....................................................................Looking west from Byrness Hill towards Catcleugh Reservoir
I awoke at 6 a.m. and left at 6:50 after breakfast. It was dry but fairly fresh and I put on an extra layer and walked the short distance along the A68, past the Holy Trinity Church, and rejoined the Pennine Way , clearly signed. The initial climb through the woods to the top of Byrness Hill is very steep and it was extremely muddy and slippery when I climbed it. I soon took off the extra layer and purposely slowed my progress - I didn't want to use too much energy in the first half mile of a 27 mile walk!
Shortly after leaving the wood I scrambled up over the rocky ridge and joined the summit heading North towards Hough Hill, with views west towards Catcleugh Reservoir.
..................................................................'Do not touch any military debris - it may explode and kill you'
The scenery is a vast improvement on the last two days already, and it improves further as the day goes on. The section from here to Coquet Hill is the wettest I experienced on the whole walk and progress is fairly slow. In places it seemed impossible to find a route through the bogs. I was a little reluctant to take risks as, being on my own, the thought of sinking into the black abyss up to my waist or further didn't appeal! Some of this section has been boarded and I'm sure this has saved some costly and dangerous rescue operations!
Another danger lies in the area on the east of the path, an area owned by the Minstry of Defence, and signs there warn of the danger of wandering from the path. The visibility was excellent on the day I passed by, but in mist this could be a worry.
The path turns East at Coquet Head and heads slightly up for about a mile to the Roman Camp at Chew Green. I could see very little (well, none actually) sign of a Roman Camp and this led to a feeling that I wasn't where I should be for a while, but the path is actually fairly clear. This is the last place on todays walk where there is vehicular access before Kirk Yetholm, and Kirk Yetholm is still over 20 miles away. The path heads North along a Roman road for a while. The scenery is quite stunning in a way not seen before on the Pennine Way - there is a strong feeling of wilderness about it.
I made good progress despite the bogs
earlier in the walk and after three hours had walked 8 miles -
slow by normal standards, perhaps, but over this sort of terrain
I didn't think it was bad and I began to feel confident of
finishing in daylight!As I approached the first of two Mountain
Refuge Huts between Byrness and Kirk Yetholm just before Lamb
Hill (the other is about a mile and
a half before reaching The Schil), I caught up with the three
walkers I had spoken to the day before. They had set off at 6 a.m
and were finding the going a little difficult. They stopped to
rest and have a snack at the hut and I wished them good luck and
carried on up the steep approach to the Summit of Lamb Hill.
...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................The Cheviot Mountains getting closer
I spotted a herd of wild goats whilst climbing to the summit of Lamb Hill - dark with large curly horns. Apparently, wild goats have survived in the Cheviots for centuries.
The Cheviot Mountains
The path gradually turned from NE to E, dropped after Mozie Law to a ford and then climbed steeply to Russell's Cairn and Windy Gyle. Windy Gyle (2030 feet) lived up to its name - it was quite difficult to stay upright at times, - a cold, biting wind that came from nowhere and disappeared again once the 'Gyle' was crossed. This is a very special place - Tony Hopkins, in the Pennine Way North National Trail Guide , descibes it as 'Desolate...with violent and sinister associations, Windy Gyle is one of the atmospheric highlights of The Pennine Way'. I know what he means!
.................................................................................................The view from Windy Gyle
The path dropped again and I soon came to Clennell Street, an old drove road crossing the Pennine Way. I had reached the half-way point of the days walk. It had seemed a long 13.5 miles, though it was only midday and so plenty of light left to complete the other half of the walk. The walking was not too difficult for the next section, I was becoming used to the bogs and learning to plot a route through them with more confidence. The Pennine Way follows the border fence between England and Scotland for many miles along this section.
It had been a pleasant morning with frequent sunny periods but as I approached the Cheviot the weather changed and the sky became overcast. The summit od the Cheviot went into mist and, although I had already decided against the 3 mile detour off the Pennine Way to the summit, the mist helped to cement that decision. The summit was only about two hundred feet higher at 2674 feet and I'd heard the summit isn't exceptional and the views not good. I turned left to follow the Pennine Way at the junction with the summit path. It was one o'clock.
The path from here down to the Mountain Refuge Hut is steep and I was glad I wasn't coming up. It drops from 2445 feet at the junction with the summit track to 1639 feet very quickly and I would imagine it could be difficult in the wet.
The wind had come up again by now, very high, and I decided to eat my lunch in the hut to shelter from it. It was interesting to read the visitors book in the hut, particularly the entries written in the winter months. I ate lunch followed by my third Mars bar of the day and set off again in the direction of The Schil.
.........................................................................Mountain Refuge Hut with The Schil in the background
The path follows a ridge now and the views are breathtaking. The final climb up to The Schil is short and I started to feel the end was in sight now as a close inspection of the route the previous night had told me that it was pretty much downhill from here. The Schil is certainly the last big summit to 'conquer'.
On The Border Ridge
..........................................................................................................................................White Law
Just below Corbie Craig the Pennine Way divides and you have the choice of taking the high road or the low road, the low route being an option if the weather is bad or you are tired. I took the high ridge route, a quite spectacular end to the walk. A slight sting in the tail came at White Law - the ascent is really quite steep after 25 miles of walking and I struggled up it slowly.
A new vista opens up from the summit of White Law lookingf NE and NW. It really is downhill from here towards Kirk Yetholm. It was strange bittersweet feeling being just a few miles away from the end of a 16 day walk. I slowed down to savour the last few miles.
...............................................................................Kirk Yetholm
The path eventually crosses a ford and joins a tarmac road which it follows for the last mile into Kirk Yetholm. As I walked into the center of Kirk Yetholm it began to rain a little. Kirk Yetholm is a bit of an anti-climax, but pleasant enough. I walked into the bar of The Border Hotel, took off my rucksack and sat on a stool. The walk was finally over. It was four o'clock and I was pleased with my time of just over 9 hours, including a 30 minute lunch break, to walk the 27 miles.
.........................................................The Border Hotel, Kirk Yetholm - the traditional end of the Pennine Way
I was asked if I'd walked The Pennine way and presented with the Pennine Way Walkers book to sign while I drank a pint in celebration. I noticed Dave had signed it the day before.
I had a good meal at The Border Hotel that night. All that remained now was to have a good nights sleep and take home my memories and photos!
Rating for day out of 10 :-