Day two, second time of writing as I finished the draft wording yesterday and deleted it by accident!

We wake to sunshine and breakfast on bacon butties and many cups of tea. After layering up we set out.

• 

• 

The plan is to walk to Haltwhistle and maybe Hadrian’s wall. Our hike begins on a footpath at the back of the campsite on National Trust land called The Bellister Estate. The path takes us alongside the river apart from a couple of sections where we get a birds eye view. The river is wide and shallow and meandering , especially on the bends where the riverbed is three or four times wider than the actual river so it must be impressive in flood. Some oxbow lakes in the making!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

It’s lovely and sunny so we soon lose a layer. Along the way we pass bridges, horses and a large hen run with chickens roosting in large holes in the dry and dusty ground. Hardly meet anyone which is how we like it.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Eventually we cross the river and arrive at Haltwhistle station. At this point a critical error is made. We follow the footpath around the eastern side of the town and then walk north to Hadrian’s wall. After much puffing and panting up and across a steep field Tony checks the map again. It’s still a long way uphill to the Wall, the same distance again that we’ve already hiked and then we will obviously have to do it all again back home. I’ve had enough so we reverse our walk downhill, knees and toes complaining, into Haltwhistle town centre instead.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Luckily we find a lovely table for two in the sunshine in the market square and enjoy two glorious pints from The Brew Bar, washing down a buttie and cake bought from the sandwich shop next door. Heaven.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Haltwhistle is geographically the centre of Britain as lots of the local businesses announce. Tony buys a fish from the local fishmonger on the square for a bbq later. Eventually we move again back towards the river. Ten minutes down the road the Railway Pub entices us to another pint and then we reverse our journey back to the campsite. It’s early evening and the river is literally sparkling in the sunshine.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

After a cup of tea and a sit down we start up the bbq. It’s now 7:30pm so we sit outside enjoying the last rays of the sun and wolfing down very well seasoned bbq’d cod with golden rice and salad. Run inside as soon as we finish though as it really is chilly now!Quiet evening of TV to end a lovely day.

•