Well - it's done! It seems like it didn't happen but 72 hours, 62.5 miles /100 km, three nights of camping in the hills, 12 kg of stuff in a pack, and about 8 blisters later, the pilgrimage is done! A recap of the days for you:
Day 1: Roman roads and fields of gold (14 miles)
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| Victoria at Melrose Abbey with the essential map! |
Leaving Melrose Abbey, we headed into the Eildon Hills and over, into the Scottish Borders. It was exciting embarking on the journey, especially since we talked about it for so long. I still don't think we realised what we were getting ourselves into!
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| The Eildon Hills |
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| Looking to our destination - can you see it in the distance? |
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| The River Tweed |
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| Maxton |
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| First night, we made it! |
The day consisted of 6 hours of walking, through moor land, a golf course and pastures, and along the River Tweed. After the immediate hill start out of Melrose, it was a fairly easy going day. We saw many fly fishermen, a few landowners, a couple herons, and some really good trout fishing areas.We finished the last section of our 14 miles on the
Dere Street, a Roman road that stretches from York to Falkirk. We camped between the trees bordering the old road and a field, as wild camping is legal in Scotland - our only 'legal' camping night of the trip!
Day two: blisters and bruises (20 miles)
We encountered our first bit of rain on Friday morning following a wonderful brownie and cuppa in Harestanes. It left our boots soaked but we both agreed that without rain in Scotland, the trek wouldn't have seemed real. We progressed through the day, continuing along the road, past Lilliard's Stone, the site where the
Battle of Ancrum Moor took place, into various wooded plantations and the Cheviot Hills. That afternoon we reached the 50km point at Wideopen Hill, it was a fantastic feeling to reach a milestone which was also the highest elevation point. The walk itself avoided most hills, so it is quite a gentle walk but the length of it makes you appreciate the lack of summits.
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| Lilliard's Stone |
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| Dere Street |
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| Cheviot Hills |
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| Wideopen Hill - halfway there! |
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| Scottish / English border |
As we passed through Borders villages, it was clear to see the advantage to walking this time of year - all the fruit is in season! We picked apples and plums as branches hung over the road, and brambles growing in the countryside. The cloudy skies made for good walking temperatures, although the wet boots led to blisters during the day. The weight of the packs also started to take their toll, and as bruises on my hips and collarbone started to make themselves known, I realised that this was easily the most difficult thing I'd ever challenged myself to do. Not being much of an endurance athlete ever, and getting to the end of Friday with tears choking the back of my throat due to the pain of blistered feet, it was very humbling and eye-opening to realise what a struggle completing this long distance walk was going to be.
Day three: heather, hunters and caves (20 miles)
We had camped in an undisclosed location in the hills of England, waking up to some unimpressed cows. The first half of our morning was spent in the company of livestock as we plodded through pastures. The second half we came to high moorlands, with miles and miles of purple heather in full bloom. It was a stunning site, and made the hours go quickly. We arrived in Wooler in time for lunch, which lifted our spirits as we were starting to think we could actually complete this! Wooler was also where Victoria and a concerned citizen convinced me that ibuprofen and paracetamol could help my aching feet - and 20 minutes later, I was a full fledged believer! With newly numbed pain sensors, we made our way across Northumberland to St Cuthberts Cave, meeting a hunting party in Land Rovers, dozens of grouse and pheasants, a falconer, and a family who are part of the
Northumbria Community who not only appreciated the duration of the walk but also the
cause for our madness :)
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| camping with the cattle |
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| blister care and prevention |
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| He knew Victoria had a carrot and chocolate in there! |
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| Camping in St Cuthberts Cave |
As we camped down for the night in St Cuthberts Cave with a wee fire to dry our boots, we listened to the rain and owls, looking forward to the last leg of the journey!
Day four: the healing waters (8.5 miles)
We got an early start. As we came to the top of the hill where St Cuthberts Cave rested, we could see the sea! And Lindisfarne! It was a stunning sunny sight, and our spirits soared! The last eight miles - we could do this! The morning passed quickly as we ambled down the cattle pastures and through a forest, and we made our way to the causeway just in time for the tide of recede to allow safe passage to the island. We took off our boots and walked across the tidal sands for the penultimate section. The waters and sand soothed the feet, and the sun and sea breeze refreshed the soul. We made our way to the pub on Lindisfarne where our dedicated welcoming party waited. Sitting at the pub in the sunny beer garden, enjoying the locally caught fish and chips and the slow return to normalcy, it only really sunk in that we had completed the walk when Victoria and I got our last stamp at the Lindisfarne post office, certifying that we did, indeed, make it along St Cuthberts Way.
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| The end is in sight! |
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| Along the Pilgrim's Path |
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| On Lindisfarne |
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| Loyal groupies! |
Well - it's done! It seems like it didn't happen but 72 hours, 62.5 miles /100 km, three nights of camping in the hills, 12 kg of stuff in a pack, and about 8 blisters later, the pilgrimage is done! A recap of the days for you: 
