Journal:
At breakfast,
I met Mike, another resident who was also hiking the
Pennine Way. He, like Andy and me, is aiming
for Byrness today and he told us that there were a
number of other hikers in town aiming for the same
Hostel (where I didn't have a booking), meaning it
would be quite full. There were few other
accommodation options there, so I knew I should call
them as soon as I had mobile phone coverage.
Fortunately, as I climbed
out of Bellingham through pastureland, I got a
signal and called the Hostel who called me back
several minutes later to say that they could squeeze
me in if I was willing to sleep on a fold-up bed in
a small alcove, which I accepted. They also
said I could get dinner there and buy food for the
next day, which was good to know since there weren't
going to be any other resupply options that I was
aware of. While I had phone reception, I took
the opportunity to make a few other phone calls and
ended up spending more than 30 minutes sitting on
top of the hill enjoying the sweeping views and
chatting to people in Australia.
It was a perfect day for
hiking, cool, overcast and just a light wind.
Humidity must have been low because it was possible
to see over the rolling hills far into the distance.
After crossing a few rural properties, the Pennine
Way moved onto moorland covered with tussock grass
and heather, with quite a few boggy patches.
Again, I was aware how fortunate I was that it had
been a dry winter and spring, and it was possible to
avoid getting my feet wet at all with some judicious
path selection, use of the trekking pole, and the
occasional large step. While I took a morning
break on top of Whitley Pike (356m) I enjoyed
watching a military jet going through its paces low
overhead, with some sharp turns, rolls and steep
climbs. In the distance, I could hear
explosions which may have been artillery or perhaps
bombing. Andy caught me and we spent some time
working on his feet, some parts of which looked a
bit grim. I gave him my last big blister
patch.
After following the high
ridges of the moors, the path then followed the
edges of Redesdale Forest, part of a giant conifer
plantation, for some time. There were some
steep boggy difficult parts, but generally the
walking was reasonable and further along the path
went through the forest itself on forestry roads.
It makes a nice change and I enjoy the smell of the
pines. My iPod has finally dried out and has
begun working again, and I spent the last hour or so
into Byrness, on what had turned out to be a pretty
easy day, singing along to the iPod as I walked
through the forest.
I arrived at the Hostel,
which is privately owned, at 4pm and was able to
check in immediately. Fraser, a five-time
Pennine Way hiker who I had met during the day was
already there, as was Mike, from the B&B this
morning. The hostel is full, with some
cyclists and a family of five, also walking the
Pennine Way. There's a bit of excitement
amongst the Pennine Way hikers as tomorrow is their
last day. But it is a long one of about 48km.
They are all planning to get up early and reach the
final town, Kirk Yetholm, in time to check into
their B&Bs, have a shower and get down to the pub
for England's first World Cup match against the USA
at 7:30pm.
My route leaves the
Pennine Way after only about 8km tomorrow and my
goal will be the largish town of Jedburgh, which is
only 31km away. However, I think I'll get up
with the Pennine Way hikers and leave soon after 6am
in the hope of reaching Jedburgh in time for a late
lunch and a lazy afternoon, before also watching the
World Cup. Jedburgh is in Scotland, so I'm not
sure who the locals will be supporting.
Crossing into Scotland and leaving the Pennine Way
marks the next milestone of my trip.