tomorrow. Hmmm now what should we do, Ray had to put on his thinking cap and come up with another cunning plan!



Back at the hostel the wine was flowing and everyone was having a jolly time including the warden and his friend. Some had already completed the Pennine Way and arranged to do part of St Cuthbert's Way the following day.

Today's walk for the 'B' walkers had been 10 miles and and 2400 ft climbing with 2.5 miles and 400 ft extra if you went up the Cheviot. Not quite as tiring as yesterday and the group were in a celebratory mood.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Pennine Way 23 Byrness to Windy Rigg

Our last weekend staying at the SYHA in Kirk Yetholm to complete the Pennine Way and we couldn't have had better weather.......well perhaps it could have been a bit less windy but that's being very picky!

35 of us and Eamon took the smaller coach to Kirk Yetholm and Kelso. I stayed in the hostel in a jolly group of 18. As it was a Scottish hostel it was all self catering so it required a bit of forward planning in the food department. Its quite amazing how the group sorts itself out into early risers and later risers in the morning. I always seem to have my breakfast early with Harry and Stuart and Peter and then get out of the way and have a peaceful hour or so before its time to set off.

We travelled up on Friday evening after a day watching (or trying to avoid!) the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Catherine Middleton. I wasn't going to watch but got drawn into it and actually really enjoyed it.

The walk we had left to do was 27 miles with very few places to leave the Pennine Way but Ray had devised a cunning plan to enable the 'B' walkers to do it in three sections and the 'A' walkers to do it in two sections. It required several more miles and much more climbing than the 'B' walkers would normally do but we're made of sturdy stuff and it had to be done to complete the walk.


Eamon dropped us off at Byrness and we set off up a steep track through a wood and out on to Byrness Hill. The sun shone as it did all weekend and spirits were high as we were all looking forward to finishing. We made our way steadily upwards and stopped for lunch with splendid views of forests and hills.





















A large part of this walk was beside the border fence between Scotland and England and we kept crossing from one to the other.




The 'A' party went ahead after lunch and then the 'B' party split into two for a while in the area of the Roman Camps at Chew Green. All of us had to descend to Cocklawfoot to catch the bus and the 'B' party left the Pennine Way at Windy Rigg and made our way downhill. The 'A' party and those who had gone ahead walked a bit further and took a very pleasant track down the other side of the valley and we all met up at the same time and on time to leave at 6.00 pm.


It had been a very tiring day 14 miles and 2800 ft of climbing and there were some sore feet and legs in the group.

We all had a good meal, some lucky people got a piece of rhubarb and apple pie and custard at the hostel! Most were in bed fairly early to get ready for another hard day tomorrow.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Pennine Way 22 Bellingham to Byrness

Today we awoke to beautiful sunshine but still a chilly wind. Those of us staying at the hostel who were ready really early managed to sneak on to the coach and have a ride to Haltwhistle to pick up the B&B folk. Haltwhistle is the centre of Britain which comes as a bit of a surprise really and although it is quite a small place it is on the main line from Carlisle to Newcastle which one member of the group took advantage of and went for some retail therapy in Newcastle!
















The main group were dropped off in Bellingham and were soon climbing out of the North Tyne valley and up on to the moors.




I think most of us agreed that one of the worst parts of the Pennine Way was a steep climb between the edge of Redesdale Forest and a broken down stone wall. You could balance on the wall and risk spraining an ankle or get your boots wet in the bog! However the marshy ground at the edge of the forest was filled with beautiful bright green mosses.




At last we entered the vast expanse of Keilder Forest which stretched out in front of us but the track was stony and hard to walk on so we were very pleased to reach the end of it. After a
quick game of 'Pooh Sticks' at Blakehopeburnhaugh bridge we walked alongside the River Rede the last 2 miles to Byrness arriving just 10 minutes before the coach was due to depart.

It had been a hard weekend's walking for the 'B' party, getting on for 40 miles in total and plenty of ups and downs to contend with. It will be next year now before we can complete the task and we'll all be another year older by then, but I'm sure we'll tackle it with energy and good humour. Watch out Kirk Yetholm here we come!

Thanks again to Peter for his valiant efforts at getting from the back to the front of the group and taking lots of photos, with and without boots on, and almost minus a sock!!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Pennine Way 21 Housesteads to Bellingham

We thought we were in for an easier walk today, 11 miles and all day to do it in, no problems. All I can say is that these must have been Roman miles as in English miles it was much nearer to 14 than 11. Fortunately the weather was dry but still cold and overcast.
We were dropped off on the road and made our way to Rapishaw Gap where the Pennine Way leaves Hadrian's Wall and turns north to the forests and distant views of the Cheviots, our journey's end....but not just yet!

Today we had marshy areas, forest, fields and moors and plenty of uphill, or so it seemed to me. The group split into two after lunch as some were ready to move on before others. A lone Pennine Way walker caught up with us with 6 miles left to go and put us to shame as he had walked all the way from Greenhead with a 12 kilo pack on his back and he was 70 years old. Mind you he was nearly done for but he stayed with us to the end and had plenty to talk about as he had married a Bradford girl many years ago.




I was in the breakaway group and Margaret had a map that went most of the way to Bellingham so apart from one or two places where the path wasn't too well marked we didn't have any problems finding the way.







One last climb up to the radio mast on Shitlington Crag and then at last Bellingham could be seen in the distance and thoughts of a nice cup of tea kept us going till the end.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Pennine Way 20 Greenhead to Housesteads

We set off from Bradford at 9.00 am and after quite a long journey we started our walk about 12.15. The weather was cold and overcast with rain in the air but this cleared away as the afternoon wore on. It certainly didn't feel like Spring but I heard my first cuckoo of the year just before lunch which was a welcome sound.

After turning left...or was it right....at Thirlwall Castle we made our way to the visitor centre and lunch before setting off along Hadrian's Wall. Only 10 miles today but a very strenuous 10 miles along the best preserved part of the wall with frequent ups and downs rather like walking on a coastal path. A few who had done this part before opted to shorten the walk and drop down to Once Brewed. The rest of us carried on a mile or so beyond the point where the Pennine Way branched off to the left and finished at Housesteads where William was waiting patiently with the coach to take us to the hostel or on to Haltwhistle. We arrived at the hostel just as dinner was about to be served.















Once Brewed YHA in the sunshine........looks good, better than I remember it!!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Pennine Way 19 Knarsdale to Greenhead

Sunday dawned bright but a bit cooler and breezier as we went by coach back to the viaduct.



A short climb uphill and then we made our way along the Maiden Way which is an old Roman Road.















The books had led us to believe that this was a boring bit of the Pennine Way and we would see nothing but bog all day long. Well yes we did go through some boggy places and one or two people did get water in their boots but there was at least one person who kept his boots dry all day long! Barefoot hiking might catch on.











The walking seemed easier today and we had plenty of time for tea stops and lunch but the views weren't quite as good as yesterday so I haven't as many photos.

We picked our way carefully over Blenkinsop Common up to the highest point Black Hill where we got our first sighting of the Cheviots in the not too far distance. Journey's end doesn't seem too far away but we've a few hard days walking yet before we get there.

The 'A' party had a run in with some cows protecting their calves but thankfully they didn't bother with the 'B' party and we passed them by without a problem.





After a brief stop at a ruined barn we made our way towards the A69 and civilisation. Our first sight of civilisation was a deep gorge filled with rubbish and old cookers and washing machines that had been illegally dumped! Rather a depressing sight after all the beautiful countryside we had walked through.



As we approached Greenhead alongside the golf course we came to the Vallum, a defensive ditch which runs south of Hadrian's Wall. Our walk today finished at Greenhead in the tea room or the pub.
Next time we will be on Hadrian's Wall and if you want to find out more about the history of the wall and have a few minutes to spare follow this link and Neil Oliver will tell you all you need to know!

Thanks to Peter for his photographic contributions to the blog. I did manage to get a few of my own in this time!