Important Info

Planned kilometres: 34 (cummulative 1077)

Kilometres walked: 36 (cummulative 1128)

% Completed (based on 1800km trip): 62.5%

Weather: Rain & Mist

Pubs visited: None

Pints: 0 (cummulative 147)

Kms per pint: 7.7

Blisters: 0 (cummulative 4)

 

Byrness to Jedburgh

I had a very restless night’s sleep, and this was due to my accommodation being a single bed which I have trouble relaxing in (maybe I think I will roll over and fall out). I woke up multiple times during the night and when I did I got up to check the weather outside as the forecast wasn’t great, but apart from the mist I didn’t see any rain.

 

The walking crew from yesterday were all leaving a different times dependant on their destinations for the day. Ian was leaving a 6am and Tim at 7am as they were looking to get to Kirk Yetholm (end of the Pennine Way) in one day and this meant they needed to cover 26 miles hence the early start. George and the other Tim where doing the Byrness to Kirk Yetholm in 2 days so were leaving about 9.30am. As I was up at 6am, I decided to leave at 7am with Tim.

 

We got ready and as soon as put our packs on the leave the Forest View Inn, it started raining, so we had to stop and put on full wet weather gear. Leaving Byrness on the Pennine Way requires climbing a very large hill which due to last night’s rain was extremely muddy. It was a punishing way to start the day and my walking poles became very useful in ensuring I made it up the step muddy sections, however proved a hinderance near the end where I had to scramble over rocks,

 

I stacked it in the mud on one of the downhill sections and thought I had done my self serious damage. As I was going down hill my right leg slipped out forward and my left leg stayed where it was and was folded backward at the knee which I then proceeded to land on. I yelled out in pain, but I think the fact that my pack broke my fall and stopped me going back to far saved me from any real damage to the knee. Tim was worried by my yell as we were in the middle of nowhere but after initial shock I managed to gingerly walk down the rest of the hill

 

We got to the border of England & Scotland which was crossed a few of times today but have no idea where. The good thing about crossing the border means that I have completed walking across one country and only one to go. Tim continued the Pennine Way and I followed (or tried to) Dere Street Roman Road.

 

Photo below gives you a view of what the Roman Road looked like and the weather conditions at the time, which contributed to me getting lost. I had trouble trying to follow Dere street as I couldn’t see very far in front of me and sometimes the tracks fade out and without ability to see path further on, I took a wrong direction. I came too some very large downhill sections which I had no chance of going down, so after an hour of back tracking and trying to find the path I ended up back on the correct path.

As I was slowly starting the path again, Jasmine showed up. She said she saw my green pack cover as I came out of the mist. We followed some tracks around the top of the hill and managed to find a path that got us out. It wasn’t the right path, but after climbing over a barbed wire fence we ended up in the general area we needed to be. We stopped for lunch on the top of a hill as it was the first place we found when it had stopped raining and had some rocks for us to sit on while we changed our wet socks. The photo below is from the spot we stopped for lunch and the mist had started to clear.

 

We decided after the mornings walk on Dere Street that we would follow the sealed roads the rest of the way to Jedburgh.

 

In Jedburgh I visited the ruins of Jedburgh Abbey which is an Augustine abbey from the 12^th century and is right in the centre of town.

 

 

I went into the local supermarket to get some snacks for my walk tomorrow and you can certainly tell your in Scotland by the new crisp flavours.