GARRIGILL TO HADRIANS' WALL

Monday 17th. May 2010. PHOTO: Hadrian's Wall.
I'm up and away about 7am. having settled into a sleeping routine that allows me to get up and off quite early, my intention is to arrive in Garrigill just as the shops open. I walked quickly on the downhill path and got into the village about 8.30am and by happy co-incidence met the post-office owner while I was dumping yesterdays litter in a bin, asked when the shops opened and he said not till nine "but I'll open up for you if you want" such is the power of private enterprise! Thank you kind sir.. From Garrigill it's an enjoyable five miles walk to Alston along the banks of the South Tyne and I arrived in Alston mid-morning. I detoured into the town to stock up on food etc., which added about 45 minutes to my time then it was back downhill to follow the South Tyne river just a little west of north, through the unromantically named old mining village of Slaggyford onto the abandoned bed of the South Tynsdale Railway and on to the village of Greenhead some 18 miles north of Alston. I arrived after a slightly confusing crossing of the golf-course immediately north of the A69 and made for the pub and had my first beer for over a week! I needed to beg water and with the pub very full I felt compelled to buy a pint! I have a reason to celebrate too as I get here exactly a week after leaving Edale and the official tally of miles is 199, so with my several tours I drink my beer toasting having walked over 200 miles in a week. I'm sure that will be a new one week distance record for me. Then it was off passing the track to Thirlwall Castle and then with a bit of a pull too, it's always the same tiring drag with hills encoutered at the fag-end of the day.. up along Cockmount Hill with a dramtic change of direction from north to east as the next section of the Way crosses wonderful Hadrian's Wall to Housesteads. Soon I'm at the car-park at Cawfields and have the wall all to myself in the warm evening light spilling in from a setting sun in the west making for good photograhy. Time to find somewhere to camp but as there are farms around and conscious of how unwelcome wild camping is in these parts - fears are that tentpoles and pegs may cause damage to as yet undiscovered archeology, something I am happy to recognise - so I elect to have my first proper night out under the stars this year and kip in my bivi-sac. righ by the wall and I'm in a small way sorry to say that I was not in the least worried by the ghosts of the Roman Legionairs. A great night and in a great spot too, as can be seen in my picture.