Day 34's photo!

Day-34 unexpected kindness

After a night listening to the screech of birds (owls?) in the beech trees overhead, I wake early with no great rush to get going as my first move is for provisions in Garstang. I quickly find a Booths supermarket and purchase a bench breakfast (exactly as it sounds!) and food for the day, moving off from said bench I head back to the canal.
Out of town the canal briefly follows the M6 to Bilsborrow where it slowly (as is the won't of canals) veers west, passing some canal workers repairing the tow path a few hellos are exchanged before continuing quickly on.
Leaving the canal for Woodplumpton, I stop at the Wheatsheath pub for dinner and a pint, great pub and great people here as I raise another £8 and then as I pay I'm told the food is free! That really caught me of guard as it's very much a first for me! Can't state how appreciated that was!.
Walking away with a full stomach and a smile I cross the M55,and head into Preston where walking along I see a chap in the uniform of the canal repairs team, not just any worker but one of the guys in the pic!.once I leave the canal I appear to have become invisible again!  People obviously too busy to say hello.
Finding a Lidl store I stock up again for the evening and cross over the river Ribble at the bridge, here I become visible again! And chat with a cyclist who is considering cycling an end to end route... Do it!, nice bloke and a good chat at the end of which he also donates!.
Walking from the clamor of the busy roads to the quiet of the riverside embankment the city soon fades away and I'm among wildfowl and a different raucous noise for tonight.

Day-33 Canal desires! ;-)

A chilly night always means a sunny morning, today's no exception the sky is azure blue, perfect! And the sky dominates my horizon as I walk across the thick clay like surface of morecambe Bay, I've walked a curious number of surfaces on this walk and this is one of the more odd! But saying that it's a good walking surface and progress is good into Hest Bank,into the town and back to the canal that's leading me on through today, with the sun shining down and sparkling in the water progress is relaxed into Lancaster, taking the loop east the canal keeps a nice view of the city and the dominant castle in the cities north.
Leaving the canal briefly to go into the center for breakfast and snacks, I'm drawn to the impressive city hall and facing it a huge statue of Queen Victoria! Very stern visage!
A quick visit to Greggs again (not sponsoring me!) and a chat a bloke as I ate, nice how this impresses people! During this chat another guy sat quietly at the other end of the bench as I stood to go he thanked me for what I'm doing, turns out he was homeless! This won't help him personally but to be appreciated like this was incredible.
Humbled I move on back to the canal and out of this impressive city... Must return one day.
The canal wends it's way through the country with an avenue of trees, with the sun bright above dappling the water. the mood I'm walking in is blissful!
At lunch I pass a canal side cafe where I purchase a baked potato, always good for energy, then with the trees becoming fewer and the sun brighter, I'm walking amidst a flotilla of Butterflies and dragonflies! Beautiful, this day couldn't get any better!
But it does, stopping to chat to a group of people with border terriers.. Has to be done, they offer me a few beers to take with me and to up my water! How appropriate that their barge is called Plodder! Lol
Nicely loaded up I wander until I spot a good place to camp under a beech tree just north of Garstang.

Day-32 Half day n Rest

The camp on the wrong side of the sea defence worked out well without any tidal disturbance, a little drizzle was the worst I got, nothing in not used to!
To reduce the time spent walking today I opted to stick to the b road that the cycle track follows, very little difference in distance just simple to do.
The track went thru Dallam tower's deer park... No deer just sheep and on into Beetham.dodging in and out of woodland to Yealand storrs,uphill to Yealand Redmayne and then up a Hovis add steep hill through Yealand Conyers.... Wonder what Yealand means???
Passing through Warton and into Carnforth I find the first available cafe for a full English breakfast.. Can't get enough of these!
Out of town via the Lancaster canal my first on this trek! And the going is easy and flat... Also a first!
Into Bolton-le-sands for supplies and across to the coast at Morecambe Bay for my rest at Red bank farm camp site.
Pitched and chilling a well loaded cyclist pulls onto the site, unloads near me and we get chatting, seems he's here to attend a 60's - 80's festival where he'll be celebrating northern soul!
Great chap and some good company.

Day-31 Foot sore!

After yesterday's mammoth push (well it felt that way!) my feet ache badly and my get up and go has done just that! Achingly I still have to follow suit! Into Bowness on Windermere for provisions and then straight up a road that runs up and out of town at an alarming angle to the top of Bram fell,tiny B road's and the track in the pic take me to Gilding mill and then appropriately a place called Crook Foot! You couldn't make it up!. Here my luck improves with masses of blackberries to munch and damsons too!
Going into Crossthwaite I take a break on a wall overlooking the valley, a car stops thinking I'm a local and asks directions to Witherslack Hall school, which I could help with,noticing my rucksack they kindly donated £5.
A tiny Lane across the valley and a footpath up the other side and my path goes around the flanks of the cliff edged Whitbarrow scar, up and on top of this hills plateau and a fascinating landscape is mine to explore of sssi woodland and the rocky but pleasant land that I've found for my dinner break.
Down through the woods to Grain farm and looping roads to Levens for provisions, under the A590 and follow the A6 road to Haversham, a couple of long straight roads that wouldn't be out of place in the fens and I'm camped looking over the marshes of Milnthorpe sands.

Day-30 hump day!

The wild camp above derwent water was spot on, with no interruption, a nice early start and I'm heading deeper into Watendlath, skipping across the road in front of me goes a red squirrel! I've not seen one since my last pennine way walk, must be more than 7 years ago now! It's a morning for unusual sights, as I pass another viewpoint I spot two presumably pagans greeting the dawn or the rising sun, would have liked to have a chat but their meditations were taking some time!
Past the tarn and up a steep sided ascent, I'm being constantly overtaken by dogs as the local farms put there hunt dogs through their paces, boy can those dogs move!
At my considerably slower pace I trudge up the side of High Tove and over to Blea Tarn before going up standing crag and high saddle on route to the high point of my day Ullscarf! At 2175 feet not the highest I've been but a good push to get up it!, downhill along Greenup edge and then to another old friend Wainwrights coast to coast walk! And the usual throng of thru walkers!. Down to the head of Easedale for lunch shared with a group of Canadian C2C walkers the chap in the orange shirt in the picture kindly donated £20!!!.
Into the bottom of Easedale and I'm in Wordsworth country though with the sheer number of people here there's no chance to wander lonely.... Well you get my point! ;-)
A good icecream break in Grasmere then I'm off following the coffin route to Rydal! Some lovely folk here to chat to and I gave out no end of info cards!, and received another £10 in donations!
Through to Ambleside for provisions and a long wearying trudge along the A591 albeit with pleasant views of windermere water, until at 7.30pm I collapse down at the campsite.
A very tough but great days walk! Which has put me at past the half way point! From here on in the larger distance is behind me!

Day-29 Into the lake district

A late departure from Caldbeck with a full stomach was a good compromise, and with a day in the fells a necessary one.
The uphill starts right in the village as I get back on the Cumbria way with fairly steep paths along quiet country lanes and through sheep fields, at Nether row the path gets properly steep and zig zags help to get your lungs accustomed, this is old mining country but this side of the hill there's little evidence, four kilometers of ascent to the top and a horizontal path takes me to lingy bothy, I stopped here when I walked the way last.... Chilly old bothy it was too! The path descends here running parallel with graingill beck and the new boots prove there worth gripping nicely to the steep hillside, passing the visible remains of a mine at the bottom the path turns to the south west along a fairly level valley to Skiddaw house youth hostel, where I stop for my lunch, the solitude is broken here as suddenly the valley is full of walkers! Nice bunch of people, but walkers generally are.
After lunch I set off directly south along the side of longscale fell briefly crossing another long walk, this being one of my own devising that I titled the Cumbrian roman ramble!  Linking up a lot of roman sights over a 150 mile trek.
Lonscale fell's path is on quite a sheer hillside where one slip to your left as you go could be your last, the paths good though and progress is quick now I've eaten, and I soon catch up with my lunch time visitors, a good chat as we went with me having my pace matched by an 82 year old!  If I'm half that fit when I'm that age I'll be pleased!
Down the side of latrigg a small hill to the south of Lonscale and I'm into Keswick and the Booths supermarket sees me fed and stocked up for tomorrow.
I head along the banks of Derwent water looking for a quiet pitch for the night, without luck. plenty of flat areas but all shale ground so no chance of putting the tent up. Picking up the road to Watendlath I soon find a place to sleep,with great views of Derwent water. Nice way to end the day :-).

Day-28 new boots!

The first English wild camp goes nicely undisturbed and I'm away just after seven again, a few twisty lanes and similar b roads and I meet back up with the river Eden looping it's way through Carlisle until the A7 crosses over on a rather grand bridge, then I dip under the major roundabout via the nicely decorated underpass and into the city centre, crossing paths with the locals rushing to work in both boiler and power suits I'm quite the odd sight, though this town appears to be one where I remain invisible.
A quick wander around and a find breakfast and wait until the local Cotswolds outdoor shop opens who quickly supply me with new boots(heels and grip both worn out) and a new pair of waterproof trousers which I'd split on a barbed wire fence...Thankfully just the trousers!
As I'm heading out of town I receive a text from Rachel at Accommodation Concern with some most amazing and exciting news! Which you'll have to wait until the day to hear about! (major teaser!).
This news completely throws me and I lose track of my direction (not unusual in a town) my gps soon puts me right and and I'm reunited with another old friend the Cumbria way! Not too sure when I walked this but u think around 2004. This great path heads very quickly out of town following the river Caldew, where I soon become visible to people again, all of a sudden now I'm in my expected surroundings people want to know about the walk! And cards with all the info are soon flying out my hands! It's never raised this much interest in any other place! :-)
Into Dalston and the level of interest is similar though cash donations start coming in!.
My spirits match the bright sunny weather as I leave town and I'm back following the Caldew, past the posh lime house school and then Rose castle, a bishops palace in the past.
The river continues to be followed with diversions to alow for the large amount of erosion that this now placid river seems to have caused, winters must cause a considerable increase in flow.
Into woods now and the path sharply heads up hill before levelling out and and then dropping into Caldbeck, cheeky pint and a pub meal and then I settle down for the night.

Day-27 new month, new country

The rest day obviously did me good as I'm up packed and away by 7.15am, along the still quiet streets of Annan to Tesco, provisions bought and away I go to the solway firth and my first sight of England!
Not only England but Bowness on.Solway as well, this place being special to me as it was the end of my Hadrians wall walk a couple of years ago.
Along the Firth I walk passing huge sections of netting on poles to catch salmon swimming in these waters.the path here is well signed and a pleasure to walk until it turns inland to Eastriggs, not my route I'm giving one last stretch of black dots the opportunity to prove to be the path the map indicates..... Fool! Within half a kilometer I'm scrambling through reed beds and gorse bushes! The best way through its to follow the line of the MOD fence although this has plenty of opportunities to trip you up, eventually rounding Torduff point the path becomes obvious again with many small paw prints, this side of the point is obviously a regular dog walk and the going becomes easy.
At Browhouses I head inland along country lanes turning this way and that until I enter Gretna, pleasant place, I soon reach the old toll house which is now a cafe right on the edge of Scotland as the name suggests. Fish and chips for lunch.... superb! At the back of the toll house is a cairn being erected by pro unionists called hands across the border! I place a stone here.
Then finally and a little emotionally I enter England! Following a B road beside the M6 for a few miles no less than six end to end cyclists pass me, one stops to chat this is his third end to end trip one on foot and now his second by cycle... Wonder if two will be enough for me?.
My round turns south west to Rockcliffe and I start to follow with absolute confidence those wonderful pink dotted or dashed paths marked on English maps. These do not let me down!. Past a place called Cargo and along the river Eden until I find a wild camp for the night just outside Carlisle....perfect for tomorrow's plans.

Sunday 31st August

Horizontal all day! Now that's a rest day!

Day-26 Fruits, ruins and new friends

Last nights pitching of the tent had been a soggy affair, by this morning after a rainy night in a pine forest the tent was bone dry, love the advantage of forestry camping!.
Following B roads under a clearing sky into Lockerbie I get the days provisions from a greggs bakery, have to love the two pound coffee and sausage and bacon roll deal! I certainly have done in the past and it's taken four weeks of walking to get rid of the resulting belly!.
Some towns I can walk through and get no end of interest from pedestrians, to Lockerbie I was an oddly smelling ghost! Not a flicker of an interaction, I suppose with the towns horrific history they have a reason, though I'd hoped they would have left that in the past... Time will heal.
Uphill at Hayrigg I met a lady in horse back who admired my quest, wishing she could do it on her horse, like me she mentioned the freedom to roam Scotland and also the sheer inability to actually get anywhere off road!.... Glad it's not just me!
Directly south still following the Annandale way, with its excellent signs! I'm foraging the hedgerows for the huge blackberries while watching the ever present Buzzards drifting overhead, heading off road at Glenholm I'm following farm tracks to the most amazing find of the walk so far, imagine an old Hall from a hammer house of horror movie, covererd in ivy right? Ruined? Well this one certainly is! Wide open to enter at your own risk.... To tempting not too!
The porch is huge big enough to accommodate a horse and carriage, impressive steps into the house, where all the floors and roof have collapsed and been cleared out, trees now take advance of the walls shelter showing how long this place has been decaying, on a sunny day like today it's incredibly peaceful here, and to see the most beautiful fireplace still fixed to wall and balconies now looking only onto a lost past its impossible to not get lost in my imagination!
Stepping away from here I'm lost in reverie, hard to imagine this overgrown land to have once been immaculate gardens! And the fields either side may once have been parkland as after half a kilometer I reach a road and the ruined gates to this house! From the map I can only guess the house was known as Milkbank after the river that I'm following.
Beautiful old lanes bordered by trees add to this halcyon feeling and passing the nearby Hoddom castle is really the cherry on top of the cake, to mix my metaphors!
Keeping with the river and it's fly fisherman I get to Brydekirk and swap banks catching up with a group of walkers (pic) from Liverpool rotary club! I Walk the last miles to Annan with these lovely folk, and will hopefully meet up with them in Liverpool!
FYI guys I should be there on the tenth of September! Fingers crossed we do meet up!

Day-25 Crossing an old friend

After last nights sunny views of the beef tub this mornings were a bit damp in comparison, but that's what non stop rain will do to you!
I got a bit lucky packing up in a dry spell, so getting off worked well, the Annandale way path cuts out a loop of road going up and over a soggy lump of hill, not a huge gain from dodging the traffic!. Straight off of the road again and down a long soggy (spot the theme here?) track into the valley, plenty of cows galloping up expecting to be fed... Sorry girls!
At the bottom of the valley I join a nice single track road that runs all the way into Moffat, one last was doing multiple school runs past me so lots of smiles and waving going on! I do like how strangers can bond like this! It's one of those little things that gets you through the day :-)
Into Moffat I stop at the right cafe for breakfast, not only does it say walkers welcome but there's a pic of two border terriers up as well!, got served by a pretty blonde girl who got way to much attention from an old Londoner who comes in every day... Think I see why! Lol
Provisions topped up and out of town passing various gothic buildings! Under the M74 and I meet an old friend/adversary!  the southern upland way! Distant memories of 2000 when I set out on what was then only my second long distance walk! How many miles I've walked since then!!!
Up hill and my brief filtration with the past is cut short as The Annandale way carries me away in a generally southern and definitely rainy direction! Keep having to check if I'm growing gills these days! Nothing fishy about me or the path or likely even in the murky Kinnel water river, up into Oldshields wood they are typing down the trees to stop disease in the Larches, so the usual forestry devastation is my surrounding until normal woodland swallows me, emerging onto a road I cross into normal farmland, it takes a while for it to sink in that I'm out of the southern uplands here, it's starting to feel English! With the beech trees thinning out and Oaks becoming more common, past a cow farm and the usual churned up fields, then east along a Lane, it's here I find today's curiosity two plastic chairs fixed to the fence called Nono's seat, complete with a visitors book and claims to have its own Facebook page!... I'll have to look it up.... I think?
South again and I'm into woodland called Speedlings flow and nearby Speedlings tower, but by this stage I'm just concentrating on finding a pitch, so into the woods and down for the night.