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!

Pennine Way 18 Garrigill to Knarsdale

After the coldest winter for many years we were all looking forward to resuming our trek along the Pennine Way starting with a lovely weekend away staying in Alston.

This is the YHA directly on the Pennine Way. A very comfortable hostel with a nice friendly atmosphere and red squirrels playing in the trees right outside the windows. The hostel is privately owned by a lovely couple Val and David, and the food was of a very high standard. One to visit again I'm sure. Although the facilities may not be as good as staying in a B&B, the shared experience of the group staying in the hostel adds greatly to the enjoyment of the occasion and I can highly recommend it especially if you are on your own.

I had a quick look around Alston before the walk started on Saturday morning. It is England's highest market town with many 18th century buildings and cobbled streets.






















Our walk started in Garrigill and followed a pleasant track alongside the South Tyne river.





The weather was fine but a bit cold in the breeze and out of the sun. After passsing through Alston we made our way uphill and down dale to Slaggyford which didn't really live up to it's name.

The scenery was beautiful but I think we were all feeling a bit weary by the time we arrived at the viaduct at Burnstones Only a short hop from there and William was waiting for us conveniently parked outside the Kirkstyle Inn at Knarsdale where the 'A' party had been filling in time waiting for us to arrive!

As an extra bonus to our Pennine Way adventure we had managed to hit on the only weekend when there was to be a celebration of the Romans leaving Hadrian's Wall 1600 years ago! Beacons were lit at 200 metre intervals all along the wall from Wallsend to Carlisle. We were advised by Val at the YHA of a suitable viewing point where we could park the coach and William volunteered to take us up there before dinner.

We were quite a way from the wall but it was possible to see several of the beacons and I did manage to capture this on camera but the quality of the photo isn't brilliant.




Back at the hostel we had time for a quick shower before a splendid meal of homemade chicken pie and sticky toffee pudding. Some went down to the town for a drink but many of us were too contented to bother and were looking forward to another good walk the following day.

Just a little reminder to those who may not have visited the blog before, if you click on the green highlighted words this will take you to further pictures or information about the places we have visited and if you click on 'beacons' you can see a short clip on Youtube showing an aerial view of the beacons.