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Friday 8th June 2012 Windy Gyle to Kirk Yetholm I got up early and was away from the Byrness Hotel before 8.00. It took over half an hour for Katie to drive me back to Trows Farm in the landrover and drop me off there. With all the quality for which British cars are famous the landrover's electrically-operated sun-roof had stopped working and had developed a leak which caused the accumulated overnight rainfall to be deposited on the front passenger as soon as he fastened his seat-belt. Today this meant a good dollop of water down my neck as it had been raining overnight. As we drove to Trows the cloud was sitting low on the hills and everything was wet from the fine drizzle hanging in the morning air. It didn't look promising for my last day and I didn't really want to get out of the car when we finally got to the disused farmhouse. I had to though and as I struggled into my waterproof overtrousers, in the same barn I'd waited in yesterday, Katie gave a farewell toot on the horn and was gone.
Alone for the final haul to Kirk Yetholm. Alone but at least my load was light as I'd left everything I no longer needed at the Byrness Hotel for Trisha to pick up when she came to collect me: tent, sleeping bag, Thermarest, chargers for the electrical bits, dirty laundry, old map etc. It made a fair difference. With Katie gone I shouldered the rucksack and set off up the hillside for the long, two mile slog back to the heights of Windy Gyle. All too soon I was in cloud and it was difficult to tell if the wetness was rain or just cloud pressing to me - it was wet either way though. Back at Windy Gyle I turned right (north-east) and started a 13.5 mile slog through bog, rain, hail, bog, wind, mist and more bog. It wasn't the most pleasant stretch in those conditions. Probably great in good weather but the rain had topped up the bog and whenever there were no paving slabs or duck-boards it was awful - a squelchy, soaking, tiring ordeal!
Somewhere past West Cairn Hill I went wrong, recovered but ended up going backwards along the same duck-boards I'd arrived by. It was partly because I was trying to use the GPS as little as possible, keeping it in an inside pocket for dryness as I was worried it might get wet and stop working. I didn't fancy navigating in this cloud and bog without the GPS. I soon got back on track though and reached the mountain rescue hut in which I'd been planning to spend the night until Katie came up with her vastly superior alternative. I have to say sleeping at the Byrness Hotel after a good, home-cooked Katie meal is preferable by far to the prospect of a night in that bothy. Spartan and only to be resorted to in extremes. I sat in it on one of the bare sleeping platform/benches and ate my packed lunch then it was back outside to resume the wet trudge through bog and cloud.
At the point where the Pennine Way splits into two alternative routes, the traditional high route and the softies' shorter low route, I gritted my teeth and took the high road even though it meant extra slogging uphill and an additional half mile. Well I was only going to do this once so I thought I might as well do it right. Eventually I began to drop down towards Kirk Yetholm and as I came off the hills and onto a tarmac road near where some cows were mooching about, an old boy and his wife offered me a lift into town. It was very nice of them, especially as I was so muddy, wet and bedraggled, but of course I had to decline and finish the walk properly. I walked through the rain into Kirk Yetholm and over to the official end at the Border Hotel.
It was pouring down and there was no-one around to take my photo so I had to just hold the camera at arm's length and do it myself. In the hotel after a bath and a change of clothes I signed the official book, supped my free half pint of 'Bucking Fastard' and received a fine certificate signed by Olivia Blackburn, the barmaid and daughter of the landlord. Then the inevitable vegetable lasagna, frozen tiramisu parfait and another pint.
Distance: 15.5 miles (includes 2 miles from Trows to Windy Gyle) Average speed: 2.6 mph Total ascent: 3562 feet Total Distance: 284.14 miles Total PW Distance: 276.54 (excluding sidesteps to B&Bs) | |||||||||
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