Pilgrimage 2
- hiking scotland
Sunday: Kirk Yetholm - Hethpool - Wooler
We leave for our 20 km (13 miles) walk to Wooler - our shortest day. We soon have to climb our first proper hill, one of the Cheviot Hill range, and it feels much more strenuous than the previous day. Maybe the climb is steeper, but I’m also feeling a bit sleep-deprived and am less talkative than I have been. On top of the hill we take a break and a nap or two in the sun. When we continue walking we meet a bunch of Englishmen in an eerie forest plantation who tell us that we have already crossed the border - without noticing, we might even have taken a nap on it!
I run out of chat, so I ask for most embarassing stories and uncover a goldmine! Of course nothing that I could share here.
We interrupt the day several times with long breaks and naps, but are still exhausted when, after a few lovely miles across a desolate moor, we arrive into Wooler where we shave half a mile off our walk by taking a shortcut on a road. The hostel is up a hill, but at least we each have a dorm to ourselves!
After a cup of tea and a bit of a rest, we freshen up and search for a pub for food. The Tankerville Arms, or the “Tanky” as the locals call it, is a mile down the hill, but the food is worth it. In fact, I get so excited about eating that I throw half a pint over my friend’s lap. Oops. Sorry mate.
To make up for it I offer him a piggy- back up the hill back to the hostel but have to give up after a few meters. Also, the etiquette concerning arm placement of the piggy-backee is unclear.
After a cup of tea and a bit of a rest, we freshen up and search for a pub for food. The Tankerville Arms, or the “Tanky” as the locals call it, is a mile down the hill, but the food is worth it. In fact, I get so excited about eating that I throw half a pint over my friend’s lap. Oops. Sorry mate.
To make up for it I offer him a piggy- back up the hill back to the hostel but have to give up after a few meters. Also, the etiquette concerning arm placement of the piggy-backee is unclear.
Back at the hostel, we have more tea and a chat with the pilgrims who are also staying here, and with a group of three girls who are on their way to a course in “natural dying”. This is about dying textiles with dyes made of plants, and has nothing to do with assisted dying.
A couple of retired Germans stop at the hostel to speak to the warden about something, and then join us for a chat about their trip through the UK. The man is originally from Peine, a German town near Braunschweig, where I lived for 10 years, and he is friendly and talkative, while his wife seems a bit shy with her English. They promise to stop if they see us hitchhiking tomorrow.
After all the walking, napping, and socialising, I am exhausted and ready for an early night.
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