Day 46- Haltwhistle to Belligham 23 Miles

 My fears over waking those near me proved unfounded as the couple beside me woke beforehand and were also packing up. By eight I was set to go and made the brief climb back up to the lane heading into Haltwhistle. A farmer was herding the sheep in the nearby field as I passed, one dog running alongside while the other stood balanced on the boot of the quad.

Bellister Castle in Haltwhistle

  Walking along the roads I had my usual healthy breakfast of bourbon biscuits and listened to loud
music in the hope that the sugar and the beat would energize me to tackle what would be a hard days walk. Bellingham is 23 miles from the campsite, mainly through logging forests but also across boggy moors and a few miles along Hadrian's Wall. I remember, last time I walked this stretch I reached camp quite exhausted just after dark around 10pm.

Leaving Haltwhistle behind

Hadrian's Wall

  Once through Haltwhistle, and passed all the kids heading to school, I made my way into the hills to cover the few miles to Hadrian's wall. The path is a little deceptive and I wondered in zigzags staring at my GPS location. I was listening to a new author called Nevada Barr, first person narrative crime fiction, centered around an outdoor ranger in the American Rockies. Narrative voice far too girly for me, lots of rhetorical questions and thought processes.
  Once I reached Twice Brewed I popped into the tourist information center for a cup of tea and a change to quickly boost my Ipod battery. They were showing a documentary on boat building in the region and I enjoyed a brief break watching it and writing postcards.
  I forgot just how pretty Hadrian's Wall was, hard work and crowded but really pretty.  Having joined it only at Twice Brewed it was also a very short visit and within an hour I was already descending down to Ridley Common, past Broomless Lough and into the woods. Since the rain had been falling over the last week the path slabs were under a few inches of water. I accidentally stepped off one and found my food sinking to the thy into water bog. The foot didn't even hit the bottom. With my balance already committed I fell fully on my left knee and the backpack did the rest of the work landing me straight on my face.

  I lay face down for a few seconds in several inches of water as my body checked itself over. Once my inventory was completed I found the rucksack weighed considerably more now that it was mostly
against my neck, and as my foot had been underwater for several seconds I could feel water entering my boot. A lovely situation. I prioritized getting my foot out the water and crawling to my feet shrugged the rucksack back into place and glanced behind me towards Hadrian's Wall to see if anyone witnessed my performance.
  Using my poles as guides I made painfully slow progress across the path, constantly checking to see the exact position of the slabs and avoid another fall. My trusty Keen boots seemed to have kept the majority of the water out and while my trousers were muddy all the way to the upper thy nothing was hurt. For a second, when I fell, I saw images of smashed knees so I considered myself lucky.
  The rest of the day was uneventful and a little dull. I diverted from the Pennine Way a little and instead of struggling across Haughton Common I stuck to the logging paths. I was still left with a rather deep and long puddle to cross before Shepherdshield but on the whole the track was dry and clear. Once I left the shades of the forest I took the shortest and easiest route over the farm land into Bellingham.

Last stretch towards Bellingham

  Nearer the town I talked to a gentleman for a while, 50 year old cyclist here for a weekend race. I felt a little uneasy about him but we parted ways soon enough and I made my way to the Co-Op and then camp. A noticed another hikers tent but saw no sign of the occupants. Made myself a rather good chorizo noodle soup thing and read a little of the book, although it I were being honest this was mainly to impress the very attractive camper who past me. He also sat outside him tent and read, not that I watching. No car but the chair suggested he'd not be walking along with me tomorrow. Quite a pity.