Hadrians Wall Day 6 Carlisle to Bowness on Solway

After earning some good boy points by painting things, Maggie suggested that she’d like to visit her pal in Carlisle and then go shopping and if I wanted, she’d drop me off in Carlisle and pick me up again at the end.
So, she left me at the Sands Centre in Carlisle and I marched manfully Eastwards towards the final end (or the start, perhaps) of Hadrians Wall
This last section is reasonably pleasant and has at least three pubs, so its civilised too, if a bit hazy…
There’s a riverside path, then some cow fields with cows, a long, straight road with signposts whoch tell you how deep the water is when the tide comes in (3 feet at the most – so you shouldn’t drown) – and then, that’s basically it. You’re at the end with a pint of mild in your hand.
The locals are remarkably friendly, and quite a few had a nice greeting or a joke about the summer (it finally arrived at about 1:00 pm today). This must be a happy locality. The Solway coast is certainly a bit stark and beautiful. But there’s a certain relaxed sort atmosphere about the villages. You won’t get mugged here.
And the hedgerows are now absolutely heaving with berries and fruit of all kinds.
So I had a healthy, grazing sort of walk till I got to the Greyhound at Burgh by Sands where I spoiled it all by drinking several foaming pints of Black Sheep.
Outside the boozah, there were five men from Kent and a statue of Edward I with a sword. He died near here, apparently, just on his way to hammer the Scots once again, but leaving the job to his foppish son Edward II who buggerred it all up at Bannockburn and then, due to some other buggerry, was murdered with a red hot poker in exactly the place you don’t want a red hot poker.
None of this is at all relevant to this walk.
Maggie appeared just before Bowness on Solway and we went off to caldbeck for a nice dinner at the pub there.
And now we’re home.
14 miles and virtually no ascent at all – it’s a bit rolling at the most and often quite, quite flat.

So that’s Hadrians Wall eh? Two flat bits and a bumpy bit in the middle. It’s a good walk. Its very popular. You should enjoy it. Go do it. Buy the maps now and larn Geordie.

Anybody know what the mushroom is by the way?

Across Cumbria day 8 Somewhere to Bowness on Solway

Monday 17 August 2009

I left wherever it was at about half seven. Nobody was up. I marched the lanes towards Wigton. A pig was enjoying her breakfast. Local beef cattle ran about daft in the fields. We all enjoyed ourselves.

After a few miles, I achieved Wigton and rang Brian. We made arrangements. I went into a café and asked for breakfast and tea. Six quid said the man. It was a very very big breakfast.

A few miles later, Brian appeared with a bottle of plonk and a sausage butty. I save most of the butty for later as I was still stuffed.

A few miles yet later and Brian turned up again with his girlfriend Gilda, who’s backdoor key I was presented with and told to help myself to tea and the use of the bath – which I did.

I plodded on through Kirkbride and past various nature reserves and bramble-lined lanes and finally into Bowness on Solway. A group of kids with sulky teachers and an aggressive dog scowled at my greeting. I visited the muddy beach and sat about for a bit amongst hadrians Wall walkers just starting or just finishing.

The King’s arms opened , so I let myself be embraced. After a beer and a couple of whiskies, Brian and Gilda turned up again and I had another paddle.

15 Miles today and 400 feet of uphill.

And that was that. Worra cracking walk. It would have been better with some summer weather. The high level version, carried out all the way, would have been superb. I’m going to have to have another go at it.

In total, the distance was 80 miles with around 15000 feet of uphill. The high level version would be about the same distance but with a lot more climbing.

The rules of the walk are these:

1) Start at Silecroft
2) Finish at Bowness on Solway
3) Walk all the way
4) There shall be no other rules. This is a rule.

And what of the dehydrated food? Once I’ve considered that, and on some rainy day in the near future, I’ll write something about it. But generally, I was impressed. I only ate either commercially available dehydrated or RME food or energy bars for dinner and breakfast and I suffered no ill-effects, windypops, nausea, or anything else. A banana came as a bit of a shock afterwards and much of it tasted failry similar to the rest.

But its OK. You can live on it for a while.

More of this later anyway.

Thanks to Brian for the encouraging noises and post-walk transport around Cumbria. And for the sausage butty.
Thanks also to Gilda for the tea , bath, pizza and instructions as to which café in Wigton to visit.
Thanks to Martin for the visit and the weather forecasts
Thanks to Genjii for the other meteorological stuff and the general interest
Thanks to Maggie for rescuing me from the Miners Arms in Nenthead
Thanks to Mike and Netty for the company and the Beach Boys Greatest Hits
Thanks to the secret location for letting me camp.
Last words – Backpacking types who’ve not tried this one before should seriously consider it. It’s a cracking walk. But take your time. This is no place to rush.