England Archives - Woman on Her Way

Tuesday, June 17, 2014 Ivinghoe Beacon

We were very fortunate to have glorious weather for our final day. It started off cool, but leaving the B & B, I immediately shed my jackets. It was a short walk past the Tring Station to the trail head. Since we thought we were only walking 5.5 miles, we carried our packs. As we entered the beech forest, and started to ascend to the ridge, Dennis asked if we should hide our packs and walk unencumbered. Not wanting to limit our options once we got to Ivinghoe Beacon, I declined the offer.

We saw squirrels, rabbits, and red kites in the beech and chestnut forests. Atop the ridge, we could see a cloud’s shadow on a red poppy field below. (photo left) All day long, fair-weather clouds drifted over us, but it was warm enough not to have to keep putting on and taking off a jacket. Even so, I kept rolling my sleeves up and down and putting my hood on and off, especially in the open windy areas.

After yesterday’s steep ascents, today’s walk was easy, with only one moderately steep climb. There were a few other walkers who started at the car park 0.3 miles (500 m) from Ivinghoe Beacon. As we approached the gate leading to the last portion of the walk, there were three classes on a school outing sitting on the path and eating lunch. The teachers had to tell the kids to move out of our way, but most of them were polite and greeted us with a “Hi, ya.”

From the top, we could see the Whipsnade White Lion. Built in 1933 to indicate the position of the Whipsnade Wildlife Park, the chalk lion measures 483 ft (147 m). For the 50th birthday, it was illuminated. That must have been interesting to see at night.

After taking photos, we sat below a tuft of grass, and ate cookies we had reserved for this day. Hidden from the wind and stretched out on our sleeping mats, we soaked in the warm sunshine and joy of completing our trek.

From the top there are many paths, but few were going to places convenient for those without a car. Most of the small villages did not have train access and we could not be certain to have bus service. So, we decided to return to the Tring Station, which provided us with more options.

Our descent was relatively easy (see left). At the Tring Station, we decide to take a local bus to Tring and find lodging there. There wasn’t any. The B&Bs listed in the book were no longer open, and the hotels were full. We went to the library to research local inns. All that we called were full. Since it was getting late in the day, we decided to take the Tring train to London and find a place to stay there.

London had no room–nor did towns 40 miles away. After hours of searching, we found a single room, up four flights, without air-conditioning, but with en suite. This was not the Ritz, but it was the Carlton. For $255.20 (150 £) we were safe, dry, and cuddly in a twin bed. After a couple of hours, Dennis spread the sleeping mat on the floor and stayed there until morning.

No one was able to explain the overcrowding. Perhaps there are too many baby-boomers retiring and traveling. For whatever reason, I will make reservations next time I come to London, or carry a tent.

Monday, June 16, 2014 Wigginton, UK

20140616_122450 panorama 300 Today’s walk provided beautiful vistas from several Chiltern Hills, chalk escarpments in South East England. This morning I saw my first Red Kite, a medium-large bird of prey. Though we climbed up down the various hills, the walk was not strenuous. If fact, it was quite enjoyable.

We walked through the outskirts of Princes Risborough, a midieval market town since 1376, but today was not a market day. The name ‘Risborough’ means ‘brushwood-covered hills’. The prince referred to in the name is Edward Prince of Wales who was given the manor house in 1344 at age 14 and who lived there until his death 32 years later.

On Whiteleaf Hill, we saw a 4,000 year-old neolithic barrow. (photo right) This was the burial of a man in a wooden mortuary house along with pottery, flint objects and animal bones.

Since we were walking about 18 miles today, we taxied our bags forward. It was costly (about $50 dollars) but worth it in light of my injured foot. The taxi driver picked up the bags and drove us to an ATM on his way to deliver the gear. When Dennis got out of the car, he started to put on the backpack. The taxi driver and I were confused by his doing so. Feeling foolish, Dennis replaced the bag in the trunk and offered the lame excuse that the backpack was such a part of his routine that he “forgot” it was being sent forward. At least we got a few laughs out of his mistake.

Once back up on the ridge, we saw the Chiltern valley below with its various hamlets and communities. There is a lot of history in this region, which we were unaware of as we walked the Ridgeway Path. I am sure if we had had the time, we could have diverted from the Ridgeway to see historical points of interest, but we only had a week.

We walked past Chequers, the country home of the Prime Minister. 20140616_144755 monument 300 The land was fenced off with railroad tracks, cut and welded vertically. There were lots of security cameras, as you can imagine. At one point, we walked through fields on the Chequers’s property.

Later in the day, the sky clouded over and the winds picked up. We hoofed through lovely wooded nature preserves and then climbed to 852 ft (260 m) to Coombe Hill. As we got to the top, it started to rain, the wind made it impossible to use our umbrellas, and the temperatures dropped to mid 50° F. We didn’t stay long at the monument erected in memory of 148 men from Buckinghamshire who died during the Second Boer War.

Once off the hill, the winds were calmer and the rain eventually stopped, but the temperatures never rose. The path took us through Wendover, another market town at the foot of the Chiltern Hills. It was hard to resist stopping at the Rumsey’s Chocolaterie. Then we walked past the beautiful entrance to St. Mary’s church. (photo left) There was an event at the church and we were invited in. Since we have seen many churches on this trip, we continued on our trek.

At last we reached The Greyhound in Wigginton, tired and hungry. Our accommodations were modern and the food was “brilliant”, as the English say. Once again, we had difficulty connecting to the internet from our room. I wonder if the British will ever solve this malady.

Saturday, June 14, 2014 Ewelme, UK

We had thunder storms all night and awoke to grey skies. Richard and Kim, owners of The Swan were very sympathetic and kind hosts who seem to understand hikers and their needs. In the morning Richard took us to the trailhead so we wouldn’t need to cross the wet fields and shorten our walking about a mile. As we got there, John and Ken walked up and we stroll along together for several miles. It started to rain and we all donned our rain gear, which made carrying the weight worth while.

We walked with them until we reached the approximate half way mark—Overton Hill to Ivinghoe Beacon. It felt good knowing that I had only 44 miles to go, and the end seemed doable, even with my hobbling.

John and Ken were faster walkers and they resumed their normal pace.

We entered Streatley and crossed the Thames in Goring-on-Thames, the river is not very wide at this point. A party boat was moored near a restaurant and yachts and more modest boats were in the marina.

We went in search of the ATM indicated on our map. To our disappointment it was not functioning. In these remote areas on the Ridgeway, there are few opportunities to get cash out of the “holes-in-the-wall,” as the British call them.

After a quick snack, we walked in pastures along the Thames. They were sopping with the night’s rains and full of cow plops so we had to tread cautiously. In spite of this, it was scenic with swans and geese swimming in the water. On the other side there were houseboats, large homes, and recreation areas. I heard my first coo-coo bird and understand why it was chosen to mark time.

We passed through South Stoke and then the more affluent North Stoke. There we rested on a bench in the church yard before continuing on. Both of us have tired feet. We have been walking long distances and have not acquired our “hiker legs”. By the time we do, we will be on our way home.

At the intersection of the Swan Path and Ridgeway path, we called May’s Farm and B & B in Ewelme (a town that is no more than a spot on the map) for directions. The proprietor Sue was at a school reunion, so her husband gave us directions. “Not far. Take a path on the left, and then go through the field.” “Not far” turned out to be a couple of miles. Allistar is not a hiker and confused where we were.

The Ridgeway Path became a narrow single track barely wide enough for a bicycle. Since it was “not far” we took the wrong turn and went through another farmer’s field (luckily we weren’t shot for trespassing.)

We stopped to ask directions, but people were not aware of the B&B in Ewelme. At Oakley Court (the map listed Turner Court; the name changed about 10 years ago) Dennis called for better directions.

We were told to look across the field for the house with the rose bush. From where we were, we could barely see a house. It took us about twenty-five minutes to get through the soybean field—not far.

Our room was bright with windows opening to gorgeous views. After 18 miles, we welcomed the hot showers. Allistar took us to the King Williams Pub for supper. Since we had no reservations, we had to sit on picnic tables near a sheep pasture. It was idyllic, but cold. I waited in the alcove for our host to fetch us. Sleep came easily.

Friday, June 13, 2014 East Ilsley, UK

Michael Lowrey, the proprietor of the Fox and Hounds, pointed out the stylized Uffington Horse. (Small white spot on hill). It is hard to discern and best when viewed from the air.

He has not hiked the Ridgeway and is new to the area, so his directions down from the scarp were misleading. When he drove us back three miles to where we got off the Ridgeway, he was surprised to see how far and steep the road was. He also transferred our bags ahead twelve miles to The Swan in East Ilsley. Slack packing (only carrying a light day pack) will be easier on my injured foot, which is swollen and mottled.

Climbing back up onto the ridge took us past scrubs and flowering plants. Birds chirped, insects buzzed, and butterflies added fluttering daubs of color. It was predicted to be the warmest day of the year, and I was all smiles–I hate the cold.

Once up on the scarp, the sizzling sun beats down and I am glad to have the GoLite Chrome-Dome trekking umbrella. It provides shade and reflects the heat.

We spent most of the day on the ridgeline. As we progressed east, the Didcot power station (lower right photo) seemed to grow until we paralleled it. We met two Ridgeway hikers, Ken and John. They told us that the Didcot was decommissioned and would soon be leveled.

There have not been a lot of thru-hikers on the Ridgeway, though we have meet many day hikers, joggers, and mountain bikers. This lack of traffic surprises me because the Ridgeway is one of just 13 National Trails in England. Even though it is only about 40 miles from London, it is very remote and access to accommodations requires descending the Ridgeway and hiking to nearby towns. Perhaps this is why the trail is so little used.

Dennis and I were getting tired and thirsty. We found no place to refill our water bottles up on the Ridgeway. We crossed under the A34 (highway). The tunnel walls had an artistic graffito depicting the local towns. (See left below). Just after the tunnel, we walked about a half mile through a field to our B&B and an ice-cold beer. Life is good!

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 Avebury, UK

We hopped on the train in Portsmouth to Swindon, and the took the number 49 bus to Avebury. As we rode northeast along the coast we saw small hamlets along the bays, the harbors filled with boats and yachts. The cerulean blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds competed with the dark blue sea and white sail boats. Inland, we passed refineries, factories and post-war style brick houses. In the larger cities were modern glass towers.

As we head north, the airy clouds merge into large, deep, dark, threatening ones, casting shadows over the pastures and corn fields. They hang low and block out the warm sunshine.

The bus dropped us off in front of the Red Lion Inn in Avebury and we went in search of our B & B (Aveburylife) about 3/4 miles from the center. On the way we purchased a map of the Ridgeway Path in the quaint store (pictured left).

After dropping off our packs, we visited the standing stones. (Upper photo). This world-famous stone circle is one of the most important megalithic monuments in Europe.There are two inner stone circles surrounded by a larger one, which is the largest stone circle in Europe,

The Neolithic henge monument was constructed about 2600 B.C. Its purpose is unknown, although archaeologists believe that it was most likely used for some form of ritual or ceremony. In the early Medieval ages as the town developed, the locals buried the “pagan” stones. In the 1930s archaeologists excavated the site and returned the stones to their standing positions, indicating the missing stones a with a stone marker.

The standing stones are not the only prehistoric wonders in the area. In addition to Stonehenge, there are chalked markings, a dredge, and a man-made megalithic structure at Silbury Hill. Built in 5,000 B.C. this structure is he largest in Europe.

In the early evening, Dennis and I walked through fields to get to the large chalk mound. It is large, grass-covered, and marked by the animals that graze on it. It never amazes me why someone would put so much effort into building monuments such as these. What is it in the human nature that drives people to toil with basic tools to build these wonders?

The National Trust owns Avebury which has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument,as well as a World Heritage Site. There is a museum on site.

2014 Updates

Monday, May 5, 2014.

My sister arrived as scheduled at 6:30 am to take us to the Cruise Connection stop. The bus never arrived. I spoke with someone who was awaiting transportation from another company. When the shuttle arrived, Dennis and I were lucky. The driver said he had room for two more and we could get cash for the payment at an ATM in Port Charlotte. At all the pickup points people further downstream from Sarasota, there were people stranded by the bus that did not show. By 1:30 pm, we were aboard the NCL Star and settled into our stateroom. The layout is roomier than rooms with a balcony and the porthole lets in light and gives us a view of the ocean. That night we supped with couples from New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. Dennis and I both enjoy free-style dinning and meeting new people each day. After dinner, we walked about two miles, strolling on the outer deck under a crescent moon.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The gym was crowded. Mats and people everywhere made it hard to walk around. Luckily I had gotten there early, laid out my mat and built a weight pyramid in preparation for the Cathe High Reps workout that I had on my laptop. People muttered their displeasure at my taking so much real estate and even tried to take my weights and mat. I paid them to mind. Unlike our first transatlantic crossing (2013) which had been cloudy and cold, today was sunny and warm. We took advantage of the great weather to sit in the hot tub and and eat al fresco. The musical show this evening was called Band on the Run (great voices but poor choreography). Afterwards, we went to the dining room. We were having such great conversations with three couples from Australia (Dierdre and Ian, Helen and Alex, ? and Jack) that the wait staff did not even offer us coffee in hopes that we would leave. We pushed our clock ahead one hour; the first of six time zone changes.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

There were fewer people in the gym this morning. I watch the last hour of Lords of the Ring while I peddled on the exercise bike. After all that work, I only burned about 300 calories. Today was again sunny and warm. We enjoyed more hot tub, wave pool, and eating on the open deck. We skipped the comedy show and had an early dinner. Afterward, we tried to walk around the promenade deck, but it was too windy for conversation, so we returned to our room for a game of scrabble—and I was the victor.

Thursday, May, 8, 2014

We’ve hit choppy seas. One of the closet doors kept squeaking through the night until Dennis got up to shut it. Since I did not sleep well because of the noise, I slept in, putting off exercise. I can’t remember when I last had eight hours of sleep. Yesterday I ran to the lounge chair from the hot tub because the deck was hot. Today I ran there because I was shivering. Everyone on deck is in long sleeves and wrapped in beach towels. At the ship’s library, I took out Steven King’s book, On Writing from the ship’s library. I read this before and was going to just skim though it, but it is so entertaining that I am rereading it. I love his style and story of how he became a writer. This evening’s entertainment was the multi-instrumentalist Andy Buenger—The Power of Music. He played vibraphone, drums, saxophone, trumpet, steel guitar, panpipes, and others. I found the panpipes haunting. Joke of the day. This man is stranded on an island for years. One day, a beautiful 21-year-old woman clad in a skin-tight wet suit emerges from the water. She says, “I can see you’ve been here for a long time. Is there something you would like?” He thinks for a few seconds and says “A lovely meal.” She unzips the wet suit a bit, reaches in and pulls out a cheeseburger, which he quickly devours. She then asks if there is anything else he would like. “A nice cold beer,” he replies. She unzips the wet suit some more, reaches in and pulls out a cold Heineken. She then unzips further and asks, “Would you like a round?” Astonishingly he replies, “My god, Don’t tell me you have a golf bag in there!” Before bed, we again set the clocks forward an hour.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Most people on deck are wearing pants and jackets to ward off the wind and the colorless atmosphere. Looking out the porthole is like looking at a pencil sketch in varying tones of gray. These breezy cool days allow me to write without guild. I am writing blogs for My Musings, my blog on writing. I will schedule them for release while I am traipsing in Europe. Once again someone tried to take my workout tools, even my personal stretch band. Is this rudeness or unfamiliarity with workout routines? I use a variety of dumbbells varying the weight for different effects. I am following a workout played on the Kindle Fire set on the floor near me. Yet people interrupt me or reach for the weight I am not using at the moment, even though there are plenty of weights on the rack. We visited the library with its extensive collection of books and discovered that the provide a daily crossword and Sudoku puzzles. I checked out the book On Writing by Stephen King. I had read it before and was going to shim over it, but it is such a delight that I am rereading it. Dennis is reading One Summer by Bill Bryson and he chortles and reads me the excerpts. We had a wonderful time at dinner with Paula and Lisa and overextended our stay with delightful conversation. We forgoed The Mesmerizing Brenda Kaye in favor of Spider Man.

Saturday May 10, 2014

Another gray day. Only the smokers are sitting on deck. Its hard to believe that we are on day 6. Tomorrow we will be in the Azores. We closed the restaurant down again and missed the magician. No big deal on my behalf. I’ ve finished reading On Writing my Stephen King. I am really glad that I picked up this book. It was a delight to read and I learned a lot from it.

Monday May 12, 2014 Ponta Delgada

After a week at sea, it felt wonderful to be on terra firma. Ponta Delgado is a Portuguese island in the Azores. We disembarked around 9 A.M. and tried to get our ATM card to work. After several attempts we realized were keying in the wrong pin number for the card we had. Since it was raining, we decided not to rent bicycles. The cost was very reasonable: 10 Euros each for bicycle or 30 Euros for a scooter per day. Since this is a small island, we could have toured it, visited the volcano and crater lakes, and seen the coastline. Instead, we sat dry and warm in a cafe and caught up on emails. I called my mom to wish her a belated mother’s day wish. She was delighted to hear from me. Back in the room, we watched Saving Mr. Banks. We both enjoyed the script and acting. We shared a dinner with an interesting Canadian couple, Jillian and Barry. Twenty years ago she sailed across the Atlantic in thirty days. He is a philanthropist working with the Shriners. We talked about travel, history, and aging productively. We voluntarily skipped the comic/jugglar act, returning to the room to read/write. I am editing Dennis’s Camino book. So far this trip, we have not had great pictures. Hopefully this will change with the Cliffs of Dover.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Sunny, light white caps, about 60º F. Lazy day. The time switch every other day is effecting my sleep and eating patterns. I’m not tired at night and can’t wake up in the morning. My hunger is between mealtimes. Once on land, I am sure things will settle down. While exercising (I have to burn off the desserts like this raspberry torte), I watched Man of Steel. The first part was OK, but the last half hour when Superman fights aliens from Krypton was overdone. We also watched Jobs and I really enjoyed that movie, Well acted. Before turning in, we watched White House Down…another superhero-type movie I would be on the C-B list. Only one other movie worth watching, Monuments Men, and I am not sure if it will be shown again.

We had an interesting evening with Linda, a two-time Camino Frances pilgrim who is on her way to walk the Camino Portuguese. She is also an award-winning author. The other tablemates were like-minded and the conversations flowed to many topics.

The entertainment last night was “The Look of Love – The Music of Burt Bacharach” Great music, inferior choreography. The stage is narrow, making it difficult for the 16 actors to move around. The song “How can I go one without her” made me realize the importance of not taking Dennis and our time together for granted.

Wednesday, May 15, 2014

Last night’s time change made it difficult to rise. We had a late breakfast. High winds made walking on the promenade difficult, so we walked around the ship. We found Red Lion, the British-style pub and had a pint of brown beer while we played Scrabble. I slaughtered Dennis—both games. After that tall drink, we took a two-hour nap, not unusual for Dennis, but a rarity for me. Need sea legs to get to dinner. Ater another delightful dinner, we decide to forgo the entertainment in favor of watching Grudge Match with DiNara and Stallon. It was better than expected, with lots of humor. I decided to wait until we got home to edit Dennis’s book. It is just not ready from my review.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Can you believe I slept until 10 am? Dennis woke me with breakfast in bed. (He’s such a good boy!) Today the ship enters the Bay of Biscayne and tomorrow we will be in Dover. I am looking forward to visiting the cliffs and getting WiFi so I can post my journal. From now on, the postings should get more interesting as we start to visit the various countries. On deck today it’s 55ºF. As we head north, it gets colder. I hope I have enough warm back packing clothes. I brought too many ship clothes. Instead of dumping them, I may keep them until I get into warmer climes.

Blue-green water replaces the steel-grayness of the deep seas. The swells are only a few feet high and the sailing is smooth. We see fishing boats, freighters, and carriers to the starboard side. We cannot see land, but the horizon is only 27 miles away, and Spain is beyond.. This afternoon I exercised on the cycle and ellipticals while watching Planes, an animated film. Afterward, I felt much better. It will be great to leave all this rich food behind.

Friday, May 16, 2014 Dover

We docked in Dover at 4:45 AM. Temperature is 48.6ªF. From the starboard porthole, the cliffs of Dover are not impressive, not very tall, and not very white. Perhaps they will be more impressive upon departure this evening.

August 21: Portsmouth

We took the train to London from Newcastle, and then another to Plymouth. Since we missed today’s ferry to Cherbourg, France, we had to find lodging for the evening. All the hotels near the ferry port were filled. We took a bus to Portsmouth South Sea, an old district of the city. On the bus, several women discussed where we should go to find the best rated B and B. Everyone was so friendly and willing to help! Upon their advice, we stopped at Kings Road Circle. As I was putting on my backpack, someone recognized the Camino patch on the pack, and we started talking. David Johnson completed the Camino by bicycle in 2011. After a lively chat, he informed us that he owned the Victoria Court B & B, and, yes, he had an available room. Once again, the Camino provides.

We ate Moroccan cuisine at Tourareg; something different for both of us. Of course, we had previously eaten Couscous, but not as deliciously prepared as the meal we had this evening. I will have to learn how to cook this traditional food.

Tomorrow morning we will visit Portsmouth, and then take the 4 P.M. ferry to France; at last.

August 20: Newcastle and Wallsend

Yesterday we waited at the B & B for FedEx to deliver our credit cards. They arrived around 3 PM and we almost ran a mile with our backpacks to the bus stop to catch a ride to Hexham. We got there with just a minute to spare. From Hexham, we took the train to Newcastle. The Visitor’s Bureau helped us find lodging–a hotel chain called Jury’s…at last, I was warm in a building and had reliable, but slow, WiFi.

This morning, we took a city bus to Heddon-on-the-Wall to complete our hike to Wallsend. According to the guidebook, it should have been an easy eight-mile walk; it turned out to be twice that.

We stopped for lunch, and I tried two things that I have seen since I arrived England: Coronation Chicken (a cold chicken and curry sauce sandwich), and Ginger Beer. I don’t usually drink soda, but I liked this strong fermented ginger ale.

The walk today was mostly on a rail trail, like the Legacy Trail in Sarasota, Fl. It followed the Tyne and was quite lovely through Newcastle with all its bridges. The weather was agreeable, high 60’s, and I even rolled up my sleeves.

From Newcastle to Wallsend, the trip was unbearable long. I don’t know if it was because I was anticipating the end, but that last five miles felt much longer. At last, at 4:50 P.M., we arrived at Segedunum fort and museum, which was closing. Glad to get off our feet, Dennis and I and two walking companions we met when we stopped for lunch took the train back to Newcastle for a celebratory beer.

Tomorrow we head for France.

August 18: Heddon-on-the-Wall

Sandra, the B & B proprietor expressed a local axiom, “Rain by seven, clear by eleven.” Since it poured this morning, I was hoping the adage was accurate. Though we had a cloud burst at 11:30, when we ducked into a tea shop, the rest of the day was sunny, though windy. Since the predominant winds come from the West, we were happy with our decision to walk to the East. For a change, the winds are to our backs, helping us climb steep hills.

We met several unprepared east-to-west hikers who were limping along or looking distraught. Apparently they started hiking Hadrian’s Wall Path yesterday, and their bodies had not yet adjusted. One person had so much gear, I doubt he was able to meet his destination today without taking a cab.

We walked 18 miles from Greencarts to Heddon-on-the-Wall in about seven hours. We started at 9:30 A.M. at Blackcarts with what turned out to be the last visible section of consolidated wall (First picture). The Blackcarts turret (above right) is one of the better preserved, and most likely predates the wall.

From here forwards, there are only traces of the wall, sometimes lumps under the grass. Off course, the ditch on the north side of the wall and the vellum on the south side are visible. Several times throughout the day, we walked in the ditch on stones placed to prevent soil erosion and to keep our feet out of the mud.

The remainder of the day’s journey was through fields that were often muddy, single tracks through forests, on pavement or stone paths–even on busy streets. Often times, the only trail indicator was the green, mowed grassy corridor, and we wondered what winter hikers use to follow the path when the ground is covered in snow. Though the scenery was beautiful, nothing was breath-taking.

This section was riddled with stiles—53 of them—almost three per mile. These ladders used to climb over stonewalls were, at times, no more than a few feet apart. See me poking my head out through the second stile in photo on left.

Unlike the middle section which is mostly distant from the road, today we walked through several villages with many opportunities for food and drink. We stopped for tea to wait out the rain, had a carrot and coriander soup for lunch, and a “carvery” (buffet) at the Swan in Heddon. With all the exercise, I had no trouble eating a plateful of food.

From there, the taxi back to the B & B recorded 17 road miles and cost us £25 ($38)… a price we were only too willing to pay, since we had no other way home.

We have only eight miles left (from Heddon-on-the-Wall to Wallsend), and we should finish our hike tomorrow. Then off to France.

August 17: Greencarts

Dennis felt well enough today to walk, so we took the bus to Housesteads to resume walking where we had last stopped. Because this section of Hadrian’s Wall Path does not have sufficient and convenient hiker accommodations, trekkers tend to stay in one place several nights and leapfrog to various trailheads: walking forwards, and then returning by bus; or busing ahead, and then walking back to where they are staying.

Today was overcast, making for dark photos. It was very windy, with light scattered showers. As I walked, I commented that I have not been warm since leaving London a month ago. It is cold in the buildings; even with the thick down comforters, I shiver in bed half the night, especially when Dennis and I are in bunk or twin beds. Today, even Dennis was cold in our room at the B & B. We should be leaving northern England in a few days, after finishing walking Hadrian’s Wall, or when FedEx delivers the credit cards, which are now sitting in a local FedEx building. Tomorrow is Sunday and Monday is a bank holiday. Not knowing when they will be delivered makes planning our itinerary difficult.

Today’s highlight involves a standoff with a young bull who did not want me entering his pasture. I kept talking to him and he finally let me pass. He eyed Dennis in a menacing way, but let him pass also, then turned around to butt him. Dennis heard him grunt and jumped facing the bovine while making a loud angry sound; the bull relented and backed off.

From here to Wallsend 30 miles away, the terrain levels off and the Wall becomes more scattered and buried. We are going to attempt the distance in two days; we are both ready for France.

We had Indian food delivered to our room. I had the best Chicken Tikka Masala. We ordered what we thought would be enough food for two nights, then Dennis’ appetite clicked in. Since he has been ill, he’s eaten very little. Glad to see him back to himself. Since the start of our journey, he has lost considerable weight; I, on they other hand, have not.

Below, left picture is of Roman Alter; right one is of the milecastle ‘planter.’