John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 030 - Alston to Dufton

Day: 030

Date: Thursday, 30 June 2022

Start:  Alston

Finish:  Dufton

Daily Kilometres:  33

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  847

Weather:  Sunny in the morning and partly sunny in the afternoon.  A few spots of rain.

Accommodation:  Youth Hostel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Cereal, toast & jam.

  Lunch:  Egg mayonnaise baguette/Cheese & onion baguette

  Dinner:  Bangers, mash & peas/Burger & chips, brownie & icecream

Aches:  Dave - a few niggles.  Julie - nothing.

Highlight:  Hard to pick today, but the first hour or two in bright sunlight walking through grassy meadows abundant with wildflowers was hard to beat.

Lowlight:  Firstly, the last couple of kilometres into Dufton were through muddy farmyards (and it wasn’t just mud) and narrow muddy trails that we could have done without.  Secondly, Dave’s laptop was hot when he took it out of his pack at the end of the day and refused to start.  Eventually, Googling on his phone, he found how to “hard” reboot it and it worked.  Catastrophe averted!

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Very poor phone reception tonight so this will be a brief account of a superb day’s hill walking.

After eating our fill of breakfast at the guesthouse in Alston, we started walking around 7:30am following a narrow pretty path upstream alongside the Tyne River.  After half an hour, the Pennine Way moved away from the river to go through some beautiful grassy meadows covered in wildflowers and seemingly the perfect abode for rabbits, of which there were plenty.

In mid-morning, we passed through the very attractive little village of Garrigal before climbing away from the river on a long earthen country lane high into the treeless grassy fells.  The further we went, the rougher the trail became until, after a final muddy and boggy steep climb, we reached the grassy summit of Cross Fell (893 metres) which will be the highest point on our journey to Land’s End.  We had a stunningly clear day, a rarity up there, and could see vast distances in all directions, including to the Lake District.

From Cross Fell, the trail more or less followed a high grassy, and often boggy, ridge for kilometres with continuing spectacular views.  There was little wind and occasional sun, making it perfect weather for hiking and we enjoyed the walking immensely.

Eventually it came time to descend, soon after a passing an incongruous radar station atop Great Dun Fell, and we reached the tiny village of Dufton, and our youth hostel accommodation, about 5:30pm.  We checked in, ordered dinner, breakfast and packed lunches for tomorrow and spent an evening that was much more pleasant for Dave once he had got his laptop working again (see above).

John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 029 - Alston

Day: 029

Date: Wednesday, 29 June 2022

Start:  Alston

Finish:  Alston

Daily Kilometres:  0

GPX Track:  Click here and here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her run and walk today.

Total Kilometres:  814

Weather:  Cool to mild and mostly overcast with a few showers.

Accommodation:  Guesthouse

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Cereal, toast & jam

  Lunch:  Tuna salad roll/Coronation chicken roll

  Dinner:  Burgers, salad & chips

Aches:  None

Highlight:  Haircut and shave for Dave

Lowlight:  None really

Pictures: No photos today

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

A very quiet day for us today.  Julie went for a run before breakfast and later in the afternoon went for a walk, managing to get a bit wet both times.  Dave spent most of the day in our room on running club admin with Wimbledon on the TV in the background, although we did go for a short walk around the attractive hill town of Alston to do some shopping before lunch, and Dave booked himself in for a haircut and shave later in the afternoon.

For a change, we had dinner at the local pub, which was nice, but nothing special.

John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 028 - Haltwhistle to Alston

Day: 028

Date: Tuesday, 28 June 2022

Start:  Haltwhistle

Finish:  Alston

Daily Kilometres:  22

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  814

Weather:  Cool to mild and overcast all day with a few spots of rain and a gusty wind in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Guesthouse

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pastries

  Lunch:  Tuna & salad roll/Chicken & bacon sandwich

  Dinner:  Fish & chips/Chicken nuggets & chips, chocolate pastries

Aches:  Dave - bruised right heel bothering a little.  Julie - nothing to report.

Highlight:  Maybe the Lambley Viaduct, which was built in 1852 and spanned the River South Tyne at a height of 33 metres.  It used to carry trains but is now part of the South Tyne Trail and we walked across it, impressed with the skills of the engineers and by the views it gave up and down the valley.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Our plan for the day was to follow the South Tyne Trail for the 21 kilometres from Haltwhistle to Alston where we have accommodation booked for two nights.  Given the relatively short distance, and the fact that we could not check-in to our guesthouse in Aslton until 3:00pm, we made a slow start to the day.  Julie had time for a short run and picked up some pastries for breakfast on her way back to our room and it was 9:15am before we began walking out of the village.

Initially, our route was along the banks of the River South Tyne on a sometimes quite technical and hilly single-track trail, followed by a section of overgrown field path, before we joined the old rail line path.  From there, the walking became quite easy on the quiet trail, with pleasant rural views and occasional glimpses of the river all day.

Late in the morning, the rail trail crossed the impressive Lambley Viaduct (see above),  Surprisingly, at the opposite end of the viaduct, the line of the old railway passed through what was now private property, so we had to descend steeply on steps to near the river, pass under the viaduct, and then climb back up steeply to the rail trail past the private property.  Would make it very tough for any cyclists trying to follow the trail which, otherwise, would have been a lovely ride.

We stopped around noon for lunch, sitting on a large rock beside the trail, on what had become quite a breezy day, though not breezy enough to keep the midges (or, perhaps, their English cousins) away.  The Pennine Way crossed the South Tyne Trail nearby and we saw some hikers climbing a hill from where we were sitting.  For the rest of the way to Alston, the Pennine Way paralleled and occasionally crossed our route but we decided to stick to our trail, which continued to offer lovely views.

At the hamlet of Slaggyford, the railway became real, with tracks used by a volunteer-run heritage train that operates on weekends.  We followed the line along a narrow adjacent path and passed several of the tiny restored stations en route, eventually reaching the end of the line at Alston.

From the station, it was a short walk to our accommodation in the centre of the village, where we arrived shortly after 3:00pm.  Although rain had been threatening, and we did get a few spots, we finished dry, which was a bonus, and are now looking forward to a day off tomorrow.

John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 027 - Bellingham to Haltwhistle

Day: 027

Date: Monday, 27 June 2022

Start:  Bellingham

Finish:  Haltwhistle

Daily Kilometres:  31

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  792

Weather:  Overcast and drizzling much of the morning.  Breezy and partly sunny in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Guesthouse

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Egg & cress sandwiches

  Lunch:  Tuna & sweetcorn sandwich/chicken pasta salad

  Dinner:  Fish & chips/Hamburger & chips/donut

Aches:  Dave - feet wet and sore.  Julie - nothing.

Highlight:  Hadrian’s Wall is awesome.  It would have been an engineering feat in any age, but to think of the Romans erecting such a formidable defensive wall across the top of England nearly 2,000 years ago is mind-boggling.  What remains is very impressive and it was special to walk along about 10 kilometres of its length today admiring the Romans' handiwork.

Lowlight:  There were some trail sections this morning, in steady light rain, where we had to slog through thigh-high saturated grass and carefully make our way across bogs.  It wasn’t long before shoes and socks, despite the Goretex, were also saturated.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We made an early start, leaving our accommodation around 6:15am in steady light rain.  As we followed the Pennine Way through rolling hills and farmland we were soon very wet.  The guidebook doesn’t give the section from Bellingham to Hadrians Wall a very high rating and we would agree with that.  The trail was a mix of easy and difficult and although there were plenty of small climbs, it never reached great heights.  The views were pleasant rather than spectacular.

Given the dreary weather, we delayed our breakfast break until after 9:00am, when we found a dry spot and the rain stopped briefly.  This was along the original Pennine Way, as we chose not to take a diversion recommended because of storm damage because it seemed to add some distance.  After breakfast, we had to deal with the storm damage, finding our way through the impressively big downed trees and dodging some deep bogs on the way.  It was slow going for a while but, once through, it was again a mix of trail until we finally climbed up the escarpment on which Hadrians Wall was built.

The walk along the Wall was excellent (see above).  Not only were large sections of the Wall and the outlines of fortifications clearly visible, but it was also a great vantage point to look out across the beautiful rural countryside.  It wasn’t easy or fast walking, though, as there were many steep little ups and downs, often involving precipitous steps.

Originally we were going to follow the Wall all the way to Greenhead, then catch a bus to our booked accommodation in Haltwhistle, but a review of the map convinced us to leave the Wall and Pennine Way and walk directly to Haltwhistle, which we reached just after 4:00pm.  Tomorrow we will follow a rail trail out of town until we again link up with the Pennine Way.

John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 026 - Horsley to Bellingham

Day: 026

Date: Sunday, 26 June 2022

Start:  Horsley

Finish:  Bellingham

Daily Kilometres:  22

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  761

Weather:  Overcast all day with a strong, blustery and chilly wind.

Accommodation:  Guest House

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Cooked breakfasts

  Lunch:  Ham & cheese sandwich/Chicken pasta salad

  Dinner:  Bolognese pasta bake, chocolate trifle

Aches:  None really

Highlight:  It was nice to have a short day

Lowlight:  The strong blustery wind took the edge off what would otherwise have been a lovely walk.  On the open moors atop the hills it was strong enough to blow you sideways at times and was a constant roar in your ears.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

With breakfast not until 8:30am, Julie had time to go out for a run on a beautiful morning before we ate.  We began walking around 9:30am on what was quickly becoming a cloudy and breezy morning.  To get from our hotel back to the Pennine Way involved a couple of hours of roadwalking, not our favourite activity, with a brief cross-farm leg on a public footpath to break it up.

Once we got away from the main road, things became very quiet, apart from the wind, as we climbed up a long gradual hill through sheep grazing country to a ridge and the Pennine Way.  Although the cloud base was low, it was clear and we could see a long way in every direction from the moorland atop the ridge as we walked southwards.  There were some boggy sections, and others overgrown by heath, but mostly the walking was easy and very pleasant.

We met a few hikers going the other way, but mostly had the world to ourselves.  With only about 20 kilometres to walk for the day, our plan had been to break it into two legs, but Julie showed no signs of wanting to stop in the chilly wind and we just kept going all the way to the village of Bellingham, which we reached around 2:20pm.

We bought some lunch in the village store, which we ate on a bench opposite, along with supplies for tonight and tomorrow since our accommodation was about 1.5 kilometres out of town and we didn’t want to have to come back in.  By 3:30pm, we had reached our accommodation and checked in, glad for an early stop, and pleased that the looming rain had mostly held off.  Unexpectedly, they had a washing machine (but no dryer) so we washed the smelliest stuff and hung it around our room to dry.

John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 025 - Jedburgh to Horsley

Day: 025

Date: Saturday, 25 June 2022

Start:  Jedburgh

Finish:  Horsley

Daily Kilometres:  39

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  739

Weather:  Windy and variable with sunny periods and showers.

Accommodation:  Hotel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Egg & bacon sandwiches

  Lunch:  Ham & cheese sandwich/Cheese sandwich

  Dinner:  Chicken burger, chips & salad, Apple & rhubarb crumble & custard/Sticky toffee pudding and ice cream.

Aches:  Dave - tired feet.  Julie - nothing.

Highlight:  It’s a bit weird, but our encounter with the British Police Anti-Terrorism Squad high in the Pennines was interesting.  From mid-morning, as we climbed higher and higher into the hills we could hear occasional short bursts that seemed to be some kind of machinery.  We couldn’t see anything, despite being able to see great distances, but the sound persisted periodically.  Then, as we crossed Chew Green, an old Roman staging post high in the hills, Dave could see a red flag flying on top of the next mountain in the far distance.  Our route was going to take us over that mountain and, as we reached its base, there was a sign warning it was a military firing range and not to enter when the red flag was flying.  However, no red flags could be seen from the sign so we decided to chance it, figuring that our route was along a remote road (part of the continuing old Roman Dere Street) and there were sheep around, so unlikely to be in the firing line.

We climbed the mountain on the road, passing more signs and a red flag, though they seemed oriented to prevent us leaving the road.  The sound got much louder near the top of the climb and we could see a cluster of parked vehicles that our road was going to take us past.  As we got closer we could see about six hire vans and a number of police walking around in full body armour at a roadside lay-by.  A very rapid-fire mini-gun (the kind deployed on attack helicopters) was being fired, in very loud short bursts, into the valley below.  Someone saw us, they stopped firing, and one of the policemen approached.  We thought we would be in trouble for ignoring the red flags and signs, but the policeman just said they would stop firing until we passed because it was so loud (they were all wearing hearing protection).  We walked past and they resumed firing.  Seemed kind of crazy that they had just set up in a roadside lay-by and were firing this very powerful weapon down into the valley.  But, we guess, nobody got hurt and one of the police stopped for a friendly chat later when he passed us on the road.

Lowlight:  We took a short break with four kilometres to go and, given the warm sun and absence of wind, stripped off some layers for the walk to the hotel.  After two of those kilometres, the sky darkened and a gusty squall with some heavy cold rain blew through.  Despite putting our rain jackets back on, we arrived at the hotel very wet.  If only the squall held off another 30 minutes.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Knowing we had quite a long day ahead of us, we got up early and left our accommodation soon after 6:00am to follow country lanes out of town on a breezy mild morning.  There was almost nobody about but us, and we had the beautiful morning countryside to ourselves.

After an hour or so, we re-joined the old Roman road, Dere Street, which was a foot-trail between fields, mostly on easy-walking grass.  There were some downs, but mostly we were climbing higher and higher into the grassy hills.  There were fewer farms visible and it felt more remote the further we went.  The views and scenery were excellent, though the strong wind was chilly.

Around noon, we crossed into England from Scotland and joined the Pennine Way for a while.  However, because of difficulties in finding accommodation for tonight, we didn’t follow the Pennine Way for long (we’ll pick it up again tomorrow), instead branching off to follow Dere Street southwards towards a hotel where we had booked a room..  It was here that we had our encounter with the police (see above).

Dere Street, which was a paved high country lane in this area, seemed to go on forever as we followed it gradually downhill through the Otterburn military training area where there were some interesting signs and more red flags, but no actual people.

Finally, we reached a busy road and followed it for the last four kilometres to our hotel where we checked in, looking somewhat bedraggled (see above).  The hotel is a little more upmarket than we are used to, and we bought our dinner in their restaurant, another treat.  We only have a short day tomorrow and breakfast, included with the price of our room, isn’t until 8:30am, so Dave, at least, will be having a sleep in.

John O'Groats to Land's End - Day 024 - Melrose to Jedburgh

Day: 024

Date: Friday, 24 June 2022

Start:  Melrose

Finish:  Jedburgh

Daily Kilometres:  29

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  700

Weather:  Mild and overcast in the morning; warm, humid and partly sunny in the afternoon.  Thunderstorms in the evening.

Accommodation:  AirBnB

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Full Scottish breakfasts

  Lunch:  Tuna & sweetcorn sandwich/Coronation chicken sandwich

  Dinner:  Savoury mince & rice, rice pudding

Aches:  Dave -  tired.  Julie - not tired.

Highlight:  Finishing before the late afternoon thunderstorms.

Lowlight:  None really.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We ate up big at breakfast and waddled out of the hotel at 8:15am to begin our day with a heart-starter of a climb up into the Eildon Hills, which overlook Melrose.  We saw a sign in town saying there is a footrace to the top on Saturday but, sadly, we will miss it.  St Cuthberts Way, which we were following, did not (fortunately) take us to the top of either of the twin Eildon Hills but did pass between them and that was enough of a climb, though we were well-rewarded with wonderful views to the north and south.

We were further rewarded on the descent which passed through lovely old growth woodland, beautifully peaceful apart from some birdlife.  These little ancient woodlands are arguably the best part of hiking in the UK.

St Cuthbert’s Way took us through more of these woodlands as the day progressed, as well as along riverside paths and country lanes, and across farmland, sometimes on rough field paths which were hard work.  Always, though, there were interesting things to look at on a day that got progressively warmer and more humid.

For much of the afternoon, St Cuthberts Way followed Dere Street, the old Roman road.  It’s always a thrill to feel you are following the same path as people 2,000 years ago, though, in places, we reckoned it could have done with some maintenance.

We reached the old town of Jedburgh, where we had accommodation booked, around 4:20pm and checked-in.  By 5:00pm the thunderstorms had arrived, so we were happy to be inside, though there wasn’t that much rain.

This is our last night in Scotland on this trip, and we will be sad to leave.  The scenery has been awesome and the weather not too bad at all.