THE SLOW WAY HOME

FOGGY VIEW FROM HIGH CUP NICK

PEN-Y-GHENT CAFE IN HORTON

FLOWER POT GIRAFFES IN SETTLE

MALHAM BECK EMERGING FROM COVE

COLD WAR BUNKER IN YORK

LUNCH IN YORK'S RAILWAY MUSEUM

REPLICA OF STEPHENSON'S ROCKET

LINCOLN CATHEDRAL

RADCLIFFE CAMERA IN OXFORD

RESIDENTS OF OXFORD'S MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Our Hadrian's Wall trek had been the climax of our holiday, but the fun wasn't over yet as we were in no hurry to get home. The plan was to take our time and stop by a few interesting places along the way.

After a lazy start to Sunday 12th August, we had lunch at the Rose & Crown, whose car park we had used to car-camp overnight. We then took advantage of our English Heritage membership once again by driving to Brougham Castle, near Penrith. After spending an hour or two there, we continued on to Dufton, which had a public car park with facilities where we were able to car-camp.

Next morning was wet and dreary, but I had every confidence that the weather would improve as I led Rubi up High Cup Gill to enjoy the magnificent view down the valley  from High Cup Nick. A bit of scrambling on slippery rock was required to reach the viewpoint. Sadly, however, the better weather did not materialise. We did manage to get a view down the valley as we had hoped, albeit through the mist, but by the time we got back to Dufton we were soaked through.

After changing into something dry, we continued our southward journey. We were generally heading for Horton in Ribblesdale, but on reaching the YHA hostel in Hawes we decided to stop for the night. They asked for £59 for a family room, but Rubi had seen it advertised on-line at only £49 and they agreed to accept that. We were a little surprised to subsequently discover that this so-called 'family room' contained bunk beds for two persons only, but weren't in the mood to quibble. We made ourselves a pasta and vegetable meal in the kitchen, which we enjoyed with red wine as we chatted to other guests.

On Tuesday morning we drove past Ribblehead railway viaduct and stopped near the Pen-y-Ghent Cafe at Horton in Ribblesdale on our way to the market town of Settle. As I got out the car in Settle I realised that my wallet was missing. It could only be either in Horton or back at YHA Hawes. We drove back to where I had parked in Horton, but there was no sign of it there. Meanwhile, Rubi hade phoned the manager of the hostel who had undertaken a search for it. Happily, it was found in the bin in our room. The bin was located behind a chair, and my guess was that I had placed it on the seat of the chair and it had slid into the bin withput me noticing.

Panic over, we drove back to the hostel to collect it, then back again to Settle. It was lunchtime by now but, as luck would have it, we found an superb place to eat in the town centre. Both the quality and price at the Singing Kettle restaurant and tea room were outstanding. On our walk back to the car, we saw lots of 'flower pot' sculptures outside houses, created for the annual competition.

Our journey then continued across the moors via Black Gill Lane to Malham, where I took Rubi to see the famous Malham Cove where Malham Beck emerges from below the cliff face. Afterwards, we car camped in the car park of Malhamdale United Primary School which was, of course, closed for the holidays.

Wednesday's journey took us to York. We would visit another English Heritage site, the Cold War Bunker just to the west of the city, and arrived outside it just in time for a first class guided tour. It was chilling to think how close the prospect of nuclear war seemed to be just a few decades ago.

Afterwards, we walked towards the city centre, but didn't quite get there because we came to the National Railway Museum. This museum is free to enter, yet contains the most astounding exhibits, including famous locomotives such as the Flying Scotsman, Mallard, Eurostar, a Japanese Bullet Train and so much more. We had lunch at tables made to look like a dinning car. It was hard to drag ourselves away, and by the time we left to continue into York city it was well past 5.00pm. Naturally, we took a look at York Minster.

Back at the car we drove south to Retford where we parked up for the night by a sports field.

Thursday morning we continued on to Lincoln, parking just outside the city centre and walking in. There was a long uphill walk through the main shops before we arrived at Lincoln Cathedral and the nearby Bishop's Palace, another English Heritage site which we entered.

I had arranged to meet an old work colleague, Alan, and his partner Joan, at Sutton Bridge near Kings Llyn in the afternoon, so we didn't have long in Lincoln. Rubi bought some discounted hiking trousers in Blacks, and I bought some camping chairs, after which a brisk walk back to the car was necessitated.

We reached Alan & Joan's house at about 3.00pm, and spent a while exchanging news. Alan is a keen radio ham and cyclist, whereas Joan is more into walking and has trekked a section of the Camino de Santiago.

Alan prepared dinner whilst Joan took us for a local walk. The evening involved reminiscences of times gone by and discussing mutual friends. After several  of glasses of wine it was time for bed.

After breakfast, we said our farewells to Alan and Joan and continued south to Cambridge, using the Madingly Road park and ride to get into the centre. The day was warm and pleasant, ideal for wandering around the historic university city. We took lunch in Côte Brasserie which wasn't cheap, but Rubi paid, haha. Most of the colleges charged a fee to enter, but we were quite happy to view the beautiful buildings from the outside.

We resolved to continue the university theme for the final day of our holiday, and drove south-west towards Oxford, parking near some houses just off the A41 on the east side of Biscester. Thus, on Saturday morning, we continued to the Redbridge park and ride to the south of Oxford and soon found ourselves outside the Sheldonian Theatre. We strolled in the vicinity of the Bodlean Library, the Radcliffe Camera and the Bridge of Sighs before popping into the nearby Museum of the History of Science, which was full of scientific instruments, some dating back to when the earth was considered the centre of the universe.

A walk up Parks Road took us to the Museum of Natural History, which was even more impressive, with dinosaur skeletons and exhibits demonstrating the processes of evolution. We didn't leave until closing time.

We were soon back at the car and on the final stage of our journey home. It had been a great holiday. We had been away from home for just over 3 weeks, and during that time we'd had lots of fun and created many memories. It was time to get back to reality for a while - until the next adventure, that is.

HADRIAN'S WALL (3)

MEMORIAL BRIDGE OVER RIVER EDEN

CARLISLE CASTLE

ORNAMENTAL SEAT NEAR CARLISLE CASTLE

NEARLY THERE

END OF THE LINE

KING'S ARMS IN BOWNESS-ON-SOLWAY

THIS IS WHERE WE WALKED

RUBI'S STILL SWOLLEN TOE

Although our walk on Friday 10th August still followed long sections of the route of the wall, there wasn't much to see. It had been raining overnight so it was also wet underfoot as we departed Sandysike Farm.

We hadn't had much of a breakfast so we cracked on and after six miles of walking reached The Stag Inn at Low Crosby. It started to rain heavily as we stepped inside. Our hunger was satisfied by some excellent jacket potatoes with salad, and the rain stopped just before we settled up and left.

The afternoon's walk was a relatively easy bimble into Carlisle City, crossing the M6 and hugging the River Eden for much of the way. We left the Hadrian's Wall path just after the Eden Bridge and walked to Carlisle City Hostel in Abbey Steet, where we had a private room. Luxury again! It was only about 4.00pm, so after dropping our rucksacks off we took an easy stroll to the nearby Carlisle Castle for a look around, once again taking full advantage of our English Heritage membership. The two German girls from Sandysike had left the bunkhouse before us, and we met them again in the Castle grounds. Our English Heritage membeship also enabled us to visit Cumbria's Museum of Military Life which was located within the Castle walls. The Castle and museum were both excellent.

The following day we would walk from Carlisle to the western end of Hadrian's Wall at Bowness-on-Solway, and then return to Carlisle by bus. Thus, we didn't need most of the stuff in our rucksacks. We sorted out what we did need into Rubi's smaller rucksack and everything else was taken to the car, which was parked only 15 minutes walk away. We then enjoyed a tasty chicken dinner and a bottle of wine at the local Nando's before enjoying a comfortable night's rest.

Our last day took us back past the Castle to rejoin the Hadrian's Wall path, and then westward along the River Eden to Grinsdale, Kirkandrews, Burgh by Sands, Drumbugh, Glasson, Port Carlisle and finally Bowness-on-Solway. There was no wall to be seen. After a photo session at the 'official' end of the walk on the bank of the Solway Firth, we headed to the King's Arms for a celebratory drink. I calculated that we had walked 97 miles over the week, and Rubi had still been suffering pain from her injured toe throughout that time. She had wanted to do this walk and was clearly determined to compete it in spite of the discomforts involved.

I had carried Rubi's minimally loaded rucksack on this final day, and the lighter loads enabled us to cover the fourteen and a half mile distance in good time. Indeed, we were able to enjoy an hour sitting outside the pub and still catch an earlier bus than expected.

All too soon we were back at the car, our Hadrian's Wall adventure now officially over. Where now? Well, I had used our 'Britstops' directory to arrange for us to car camp in the car park of the Rose & Crown pub in the village of Low Hesket, about 20 minutes drive away. Thus, after picking up some vegetables from the supermarket along the way, we settled in for a quiet night. We did however pop into the pub for a G&T nightcap though, and had pre-booked a table for Sunday lunch the following day.

HADRIAN'S WALL (2)

FRIENDLY LOCAL

GREENCARTS CAMPING BARN

A LOT OF OUR WALKING LOOKED LIKE THIS

SYCAMORE GAP

ALONG THE CRAGS

MILECASTLE 39

SWIFT'S NEST AT HADRIAN'S WALL C&C SITE

LEAVING HADRIAN'S WALL C&C SITE

It was now Tuesday 7th August. We tidied up our wigwam and embarked on our third day of walking, this time just about all of which would be alongside the B6318. At least it was straight, so we could cover distance quickly.  We did take a brief shortcut on the road just before Chollerford to save 15 minutes and get us to Chesters Roman fort a little earlier, so that we could have a good look around the English Heritage site and museum. We were lucky enough to arrive just in time for an exciting falconry display.

Our digs for the night was the camping barn at Greencarts Farm, which we shared with Katerina from Switzerland, plus a group of four girls, all of whom were trekking Hadrian's Wall. Unlike us, though, they were all walking from west to east.

There was no evening meal available at Greencarts, but we did join forces with Katerina and Alex (another walker who would be sleeping in a caravan outside) and get some pizzas delivered from nearby Hexham. The farm did sell us some wine and beer to accompany our food.

Wednesday's walk involved only about 4 miles of the B6318 before we left it to climb Sewingshields Crags to reach Housesteads Roman fort, the most extensive and impressive structure on the wall. We viewed the displays in the English Heritage museum before enjoying our picnic lunch outside. There were some light showers whilst we ate, but not enough to dampen our spirits.

We continued our westward trek along the crest of the crags, enjoying the spectacular views to the north. We passed Crag Lough with the famous Sycamore Gap shortly after, and climbed up to the highest part of the Wall at Winshields Crags (345m). There were some steep ascents and descents on this section. When we reached Caw Gap we left the path to find Hadrian's Wall Caravan & Camp Site where bunkhouse accommodation for the night had been booked.

We were lucky enough to have the room to ourselves, and a small shop on-site enabled us to prepare a simple curry meal using the microwave oven available. The room was attached to the toilet and shower block, so wasn't the quietest place to be, but for a mere £15 each it sufficed. We used our own sleeping bags to avoid being charged for bedding. Above the entrance to the bunkhouse was a swift's nest with five baby chicks waiting their mother to feed them.

We continued along the ridge next morning in good weather, dipping down to beautiful Cawfields Quarry and, later, Walltown Quarry. After then, the route flattened out as we passed through Gilsland to reach our third English Heritage Roman fort at Birdoswald in time for a lunch break in the courtyard and a quick look around.

We still had seven miles to walk to reach our third bunkhouse, this time at Sandysike Farm just beyond Walton. We would be sharing with two German girls. There was no food available here so we ordered takeaway kebabs to be delivered from nearby Brampton.

HADRIAN'S WALL (1)

CAR SHOW IN NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE

THE SILVER SLUG

TYNE BRIDGE FROM SAGE GATESHEAD

COLMANS FISH & CHIPS

SEGEDUNUM FORT FROM OBSERVATION TOWER

SCOTSWOOD BRIDGE FROM SOUTH

SECTION OF HADRIAN'S WALL AT HEDDON-ON-THE-WALL

OUR WIGWAM AT NORTHSIDE FARM

We departed HF Monk Coniston on Saturday 4th August and immediately drove to Carlisle, where I had booked on-line through 'JustPark' to leave the car behind some church offices in the town centre for a week.

The idea was to use the train to get to the east side of the country, then walk back along the line of the ancient Roman wall over a period of 7 days. Overnight accommodation along the way had been pre-booked.

After loading up our rucksacks with what we would need for the week, and hiding the rest under a sheet in the back of the car, we walked to the nearby railway station. Two hours later we were in Newcastle upon Tyne.

We were lucky to able to sit down on the train. It had only two carriages and these became crowded as more passengers were picked up during the train's easterly progress,  Many had no choice but to stand. There were also a surprising number of rather noisy youths drinking alcohol on board. The explanation for the crowds and the raucousness turned out to be that Newcastle was hosting its Annual Motor Show over the weekend, and also Newcastle United FC were hosting a home game on the Saturday.

The Motor Show is an outdoor event held in the main streets so, after spending a while inspecting long lines of spotlessly shiny cars, we headed down to the north bank of the Tyne opposite the Sage Gateshead concert and cultural centre (a.k.a. The Silver Slug) to enjoy the sunshine. We crossed to the south side of the river using the Millenium Bridge (a.k.a. The Blinking Eye) and walked through the Sage Gateshead centre on our way to the Metro Station.

The Metro is a local urban transport train, and it took us to South Shields, from where we would start our walk back to the west side of the country. We quickly found our digs for the night - Mill Dam Guest House - and dumped our rucksacks so that we could walk to the beach, effectively making our Hadrian's Wall walk a coast-to-coast trek. Along the way we stopped for supper at Colman's restaurant, reputedly the best place for fish and chips around.

Next morning, with our rucksacks on our backs, we left Mill Dam Guest House to catch the nearby ferry which would take us to the north side of the river. A few other walkers and cyclists were already waiting by the ferry pier. When an employee of the ferry company came to open the gates, we thought that we would soon be on our way. No such luck. He informed the hopeful passengers that the ferry's starter motor had burst into flames when they tried to crank the engine, and they had no idea when the ferry would be running again.

There are limited options for getting across the river from South Shields. There is a pedestrian and bicycle tunnel about three and a half miles walk to the west of the ferry, but this has been closed for repairs since 2013. However, a regular free bus has been laid on to take pedestrians and cyclists between its southern and northern entrances via the road tunnel. Thus, we quickly embarked on a road walk to the southern entrance pick-up point.

Having at last got ourselves on the correct (i.e. north) side of the river, we had a further two mile walk to the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall at Segedunum, the Roman fort and museum in Wallsend. We spent a couple of hours looking around the site and the artefacts on display before deciding that it was time to get moving on our westward journey.

Our trek took us along the northern bank of the river, past wharves and the remains of the old shipyards, and it was not long before we were walking along the same section of promenade in Newcastle city centre that had received our footfall the previous day. We passed under the numerous road and rail bridges as we started to depart the urban sprawl.

We would be spend the night at the compactly named (not!) Holiday Inn Express Newcastle Metro Centre in Blaydon which , inconveniently, was on the south side of the river but, conveniently, could be easily accessed via the Scotswood Bridge. Since it was a Sunday, I had managed to book a room, with breakfast, for a mere £33. Any other time and it would have been nearer £100.

We ate our evening meal at a nearby Hungry Horse restaurant called the Angel, then returned to the Holiday Inn for a most enjoyable G&T on the rocks nightcap.

Next morning we felt energised after a superb night in the most luxurious accommodation we would experience during our entire trek. After taking full advantage of the excellent, and seemingly unlimited, breakfast, we re-crossed the Scotswood Bridge and continued our westward trek. Newcastle was now well behind us as we ascended for the first time to reach Heddon-on-the-Wall. We viewed the section of Hadrian's Wall that still remains there before eating a picnic lunch consistiñg of food we couldn't manage at breakfast.

The afternoon involved walking alongside the B6318 for over 3 miles because the road had been built on top of the wall. We would be 'glamping' tonight in one of the wooden wigwams at Northside Farm, which was located nearly a mile south of the Hadrian's Wall path. Facilities were rather more basic than the Holiday Inn, but the wigwam did had a microwave oven, enabling us to cook two bargain priced (£1) curry and rice ready meals that we had bought at the filling station in Heddon.

The weather had been good to us so far and this looked set to continue.

HF MONK CONISTON

THE HF HOUSE AT MONK CONISTON

NICE ROOM

STEVE BOSSING THE GUESTS AROUND

LOCAL RESIDENTS

Friday 26th of July, 4:00pm, and after leaving home at 10:00am, we are still driving north on a very conjested M6. We eventually arrived at HF Monk Coniston in the Lake District at around 6.00pm, to be welcomed by House Manager John Croxford. Along with two other leaders, I would be guiding HF guests on walks in the local area for the next week (or, at least 5 days of it). Rubi, by accompanying me, is able to enjoy all the privileges of being a guest at half the normal price.

The names of the other two leaders are Angus and John, and our duties included the provision of evening entrainment as well as walk guiding. We got on well together and made a good team. Some guests came to the house to enjoy 3 days of singing, so there was one further leader, Su, who led this activity. These guests even put on a concert for everyone on Tuesday evening.

Unfortunately, the weather during the week was generally wet and foggy. The best day for me was the Monday, where I led the 'Fairfield Horseshoe', a tough 10 mile trek across several Lake Distict peaks starting from Rydal and finishing in Ambleside. Rubi joined the group for that one too.

My hope to take guests up to Wetherlam on tbe Friday was foiled by fog and rain, which discouraged guests from choosing this option, so I joined Angus on his lower level walk instead. Most embarrassingly, I managed to trip over a large rock in full view of guests, which left me with a grazed shin and elbow.

Rubi also injured her toe when Mick, one of the guests, demonstrated some self-defence techniques on her. Thus, neither of us were in the best order for the next part of our holiday, which was be to walk the length of Hadrian's Wall.

Other than these mishaps, we had a great week with a lovely group of guests. Also, on our day off on Wednesday, we managed to squeeze in a trip to the Stott Park Bobbin Mill, a working museum now which once supported the local weaving industry and is now looked after by English Heritage.