This morning I tried to pay my bill at the B & B, but the credit card was denied—twice. After contacting the Visa, I discovered that the credit card had been hacked and that someone had tried to purchase $10,000 worth of games on it. I was lucky that my the credit card company watches… Continue reading August 15: Greencarts
August 14: Housesteads
Starting from Once Brewed and heading East is a steep ascent that gets the heart pumping. At the top of this climb, we took a 20-minute rest. Dennis awoke unwell this morning, but insisted on continuing the walk. The climb up the hill exhausted him; the break allowed him to continue forward. He is such… Continue reading August 14: Housesteads
August 13: Once Brewed
We slackpacked today, a hiking term for carrying only a small pack. Since I did not sleep well last night, I was happy to travel lightly. We took the bus to Once Brewed, so named if going eastward, but named Twice Brewed if coming from the west. From the visitor center, we clopped on tarmac… Continue reading August 13: Once Brewed
August 12: Greenhead
The clouds touched the Pennines Mountains in the background and scattered showers on us throughout the day. We managed to walk 7 miles to Greenhead, stopping along the way to visit historical sites and museums. Even though the weather was gloomy, we were in high spirits. For the past two days, I have been trying… Continue reading August 12: Greenhead
August 11: Banks
The day started out cool and remained that way with afternoon showers. We got a late start (10:30 A.M.) because, based on misinformation, we went in search of a pharmacy that was supposed to be a half mile away, but turned out to be 1.5 miles. This 24-hour store has limited hours on Sunday and… Continue reading August 11: Banks
August 10: Carlisle
Took the 9:35 A.M. bus to Bowness-On-Solway to the start of the Hadrian’s Wall Footpath. Bowness is the person who started the village on the Solway Bay. Hikers with a map lead us down a narrow, overgrown single track towards the water. We had to climb down a metal ladder to get to the beach,… Continue reading August 10: Carlisle
August 9: Carlisle
We should have taken the 8:50 A.M local bus to Carlisle. Instead, we tried to take the National Express bus from the P & O ferry port in Cairnryan, but it was full. So we took a taxi to Stranraer, a port city (left), then a bus to Dumfries, and then a train to Carlisle,… Continue reading August 9: Carlisle
August 8: Cairnryan
We said goodbye to our hosts, Tim and Ethy at the Abbeydene House B & B. Tim is a collector of single records of songs that made the top one hundred list; music memorabilia is scattered throughout the manor. I will miss the wonderful breakfast conversations with Tim and his deliciously creamy porridge. After visiting… Continue reading August 8: Cairnryan
August 6: Giant’s Causeway Day Tour
We decided to take the Allen’s Tours excursion to Giant’s Causeway, in County Antrim. The bus driver, Ian, was a wealth of information, Irish “craic” (jokes and enjoyable conversation), and “useless bits of information.” Our first stop along the coastal drive, was at Carrickfergus Castle (left), a 12th century Norman structure and the place that… Continue reading August 6: Giant’s Causeway Day Tour
August 5: Belfast
We walked into Belfast from our B & B along the coast for 5 miles, and then through the industrial area into the city center. Because of the paved roads, shade, and not wearing backpacks, we managed to hoof it in 1 hour and 40 minutes. Dennis wanted to see the place his mother was… Continue reading August 5: Belfast