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Tuesday 5th June 2012 Twice Brewed to Bellingham There wasn't much cereal at the Twice Brewed Inn and the brown bread ran out leaving just the limp, white stuff but otherwise breakfast was OK - it should be for £73! I managed to get away by 9.10 and plodded back up the road to the Pennine Way which I reached by 9.25. Then it was off along Hadrian's Wall again with its ups and downs and occasional mile-forts.
The day was fine despite Les's gloomy prediction of rain; there was cloud overhead but the temperature was neither hot nor cold, just right for walking. The guide book said it was 9.5 miles to Hetherington and a further 3 miles to Bellingham but according to the GPS it was actually a foot-wearying total of 16.3 miles. Alright half a mile of that was the slog back up to the Way from the B&B but even so it seemed like a large disparity and I was flagging by the time I reached the end. It's all in the mind, of course, and if I'd been expecting 21 miles I'd probably have felt quite fresh - but as I wasn't… I didn't.
After leaving the Wall I trekked northwards, passing through a couple of forested sections including one ruined bit which had been logged - what a desolate wasteland it leaves. Presumably it sorts itself out in time as things tend to do but it looked a mess so recently despoiled.
Towards the end, about 3.00, a few fine droplets began to appear in the air. I slogged and wheezed my way up the charmingly named 'Shitlington Crags' where there was a whopping great radio mast, and at that point the rain became a bit more rain-like so I stopped and donned the weatherproofs. The mast was unmanned and had a ladder running right to the top, over 100 feet, I'd say. It seemed anyone could come along and give it a go if they wished - but it was a tad too far up for me.
After putting the waterproofs on the rain throttled back a bit and remained quite desultory as, quite tired now, I staggered along the final couple of miles to Bellingham. At last I got there and found the B&B, the Lyndale Guest House, a really nice, clean and friendly place. Ken, the owner, welcomed me in and made me a cup of tea and later when I asked where there was a payphone - no signal here for the mobile - he freely offered me the use of his phone. I used it to book tomorrow's accommodation at Byrness - the Byrness Hotel - and to ring Trisha to say I was ok. Ken's wife was equally nice and had a chat with me; they were about to take their 93 year old Aunt Frances out for a meal in Kielder. That evening I went to the Cheviot Hotel for a meal and a pint. Distance: 16.3 miles (including half a mile from the B&B back to the PW) Average speed: 2.7 mph Total ascent: 3454 feet Total Distance: 237.84 | ||||||||
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