Last night we slept 3 in a room. Three twin beds all in a row. We put Rob in one corner and Nathan on the opposite wall. I warned Nathan to have ear plugs, which he did. When we finally were ready to turn out the lights, Rob started in a-sawin' wood, and Nathan complained that the ear plugs were not enough. I woke Robin and told him to stay a wake for a few minutes. Within 20 seconds, Nathan was asleep and Robin was a-sawin'wood again. Nothing could keep me awake, so I followed in short order.
Day 5 dawned EARLY, (the sun sets at 10:00 p.m. and rises around 4:30) as all days have here, and it was bright and sunny. We had another delicious breakfast, and set out, with some arm-pumping, chest-bumping, "Let's DO THIS," attitude. I was prepared for a day much like our first; mostly urban walking and all back-top. After walking through Rickerby Park, and then finding red raspberries along the pathway, we were again pleasantly surprised to find ourselves following the winding River Eden. We walked through more cow fields, parks and along the woods on the bank. Some of the trail was up and down through narrow paths in the wood, across little foot bridges and along the water. It really was lovely. The wall was gone from sight, but we knew that 2000 years before there had been a wall nearby, but with water erosion and human activity, it had disappeared. We ran into two young school boys with fishing poles who were friendly and curious about what we were up to. Nathan and Brandon were playing hooky I suspect, because I know they have about 5 more weeks of school left. But young Nathan, who was quite a talker told us they had a "short day," that day. (Let out before 9:30....really??) He and his friend are avid fishers, as he had been up until 10:00 the night before fishing for trout. They were adorable and friendly, so I took their picture in the shade on the stairs where we chatted.
Later in the morning, we walked through medieval villages and tiny quaint towns, with single lane roads running through them. The houses are ancient, but well kept. They are painted in lovely colors- especially around the doors and windows. I finished the bag of almonds. Around mid-day we arrived on a stretch of road that ran through a salt marsh flat. It was several miles long, completely flat and straight with the noon sun beating down. It was boring, hot and exposed. This was probably the toughest stretch of the entire walk for me. Give me steep hills, rocky, uneven steps, fields of cow plops to maneuver around- just not hot, straight and boring. My left leg started screaming at me, my feet were on fire and I needed to stop. Nathan was long gone. I took several ibuprofen and sat briefly. Then Robin and I trudged on. When I felt I was going to lose my mind, I started singing to pass the time and channeled some strength and good karma from friends far away. Once in the town, we missed our turn and then had to back-track. By now I was ready to call a cab, was fantasizing about wheel barrows, scooters, bicycles- ANYTHING with wheels to save me from this torture. We passed the point where I thought Nathan had said he would meet us, and I started to worry. We kept walking. No sign of Nathan. I then whistled. This was to be a signal if we needed to find each other. I'm pretty sure my whistle can travel for a mile at least. Nathan whistled back from quite close by. He was just around the bend ahead.
The Highland Laddie Pub was about 1.5 miles ahead. We managed to make it, and enjoyed a much needed break. It was 2:00. We had been walking without a break for 6 hours! No wonder I was breaking down. Lunch never tasted so good. I broke my own rule of not drinking alcohol mid-day, and I had a half pint of hard cider. Several older folks in the pub wanted to know where we were from, and one guy told us we were only about a mile and a half from the end of our journey. This was EXCELLENT news.
But he lied. I bet it was a couple of miles or more, but the walk near the end took us near the wider river, and there were sea birds to watch and listen to. At the end of the trail, there is a lovely little gazebo with a message to travelers. On East side it welcomes the weary walker, and on the other side it wishes them good luck. I was glad to read the welcome today.
Another quarter mile to the King's Arms pub for a celebration, and no surprise, many of our fellow travelers were there, or came in while we were there. That was a long walk.
After a call to our next host, Sandra came to pick us up in her truck. This B and B, Hillside Farm, was by far the best one we enjoyed. It was in an historic old farm house built in the 1700's in a courtyard style. It is still a working farm that Sandra works on with her father and sons. Her husband was a black smith until he died last year. The rooms were very large and square. The ceilings were 12 feet, and there were hearths in every room. She offered us a cup of tea, and after we had all elevated our feet against the wall for about 15 minutes, we found our way to the sitting room. Sandra brought in a proper English tea. It included tea, hot water, sugar, cream, chocolate cake and buttered biscuits with jam, all served on delicate flowered china cups and plates.
That was it for me. While Robin and Nate took a lift from Sandra to the closest Pub, I stayed in my room, watched some tennis, read some local history and listened to the cows outside the house. The sun set around 10:00, but it was still dusk until 10:30 or so. I slept profoundly well.
It is humbling to walk through villages that are centuries older than our own country. It was lovely to chat with friendly fellow hikers along the way. My general impression is that people here are very friendly. It was empowering to complete this hike.
There was a group of young doctors staying Sandra's bunk house last night. They set out this morning to do the entire walk in 48 hours. They are walking it for local cancer charities. I hope they make it, but if I were a betting person, I'd lay odds against all of them completing it. Especially the guy in the brand new boots!!
Today's pedometer reading: 40,578!
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