We leave a bit earlier today and it’s another heatwave, unbelievably given how far north we are. We cross the river Irthing, taking us from Northumberland back into Cumbria, then we make for Hadrian’s Wall.
We follow the beautifully kept Hadrian’s Wall path for a few miles, meeting one of the groundsmen on the way, tidying the path and mending a gate. He is rightly proud of his work and reminds us that the Walk is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s certainly very impressive. We pass Birdoswald Fort which is closed again. I suspect that it is closed because it is so early in the day, but coincidentally we’ve never seen it open when we’ve been past.
Regrettably, we have to leave Hadrian’s Wall and head north west into the ‘debatable lands’ that were contested by England and Scotland over centuries. The footpaths start really well, although we seem to be causing the cows to stampede towards us then away from us in every field we pass. We surmise that they may be very bored and we’re the only distraction they’ve had for a while.
We stop to eat our packed lunch supplied by Dacre House under the shade of an old, spreading beech tree. Then the fun begins. Some footpaths are not identifiable, some are ridiculously overgrown and all the stiles are in various late stages of decrepitude. We climb gates, pass under electrified fences and wade through stingers, all in the full glare of the sun. We do see another hare, so it’s not all bad. It is strenuous work in these temperatures though. Eventually, we admit defeat and decide to follow the quiet country roads rather than risk heatstroke or other misadventure.
The roads at least are passable and have an even camber and occasional shade. They are continually up and down to bridges over rivers and, while this is hard work, we do get spectacular views across to the North Pennines and the Lake District fells far away to the south, as well as the Scottish southern uplands to the north.
We get hotter and thirstier as the afternoon progresses and the route continues to undulate. We stop regularly to ensure we don’t overheat. Finally, we reach the Pentonbridge Inn where we’re meeting our brother-in-law, Chris, and my nephew’s wife Zoe. There is soon a knock on the door and Zoe has sent us some chilled foot pack socks - absolute bliss!
Total distance so far: 405 miles - over halfway (just)
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