28th September 03

We breakfasted in the large room that the Young Farmers had been the previous evening, it had been transformed beyond recognition, tables were laid and we took our places on a small table. We were joined in the room by about 15 other walkers, all young and virile, making us feel even older than we were looking and feeling. The owner was serving breakfast and came to our table to ask a question, I replied that I would have a cooked breakfast and Brian confirmed that he would also but without tomato, the guy replied, “I only asked if you wanted tea or coffee”.

After a surprisingly good breakfast, we award the pub 3/10, the points were gained entirely by the quality of the beer.

I have decided that the pain in the muscles of my right leg is due to the crepe bandage restricting blood flow to the muscles, so off comes the bandage and I will rely on my painkillers for my knee, the toothache is the same, the blister has a sponge sock over it, my haversack has foam to cushion the load on my shoulders and we are ready for another days walking.

Figure 4 – Cuddy’s Crags & Broomlee Lough from Sewingshields Crags

The walk today is over much hillier ground, not high ground just continual ups and downs. Some of the walk is so steep that steps are cut into the hillside and stone steps inserted, and it is necessary to hold onto the step in front to climb up the hills, it really seems like mountaineering, those guys we had spoken to earlier were right.

Dramatic scenery unfolds ahead, never ending hills and valleys, maybe only 20 meters high but continuously presented to the walker as a series of obstacles, we are now at Cuddy’s Crags, see Fig 4, an area perfectly epitomised by Wainright in the following passage:-

The north face of the Wall was soon on the edge of a precipitous cliff to which a few pines clung; as I went along, I could look down vertical clefts between rocky buttresses to rough scree far below. A false step here would be disastrous, but it is a glorious experience to traverse the very brink on so wonderful a path. This is Cuddy’s Crag, the most romantic spot on the whole length of the Wall. It is a place to bring a fire to the dullest eyes, to inflame the most prosaic mind. For the person who is already under a spell, here is the perfect Elysium. Cuddy’s Crag is a place to dream of by your fireside on a wild winters night.

I can concur wholeheartedly with his thoughts, but would find it difficult to write in such descriptive words.

Brian took the last photo on my film, of me on the Wall, but it did not rewind itself, it would not expose another photo or rewind, so I opened the back, disaster, the film had not rewound, so I rewound it within my rucksack and hoped it would be OK. Loaded a new film and retook the photo of myself on the wall.

The muscles of the right leg are much better now that I have removed the crepe bandage.

The first part of the walk today was quite difficult, being wild, barren and desolate but giving magnificent views in all directions with many Tarns only visible from the walk. As we progressed the landscape changed to lowland with trees, roads and houses and ended with a very pleasant walk into Chollerford.

We arrive at our B & B at 3-30pm as today was only 12 miles, but we see that a note on the door says that they do not open for business until 5.00pm, just when we need a bit of TLC, Brian reminds me I am doing this for pleasure. We take a seat in the courtyard and change our boots for plimsolls and get our breath back while watching the owner cutting his lawn, after about 20 minutes of watching him he suddenly looks up and sees us, beckons his wife to see us and she confirms that we can not be let into our accommodation until 5.00pm. I can only think that they have made this rule so that they have their own time during the day. We leave our boots and haversacks and return down the road to the George Hotel for pint Shandies. We return on the dot at 5.00pm and are shown to our room, after a shower and a rest we set off for the village of Wall, a distance of about ¾ mile, to the Hadrian Hotel for our evening meal and what a meal, when I saw someone being served the Roast Beef, I thought I must have that, thick slices of roast beef, roast potatoes and large Yorkshire puddings, a huge meal but we both finished it completely. The walk back made us ready for our sleep.

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