Home ยป My End to End Land's End to John O'Groats long walk blog ยป My End to End walk: Leg 14: Days 57 to 60: Haltwhistle, England to St Boswells, SCOTLAND!; September 9 to 12 2018, 79 miles (127km) walked so far: 890 miles (1,432 km).

My End to End walk: Leg 14: Days 57 to 60: Haltwhistle, England to St Boswells, SCOTLAND!; September 9 to 12 2018, 79 miles (127km) walked so far: 890 miles (1,432 km).

My End to End walk: Leg 14: Days 57 to 60: Haltwhistle, England to St Boswells, SCOTLAND!; September 9 to 12 2018, 79 miles (127km) walked so far: 890 miles (1,432 km).

Into Scotland! Crossed Hadrian’s Wall in driving rain, no camera came out, no pictures…

Crindledykes lime kiln Haydon Bridge. Limestone and coal were hauled up the ramp and tipped into the pot for burning; the powdered quicklime was shovelled out through the drawing eye at the bottom. After being slaked with water it was spread onto the farmland to neutralize acid pastures. This is the only kiln in Northumberland with four draw arches. I know it’s sad, but I love this kind of stuff.

Cute little guy

The universe is telling me something

I chose the “Alternate Pennine” resulting in an hour of bushwhacking through thick purple gorse a little later..

Oh so happy to see this post of civilisation!

PW = Pennine Way of course ๐Ÿ˜‰

 

Fire plants

A rare sight a rare sign

After days of brush, exciting to see Northumberland National Park (and forest) getting closer.

Still in admiration of those who built this trail of happiness.

 

Ok this was really impressive: more civilisation but 2000 years ago, this was a Roman camp of Chew Green and later the medieval village of Kemylpethe. No one around now…….

 

I did love these Cheviot Hills

 

My Scottish welcome committee

….into Scotland along the roman road of Dere Street

Sheepfold

Gorgeous roman Dere street and it’s ancient trees

My welcome committee in Jedburgh and first human seen after and 11-hour walk was an assault by twenty chihuahuas, two King Charles and their cheery owner. Kinda surreal.

Jedburgh Abbey, a ruined Augustinian abbey  founded in the 12th century

Moneviot Bridge

The Battle of Ancrum Moor was fought during the War of the Rough Wooing in 1545. The Scottish victory put a temporary end to English depredations in the Scottish border and lowlands. … and the legend of Lillard’s Edge:

from a story of a soldier who kept on fighting despite having his legs cut off (no doubt where Monty Python got the idea) the soldier became a fair maiden (they were definitely ahead of their time!)

Fair maiden Lilliard
lies under this stane
little was her stature
but muckle was her fame
upon the English loons
she laid monie thumps
and when her legs were cuttit off
she fought upon her stumps.
– AD 1544

I thought a lot about Fair Maiden Lilliard (fighting on her stumps!) and almost thought it was me in the end, as blisters are the most boring story to hear of a walker but this was my first and worst with a new (now ex) pair of boots. 

Didn’t see any humans today. Didn’t miss ’em ๐Ÿ™‚

The land of gorgeous name locations

At the Forest View Walkers Inn in Byrness, the only hamlet about for miles and miles, the atmosphere is incomparable. Joyce and her husband took SUCH good care of us. I thought I was intrepid, nothing next to this group of walking friends from Leeds, older and tougher than me by miles and another solo walker like me, Jo.

They return your boots dry in the morning and are a lifeline to the crazy racers of  insane Spine race every year, RUNNING the entire length of the 268-mile Pennine Way. https://thespinerace.com/  !!!!!!!

St Boswells was the unplanned end to my walk….Instead, I did some sightseeing in Galashiels and Peebles with my two new best friends: a right and a left purple plastic slipper (ยฃ3 at Tesco), never have I enjoyed some shoes so much ๐Ÿ˜€

Visited Gala house in Galshiels: this is the ceiling, and the symbol of the town: Two foxes to remember two unsuspecting English soldiers caught in the act eating plums under a tree and massacred by and to the joy of, the Scots.

 

Beautiful moving quilt really touching and sad, hit me like a dagger. The insanity of war.

My plastic slippers and I took the bus to Peebles…

And my adorable Gillian came down from Edinburgh to my rescue for a fun day around Peebles.

At Traquair house, the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. Alexander I, Mary Queen of Scots, they all stayed here we had a…..

….long, long chat with beautiful silversmith Terry at Traquair, seriously rebuilding the world was the best. Only the kind of chats on those rare days when you have nowhere to go, nothing to do, we had arrived, like on a buddhist retreat kind of feeling. And, he makes the most beautiful jewellery. http://www.centaurdesign.co.uk/

What’s more, he vegan ๐Ÿ˜‰

It’s always fascinating to know the origins of things….