Total miles: 18.1
Elevation gain: 3,691 ft
Time walking: 10:30am – 8:30pm
Miles to date: 891.4
Another truly splendid day! I think I must hold the record for the driest Pennine Way journey ever! I can’t believe how lucky I have been with the weather, I really have seen all the best bits at their very best and made it through with not *too* wet feet! Today also marked the end of the Pennine Way, the beginning of Leg 5 of my journey and finally fully crossing into Scotland.
The day started slightly later than intended (no change there really…!) as last night was so cold! I was nice and cosy in my sleeping bag but I could feel the cold air on my face and I was in no hurry to get out of my snug bed! I even pulled my clothes into my sleeping bag for a bit to warm them up! The plus side of the chilly morning was that there were no midges first thing! The sun was out but hadn’t made it to the bottom of the valley yet and it looked like it would be another stunning day. A breakfast of porridge, banana, avocado and tea eaten by the river, enjoying the peace and then I spot something moving by the tree line. I think it must be a deer at first, and then I see a pair of large slightly curved horns. Then the rest of the goat appeared – a magnificent male, black and grey with a long shaggy coat, leisurely enjoying a munch on the grass before gradually making his way up the track on the opposite slope. He had clearly seen me but seemed completely nonplussed by my presence, continuing on his journey wherever he was off to, nibble by nibble.
I started to pack up just as the midges, roused by the gradually warming morning, started to gather around. First one, then another, then lots! No fire today to keep them at bay, I quickly packed up the rest of my camp while covering up as best I could. I quickly popped over to look at the waterfall from above (it was a long climb around to get to the bottom) and saw several butterflies warming their wings and a mouse that ran into my boot, shook itself in surprise then turned and scuttled back the way it had come! I was sad to leave my little valley but if I was going to make Kirk Yetholm at a decent time to meet Anneliese and Michael I had to make a move!
As I emerged from the forest (spotting lots of good dead wood on the way!) I saw lots of hikers heading up the trail towards the Pennine Way. More people, crazy! I supposed it was at least Saturday today… As I joined a few of the hikers I asked what the event was and they told me it was the Cheviots Challenge, a 23 mile hike (or run) around the Cheviots. What a gorgeous day for it! At the top I stopped and chatted with the marshals, they seemed quite impressed that I was walking all this way on my own. People keep telling me I’m brave, but I don’t really think much about it! I guess when the Way is less clear and the weather is bad it does get a bit scarier, but there is something quite liberating about walking alone.
Turning away from the stream of challenge hikers, whose route took them up Windy Gyle, part of me was glad to have the route back to myself, part of me was sad – it might have been a good opportunity to pick up some more spontaneous sponsorship, which has slowed down in recent weeks due to the remoteness of my walk! Still, I had a big hill to climb. Several, actually! The first was the gradual climb up towards the Cheviot, the highest point in the Cheviots. In front of me I spotted four hikers and gradually caught them up. They were the four I’d met briefly at the hut yesterday, they had dropped down to a B&B last night. They have been meeting one weekend a year for the last 10 years to complete the Pennine Way – this was their last day! We passed each other a couple of times during the day, joking about who would finish first. I decided not to do the detour up to the summit of the Cheviot, although it is technically part of the Pennine Way it is supposedly not that worth it, a very flat summit with no views and it was 2.5 miles of ascent/descent I didn’t really fancy given my already long day! Instead I followed the path down to a slightly lower summit further down the ridge which for some reason doesn’t seem to have a name, despite having some fantastic cairns and a view to die for! My four fellow hikers paused there for lunch, savouring the view. It was the last chance to really look back at the rest of the Cheviots and I could see all along the ridge back to Windy Gyle, which looked small from up here! In front of me was Scotland, with just a few rounded hills standing between me and the end of the Pennine Way. To my right was a sudden steep valley with a tiny stream and cascading waterfalls at the bottom. The descent was steep, not as steep as the valley beside me thank goodness (a viewpoint to the right of the path looked back at a natural chasm halfway up the valley from which the water tumbled fervently, I could hear the sound of it even from way up above), and it made my knees ache! I could spy my next target though, the second mountain hut, and when I reached it stopped for another quick break. I could see why lots of people camped here, although very basic the hut was in a beautiful spot, high enough for a view out either side but still nestled down beneath the larger hills.
The next big climb, The Schill, was there in front of me, unabashedly jutting its rocky summit into the sky above its steep grassy slopes. This one was definitely not as subtle as the Cheviot! A deep breath and several jelly babies and up I go, passing a fair few day hikers on the way up (seriously, where have all these people come from?!!). Ah the view from the top. Worth the huffing and puffing climb! Behind me my route stretched out impressively and to the north west…the sea! I did a double take and exclaimed in surprise to the sky “my god I can see the sea!!” before realising there was a couple sat on the rocks enjoying their lunch and smiling at me, amused. I haven’t seen the sea since north Wales four weeks ago, and wasn’t expecting to see it again til I got past Inverness!
Another steep descent (I really think going down is much harder than going up!) and I pass a man with a big rucksack coming up. He looks quite fresh and smiley despite the hills he must have come up already but his boots look suspiciously clean, shiny and un-broken-in. I pray they don’t give him blisters! Soon after The Schill the path finally crosses over into Scotland for the last time. No border checks, welcome sign or bells and whistles, just a simple gate in the fence, but I give myself an imaginary high five, not quite believing I’m now in my final country, albeit a very big one! There’s a decision here – high route or low route. The main route is the high one so of course that’s the one I have to go for given the weather is good and these are my last hills of the Pennine Way. I do question my sanity slightly when over the next small rise I see those last few hills. A majestic final ridge with White Law, the highest point, looking like it was going to provide one last challenge to tired legs. I can’t believe some people do this last section (from Byrness) in one day. It would be an absolute killer! Not to mention that the need to rush would be such a shame with such stunning scenery! I was a little sad that I wasn’t staying in Kirk Yetholm which would have meant I could have taken a little longer! Still, only a few miles to go, mostly downhill, and Annie and Mike were waiting for me at the pub, with a sandwich they’d ordered for me just before the kitchen closed.
It was hot and sticky in the sun and the last couple of miles, although technically easy, felt tough – the last couple of any walk always feel the hardest! The last mile is on a small but tarmac road, a killer on tired feet, but as I came down the hill into the village and saw the pub across the green Annie spotted me and came running up to give me a big hug. I’d done it, I’d finished the Pennine Way! I know I’ve said this a lot, but I couldn’t believe it! The Pennine Way is a trail I’ve always wanted to walk, and I’d just done it, all 268 miles (and some!) of it! I immediately started to wonder when I could do it again…
The sandwich, coke and bench were all very welcome and I enjoyed finally getting to give my feet some air – they’d started to feel a bit sticky in my not-so-waterproof-any-more socks and the warm sun. Anneliese is super excited to be joining me for the next 12 days, as am I to have her company, and it was wonderful to discuss plans with her and Mike in the sunshine. We also enjoyed teasing her about some of the arguably unnecessary items she had brought with her and even managed to persuade her to leave a few with Mike, a move she was soon grateful for a few miles in…
I had arrived a bit later than planned – the day was hillier and a bit longer than I had expected – and we still had 7 miles to go, including, I discovered and revealed to a willing but unsuspecting Anneliese, a few big-ish hills… It was 5pm by the time we were all set up and ready to go but it was a beautiful evening and the Scottish Borders are just beautiful, so it looked like we were in for a gorgeous walk. As we headed out across the fields, now following St. Cuthbert’s Way, I hear a voice calling me. I turn around and see Sean, following us up the field! He’d seen us walk past him at the hostel and had come to say hello and goodbye – he was off to Glasgow tomorrow to do the West Highland Way so I really wouldn’t see him again. So nice of him to come and catch me up, he was definitely a massive part of my Pennine Way journey!
St. Cuthbert’s Way followed the road for a fair distance before finally cutting back up on a track next to a field of goats (hilariously, Annie had been told she would see goats on her journey, she wasn’t expecting to find them so quickly though!) which would take us to the foot of the ridge we had to climb. The road was tough on my feet but at least it was easy walking and we made good progress, stopping occasionally to readjust Anneliese’s rucksack until we got the right fit for her. Then came the hill…! It was Anneliese’s first time climbing a big hill with so much weight and I was tired after my big day so we slowed down somewhat! Thankfully Anneliese lives in a hilly area and is pretty fit anyway, and her enthusiasm got her up the hill. I had to keep up with her at points! As we got higher and higher the view grew more spectacular. To the left towards the Cheviots and the way I had come, to the right across the fields further into Scotland, right out to the distinctive three peaks of the Eildon hills in front of Melrose where we will finish in a couple of days’ time.
The sun was getting lower in the sky and bathing everything in a warm golden glow, and we felt fantastic! The ridge was a deceptively tough climb and had several summits along the way. At one point I took us the wrong side of a wall and we had to climb over a rickety gate and another wall to get back on track. And then Anneliese had her first taste of a big ladder stile over a stone wall – this one had a very tall first step and it took a big heave to get up onto it! Followed by another big climb, thankfully the last of the day, up onto Wideopen Hill. A sign at the top told us this was the highest point along St. Cuthbert’s Way and also the halfway point of the route between Melrose and Lindisfarne, which means that by the time we reach Melrose we will have walked over half of it! I had told Nicky (who we were staying with tonight) we were a bit later than planned and she told us of a slightly quicker route down off the hill. This was welcome news as the light was just starting to go and the moon was coming out! It was pretty though, and as we walked along the last bit of the ridge we spotted two beautiful horses walking over to see us in the adjacent field. They were friendly but gentle and we spent a few minutes just enjoying their presence, soft noses and warm breath. It’s magical moments like that that really make this walk special.
We dropped down off the hill on the track Nicky had mentioned and she messaged to say she could see us through her binoculars! She very kindly drove out to meet us part way up the track, just after we’d jumped out of our skins when a flock of pheasants flew out of the bushes in a dark section of wood! We were very grateful, she saved us another mile and a half (although we’ll have to do it tomorrow instead) and meant we didn’t finish completely in the dark! We were incredibly glad to get in and eat a delicious and plentiful home cooked meal with veggies from the garden, and a bath!! So tired now. Looking at the elevation gain it has been the biggest day of my trip, and pretty hefty mileage too. Given how I pushed the first section, I guess it’s not surprising I’m tired! For now, making the most of my bed as we have several nights camping ahead of us as we head further into the Scottish Borders and beyond!