Walking with Shepherds Walks

Out and about in Elsdon

Guided Walk date - 29/01/2011

Elsdon is regarded as the most complete example of a medieval settlement in Northumberland National Park. This long history was certainly evident during a recent walk on a frosty and sunny day.
The name Elsdon comes from the Old English for Elli’s Valley and the location of Elsdon in a valley or bowl was certainly apparent during the walk, which was initially along the southern ‘rim’ of the bowl, before returning along the northern ‘rim’.

After introductions we walked through the village, noting the 11th Century Motte and Bailey castle (considered to be the best preserved example in the county), the 12th Century parish church, the 15th Century pele tower (a fortified house reflecting that the medieval period was one of the Border Reivers and England/Scotland warfare) and of course the lovely village green.

The 18th Century was more peaceful – the Jedburgh to Newcastle turnpike opened in 1776 and a number of inns were built in Elsdon to serve the needs of travellers – although only one remains, the buildings in which others were situated can still be identified around the village green – while in the countryside farming developed and farmsteads were built.

After crossing Elsdon Bridge we followed the Elsdon Burn to one of these farmsteads – The Haining. This has recently been refurbished and is now a very attractive house. We then started to climb up through some recently planted trees to Castle Hill and Gallow Hill (further evidence of the Border Reivers!), where a coffee break was taken to enjoy the lovely views over Elsdon to the snow-covered Cheviot Hills in the distance.

Continuing along the southern rim of the bowl we passed by Hillhead Cottage, where we briefly stopped to admire the owner working hard to put in some fence posts. In the distance from this point could be seen Winter’s Gibbet at Steng Cross, which is where William Winter was suspended in chains in 1791 after being hung in Newcastle following the robbery and murder of a local resident.

We continued downhill and then past West and East Todholes, but did not see any foxes – tod is a local name for a fox. After this we entered Harwood Forest, which was planted during the 1950s with spruce and pine trees. The Forest is very dense and so the path was very muddy, but we reached an opening where the path crosses the Mill Burn. Here the sun was able to reach the ground – melting the frost on the grass and creating a cloud of steam – and we stopped here for lunch, enjoying the sun and the sound of the bubbling stream.

The Mill Burn is part of a small nature reserve - as the stream flows through limestone it is very clear, and there are a number of rare plants.

The name Mill Burn is further evidence of the more peaceful life during the 18th Century – the development of industries. In the case of Elsdon this was millstone quarrying, lime quarrying and burning and corn milling. The next farm that we passed, Whiskershiel Farm, was a centre for corn milling in the 18th Century, although it is now a sheep farm.

After passing Penman’s Leap, we walked uphill across sometimes boggy ground to the northern rim of the walk and started the journey back to Elsdon. This gave the group good views of the route taken earlier in the day.

Walking across the lower slopes of Landshot Hill, we had to cross a number of stiles, which gave the group the time to take a breather and enjoy the view. It also gave the two dogs on the walk, the opportunity to entertain the group with a game of ‘chase’ – as the larger dog was losing he decided to sit on the smaller dog, which was a very effective way of bringing the ‘hostilities’ to an end!
We then descended to Landshot and followed the road back to Elsdon. A number of the group took the opportunity to relax over a ‘cuppa’ and a piece of cake at one of the cafes in the village, before the journey home, which was a great way to end the day. 

Overall, a lovely walk on a lovely day, with some superb views and a great group – a good time was had by all!

Martin Laidler - 6th February 2011

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Hadrian's Wall part 1 - YouTube Film

Tynemouth to Segedunum

Guided walk date - Sunday 23rd January 2011

The Romans never had this problem.  Our planned Metro ride from Wallsend to Tynemouth didn’t take place because the Metro was closed for maintenance so a quick vehicle transfer had to be organised to position vehicles at both ends of the route so that everyone could get home at the end of the walk.  Next we were told that the gates of Segedunum would be closed and locked at 3.00 pm not 4.00 pm as advertised!  Now we had an hour less for the route and jogging became a possibility!

Once we got parked in Tynemouth Front Street (on the site of the medieval market) we were off.  Tynemouth Castle and Priory, plus the former Coastguard Station in the grounds, along with the Volunteer Life Brigade (VLB) building, Collingwood’s Monument, the Black Middens passed in a flash along with the house that was the location of the “Supergran” children’s TV programme (years ago) overlooking the river.  On past Knotts Flats with good views south to the sea stacks at Lizard Point and Souter Lighthouse.  The low tide revealed the need for the Tyne Improvement Commissioners, VLB, the RNLI as the rock of the Black Middens were well exposed.  Even part of the promenade near the 16th century Clifford’s Fort (the Dutch wars), well within the protection of the Tyne Piers, was breached and awaiting repair.

Morning coffee was taken on the newly refurbished North Shields Fish Quay just below the High Light where we picked out the sites of the old slums on the south facing slopes demolished n the inter-war period.  The changes of use of buildings were noticeable, fewer fishing related commercial premises and more catering and retail uses plus flats “over the shop.”  Some of our number purchased fresh coffee; the rest of us had to make do with our flasks.  On past the ice house that used to service the fishing boats towards the new riverside apartments near the Haddock Shop, a former dry dock that specialised in the maintenance and repair of these particular fishing boats.  Beyond that was more industrial dereliction before coming to the refurbished building near the ferry terminal that was known locally in the 1970’s as “The Jungle” had been converted into smart apartments as had the old sailors’ home adjacent to it.  The short stretch between the Fish Quay and the corner of Borough Road, an former toll road, up towards North Shields provides a social and economic history of residential and commercial buildings since the 18th century - and that is without mentioning the former Tynemouth Literary and Philosophical Society building later to become the offices of the Stag Line who’s emblem still adorns the south gable of the building.  We didn’t have time to view the statue of Stan Laurel in Dockwray Square on the bank above but we know where to find it. 

The next section of the walk deviated from the map due to the large scale reclamation of the former shipyard areas between the Ferry Landing and Royal Quays, brown land ripe for redevelopment that afforded good views across the Tyne to South Shields and upriver towards Tyne Dock also on the south side of the river.  A sudden transition to modern soft landscaped roads and new homes signalled our arrival at Royal Quays Marina.  We walked across the locks and around the marina.  Alongside the marina was moored HMS Chatham, a Type 22 frigate built by Swan Hunter, launched in 1988 and in service with the Royal Navy since 1990.  In the marina, along with the yachts was a North Sea Fishery Protection vessel, two training craft of the RNLI and two naval patrol boats.

It was lunchtime and we sheltered from the breeze on the landscaped approaches to Royal Quays Retail Park using their facilities on the way past but resisting the temptation for retail therapy en-route to cross the site of the new Tyne Tunnel Toll Plaza currently under construction and skirting north of Howdon Green Industrial Estate.  The final section of the walk took us via the residential roads of Willington Quay to cross Willington Cut in the shadow of the massive Willington Viaduct built in 1839 to carry the Newcastle and North Shields Railway across the valley.  George Stephenson lived near hear following his marriage in 1802 and his son, Robin, was born here in 1803.  The link still exists today in the form of the Stephenson Memorial Schools.  After the climb back up from the valley the route followed the line of the former Newcastle and North Shields Railway, which predates the present Metro line, back to the Segedunum site adjacent to the former main entrance to the Swan Hunter shipyard.  We arrived back with a few minutes to spare before the gates were due to close to retrieve our cars and transfer everyone back to their own cars in Tynemouth. 

A good time was had by all, we didn’t get wet or too cold and at no time did we have to jog to get back to the cars in time to beat the gate closing deadline at Segedunum.  Next time I’ll make sure that there is time to include the Metro ride, information about Howdon Pans and Jarrow Slake, even an excursion to the Pedestrian Tunnel or a ferry trip across the Tyne to view our route from a different perspective, there are lots of possibilities, we have only just scratched the surface!

Richard

To view more pictures from the walk please click here.

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Lordenshaw Hillfort

Guided walk date - 2nd Jan 2011

Has Sunndance already cracked the secret?  After weeks of snow a quick soft shoe shuffle and most of the snow has melted.  It was a small but intrepid group that met at the Cowhaugh car park and although most of the snow had melted the surface of the car park was like an ice rink.  This helped us to decide whether we should go clockwise or anticlockwise as the riverside path would also be like sheet ice.  After struggling to get off the car park a brisk walk up hill took us to the cross roads at Whitton from here there were tantalizing views of the Whitton Pele tower (a private house) through the trees.  We once more negotiated a short section of sheet ice on the track up to Whitton Tower Folly (built as an observatory).  From hereon the tracks and paths were clear of snow for most of the day.

Passing Whitton tower which had been built for a vicar of Rothbury this lead to a discussion on astronomy.  Leaving the farm track we headed for the col between Garleigh Moor and Lordenshaw hillfort passing the remains of an old farm and some even older cairns. We now were walking through the occasional snow patch and boggy ground. We met three fell runners who Mike knew and they had been removing the ‘decorations’ from the Christmas trees along the Simonside Ridge, in three hours they had run from Rothbury along the carriage ways to Thropton up the front face to the summit of Simonside along the ridge to the hill fort and were only a matter of minutes from getting back to Rothbury!

On reaching the Hillfort we examined the circular ditch and ramparts and the remains of some hut circles and of course admired the view across Coquetdale to the Cheviots and way in the distance we could even see the snow clad Southern Uplands.  We then looked at the rock carvings before walking down the road towards Tosson, In the shelter of some woodland we had a quick break and something to eat.

We followed the road to a path at the start of Whitton Dean, sheet ice again made the going difficult for about 50m until we started a gentle climb up to the farm Whitton Hillhead.  We decided to keep on the farm track back to Whitton as this was less likely to have any icy patches rather than the new path along the river Coquet.  A gentle but pleasant stroll brought us once more to Whitton Tower. We then followed the road back to Rothbury. 

Yes Mike had cracked it, his feet were bone dry.

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The Valley of Rothbury

Guided Walk Date - Saturday 18th December 2010

I’m glad that the change of venue for the walk allowed it to go ahead; we’d have missed out on a really good day otherwise and we have another really good day in reserve for the walk we intended to do!

It was chilly minus 8°C on the Haugh car park so we got underway quickly over the footbridge and along the High Street and up Gravelly Bank for views of Simonside, the golf course (former racecourse) and the meandering River Coquet’s floodplain.  The flooded and frozen pools on the golf course emphasised the flat, low lying nature of the ground and explained the reason for the relocation of the rebuilt golf clubhouse.  The view from the lay-by on Hillside Road West enabled us to appreciate the setting of valley and the main characteristics of its physical and human geography.   

The walk from the car park out of the village as far as the farmland at the end of Hillside Road West was treacherous underfoot but once we left the roads it got a lot easier.  The remains of the hillfort at West Hills were quite well disguised by snow but the view north-westwards towards the snow covered Cheviots in particular were excellent.  From here we could see the pink face of Biddlestone Quarry shinning in the sun 10 kilometres away from where we should have started the day’s walk.  We continued up to the top of Physic Lane for a coffee break below the trig point before setting out across the moorland plateau.  Despite the mercifully still air the wind generator at nearby Glitteringstone on the crest of the sandstone escarpment was whizzing round.

Following Lord Armstrong’s Carraigeway Drive north we spotted the old First World War practice trenches (have a look on the free version of Google Earth) that were picked out by the contrasts in the snow cover – sometimes a blanket of snow can disclose things you wouldn’t otherwise notice.  From here we could also see Target Hill beyond the trenches, no explanation required.  Onwards into Primrose Wood to view the 60 centimetre icicles below the crag near the old quarry stained orange-brown by the peaty water and a discussion about mosses and lichen growth on tress.  It was noticeably cooler in the trees where the low-angle sun’s rays were blocked, we’d already noticed how much pleasanter the temperature was once we got out of the cold air drainage of the Coquet Valley.  Further into the plantation we stopped for lunch sitting on the frozen remains of an old flat-bed trailer, lots of insulation required, it was 1.00 pm and minus 2°C!

Back out onto the open moorland across and very icy footbridge to regain the crest of the scarp the advantage of the big freeze was obvious as we crossed the usually boggy moor dry-shod, even some of the streams were running underneath a crust of ice.  The patterns made by the combination of running water and trapped air bubbles were remarkable.  The light was brilliant, we were walking south towards the sun in a clear blue sky with the light bouncing off pristine snow and there was a satisfying squeak and crunch from the continental style powder snow with each footstep. 

The walk into the Addycombe plantation to follow the former Carraigeway Drive to the east should have been the easiest part of the walk.  The number of fallen trees, boughs and branches along this leg of the route made it more of an assault course.  Lots of silver birches were bent over by the weight of snow and larger trees had snapped-off branches littering the path.  Some substantial trees had also been brought down by a combination of wind and sheer weight of snow, witnessed by the orientation of the falls and the consolidated piles of snow that surrounded individual trees leaving the trunks in a “pit” surrounded by a deeper bank of snow.

The final mile down into Rothbury across the fields passed almost unnoticed with the constant banter of a happy group of people, we really did have an exceptionally enjoyable day.  Names have intentionally not been mentioned; you had to be there to appreciate the humour e.g. the taxidermist sign on the corner of Bridge Street on the way back to the car park!  Mission accomplished a really exceptional walk with lovely group of people and back at the cars exactly on time for a safe journey home.  I hope everyone got their promised gin and tonic in the bath as planned - or were we just hallucinating in the cold?

Richard
Sunday, 19 December 2010

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Nordic Walk - Craster to Dunstan Steads

Guided walk date - 14 November 2010

I arrived at Craster TIC car park in plenty of time full of high expectations for a kipper in a bun only to find that the butty van wasn’t there. What a disappointment! Never mind, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and we had some Nordic walking to do......  After a short delay for which I thank the group for their patience, we congregated outside the TIC to run through some quick warm up exercises to get our limbs moving and ready for the walk. 

With poles at the ready we set off in earnest heading towards the harbour. Taking a left turn the road gave way to beautiful grass fields. In order to get better purchase with our poles, we removed the rubber paws from our poles and set off with the group adapting their own pace.  The grass was not too wet and provided excellent conditions to practice the Nordic walking technique. A number of the group participated in the training day at Kirkharle in October and I was really pleased to see that they had not lost their technique and they were still really enthusiastic Nordic walkers.

After posing for a group shot in front of the mighty ruins of Dunstanburgh castle, we skirted round the base following the coastal path before reaching the beautiful sandy beach of Embleton bay. We took the opportunity to stop here for a little snacket and a hot drink. Dark clouds loomed and we feared the worst, but no, they passed us by without a drop of rain falling. The beach looked fantastic and everyone commented on how good it was for Nordic walking. We made the decision to walk almost the full length of the bay before turning back on ourselves to leave the beach and head towards Dunstan Steads.

From grass to sand and now hardcore, this truly was a walk that had varied terrain. We headed back towards Craster following a path overshadowed by the distinctive heugh whose slopes were covered in thick gorse and bushes abundant with red berries. The sun shone throughout the whole walk which made for a very pleasurable and magical Nordic walk. Everyone enjoyed themselves which was fantastic.

I look forward to seeing you all again, probably in 2012, so Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.  

Alison

To view more pictures taken on this Nordic Walk please click here.

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Byrness Hill, Spithope Bothy

Guided walk date - 7th November 2010

Sundance had been dancing the old soft shoe shuffle with his newish boots and they seem to be working.  As Sunday dawned it was bright and clear with little wind and just a touch of ground frost. 

A mid morning church service had filled the chosen meeting point so a slight variation was needed, the new meeting point became the out of service service station car park.  Most arrived at the new meeting point although Mike had to go and collect a couple of people from the original meeting place.  By 10.30 we were off, a brisk walk along the A68 before leaving the valley to follow the Pennine Way.  A steady climb of 200m up through the forest brought us to the summit of Byrness Hill, with frequent stops to allow Mike to catch his breath (which was then used to whitter about this and that and of course ROCKS!).  From Byrness Hill the views were brilliant, the air was so clear that it brought the whole vista into sharp focus.

From here the route follows the ridge between the valley of the Cottonhope Burn to the south and the Spittle Burn to the north.  It was also here that we picked up our constant companion for the day, an Apache attack helicopter that seemed to fly around and around and around except for the occasional foray into the impact zone of the range where it fired a machine gun for a few seconds before once more starting to go around and around.

For the most part the ridge is easy walking but somewhere between Saughy Crag and Houx Hill there was a bog so we carefully wandered around roughly in the right direction until we came to a broad wet looking area that stretched a long way in either direction at right angles to where we wanted to go.  Mike and A N Other  decided to chance it and while Mike only sank to just below his knees in the mire he was able to keep going but A N had other ideas.  They sank to above knee level and got stuck, this then needed Mike and another hero to wade back in to the mire to help pull out A N.  So although it had not rained, once more Mike had wet feet.  The rest of the group took a much longer detour and managed to get round the bog without too much trouble.

The next high point was Windy Crag with two ravens who obviously had not read the map as they should have been at the next high point.  By now food was becoming an important issue and a stop for lunch was called for so we stopped at Ravens Crag (527m) the highest point of the route.  From here the views again were inspiring with Cross Fell 45miles to the SW and to the north the wind farm at Soutra some 37miles away, as well as the Cheviots themselves visible.

The descent down Ravens crag took us through the remains of this winter’s first snow.  A section of board walk  helped us cross a very boggy stretch of ground before climbing the last hill of the day, Ogre Hill, from here on it was all downhill (except for a couple of ups).  On reaching the Hearts Toe we left the Pennine Way and turned left to fight our way along a path lost in recent tree felling operations, again getting very muddy in the process until we reached a forestry road which we now took which followed the Spittlehope Burn until we reached the Spittlehope  bothy here the footpath once more became lost in recent felling but after a short climb through the recently felled wood ( brashings ) we found the path  and again continued down towards the Rede Valley, the path eventually became a forestry track which we followed until it crossed the Pennine Way. Turning right we retraced our steps back along the Pennine Way to the A68 and the defunct garage where we had left the cars at the start of the day. 

Although it had not rained Mike still ended up with wet feet due to his bog dancing!

 To view more pictures taken on this walk click here.

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Walk in the Dark form South Middleton

Guided walk date - Sunday 24th October

Nearly eleven kilometres walked in just less than four and a half hours!   For almost two hours of that we were not moving but skywatching.  We weren’t moving very fast, you don’t at night, at least it isn’t advisable.   We watched the moon rise over the coast and saw the pink and blue hues in the sky caused by the setting sun in the west.  As we gained height in the lee of the moorland it protected us from the worst of the northerly wind and the cloud started to dissipate.  A few gaps began to appear in the cloud cover and Jupiter was the first heavenly body to appear strongly as the night sky darkened.  There was a marked contrast between the rapidly darkening sky to the east and the lingering twilight to the west.
By the time we reached our most northerly point, above and north-east of Langlee in the Harthope valley, it was fully dark – except that it was a full moon and the moonlight cast sharp shadows as we turned south  towards Langlee Crags on a clear track.  It would have been easy to move at a faster daytime pace and we certainly didn’t need to use headtorches.  By now our eyes had become used to the lower light levels and we started to see the night sky.  The cloud gaps were larger and we managed to locate The Plough and from it the position of the Pole Star before it was obscured again.  We disturbed a few grouse that made a lot of noise getting out of our way just as we passed some shooting butts, a reminder of the economics of land management hereabouts.

The weather was ideal for a night walk now that we had our back to the wind, a full moon, clearing sky under a high pressure on a frosty night – there was plenty of frost on my car the following morning.  Only the brightness of the Hunters moon, as the October full moon is known, obscured the starfield in that direction.  By the time we reached Middleton Crags for a snack we were able to pick out the constellation of The Plough and use it to find the Pole Star (Polaris) and before moving over to Cassiopeia on the other side of Polaris.  We chatted about night vision and the role of rods and cones in the eye.  The strobes and navigation lights of overflying aircraft demonstrated how a combination of light and movement attracts the eye, even in peripheral vision.  From Middleton Crags we could see aircraft taking off and landing at Newcastle Airport 34 miles (55km) to the south.  The air was clear enough to see aircraft turning on track after take-off.  In the lee of the crags there was no wind and it was appreciated by all as we looked at the clear night sky in comparison to the sodium twilight skyglow towards Tyneside.  We could see the flashing of a lighthouse on the coast and the skymap produced by the reflection of Berwick’s streetlights on the low cloud along the coast.  The red navigation lights of the TV mast near Chatton Sandyford 14 kilometres away to our east certainly didn’t appear that far away.

Downhill all the way now back to the cars, the moon illuminating our way.   We had become more aware of sound (e.g.  running water) and the silhouettes of fence lines and gates  to aid our route-finding.   Our other senses were taking over from the dominant daytime one of sight.  The experience of walking in relative darkness is one of the defining characteristics of the countryside in comparison with urban areas simply due to the absence of artificial light.  Nothing appears quite the same, just black and white (or silver) with a greyscale between.   Moonlight tends to drain the landscape of colour and alters perception of both slope and distance.  I hope everyone enjoyed the walk; I certainly enjoyed your company.  We must do an “advanced course” on the night of a new moon night i.e. when there is no moon at all, that will be different again.

Richard

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Copper Snout with a difference

Guided Walk date - 17th October 2010

Sundance had acquired a new set of soft shoe shuffle boots which seemed to be working as it was a bright sunny morning but somewhat cool from the overnight frost. At Alwinton car park we met a couple of Shepherds Walks backmarkers who were off on a walk to Biddlestone Chapel and as we were chatting the rest of the group arrived.  After a short sort out we drove in convoy up ‘The Valley’ to Shilmoor Farm, parking opposite the old farm house (now used as an army bunkhouse) on the south side of the River Coquet.  Crossing the river by the road bridge we set off up a private road towards Battlesheil Haugh.  A gentle stroll brought us up to the farm, Mike was busy wittering (as usual) and forgot that the path now goes round the farm rather than through the farmyard.  Fortunately the more observant members of the group read the signs saying no entry and were able to get Mike back on to the correct path.

From here a grassy path leads to Fairhaugh following every twist and turn of the Usway Burn.  We then entered Kidland Forest at the Hosden Burn-Usway Burn confluence, as we walked along the forest track there were literally hundreds of fungi made up from several different species, none of us was sure which could be eaten but were agreed on some that could not.

The whole length of the forest track to Fairhaugh had fungi on either side.  A quick look at Fairhaugh (now a holiday let) and speculation on getting snowed in while on holiday and what you would do.  Although we had been climbing all the while since Shilmoor we now had the big test of the day 400ft in less than half a mile to climb before lunch.

A well deserved but rather late lunch stop was had at the junction between the forest track from Fairhaugh and Clennell Street.  After a pleasant lunch we followed Clennell Street south to Nettlehope Hill from here the views are really inspiring and with the recent felling of the wood in this area you now have a 360 degree panorama.  Although not as clear or as bright as it could have been, with the eye of faith we could see the North Sea (Druridge Bay) and way to the south the dales above Hexham.  It was at this point Mike started to witter about trying to find the remains of an old whisky still, the upshot being that we all agreed to have a go to find it.
 
We continued to follow Clennell Street until we met the path junction to walk down Copper Snout, notice DOWN Copper Snout, usually you walk up Copper Snout.  After a short distance Mike said look out for a sheep stell and it’s somewhere on the burn! After looking at a couple of waterfalls and several sheep, there right in the side of the bank were the remains of a building with two rooms and a hollow full of water.
After a steep climb out of the burn while negotiating our way through a herd of cattle we were then once more back on the footpath. The weak watery sun could not take the chill from the strong wind that was now blowing and we were pleased to get back down into the valley. A short walk back to the cars to find that they were surrounded by soldiers vehicles. Fortunately for everyone they had left a gap to let our cars out, so after a quick farewell we all set off home DRY which makes a change.

 To view more pictures taken on this walk click here.

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The Schil

Guided Walk date - 3rd October 2010

Oh dear! What has gone wrong for the Sundance Kid?  Two walks in a row and it has rained both times!!   Yet another set of new boots - he is still trying to find a pair that do not leak.

The group met up at Kirk Yetholm and drove the short distance along the Pennine Way to the Halterburn. From here it was to be walking along the ‘P’ Way in the rain.
The first part of the route was to follow the Halterburn to its head.  We first passed Halterburn Farm then Burnhead Farm.  Here the route does a detour that goes well round the farm and crosses the burn by a high level foot bridge. The rather muddy farm track eventually gave way to a wet but pleasant to walk on grass track.
A steady climb brought us eventually to Old Halterburnhead now a ruin but with an old tin roof giving a bit of a shelter for a five minute break.

From here the path became a little bit steeper to the head of the Halterburn, here we met two lads who had just started to walk the Pennine Way ( finishing in 17 days) to raise money for Cancer Research and aiming to reach Lambhill Refuge hut for the night. The path from here was really steep up Birky Knowe and around the side of Steering Knowe.

Lots of photo stops allowed Mike to get his breath back before we topped out on a flat plateau below Black Hag which was hidden in cloud, as was the Cheviot and the Schil, well anything above about 500m. A gentle stroll brought us to the border fence, the PW now enters England. Here we met a group of walkers coming the opposite way and we were greeted by the words ‘are you Shepherds Walks? You taught me map and compass at Rothbury’.  Mike immediately denied this and said it was Russell but no it had been Mike during the Rothbury Festival the previous year (his fame? spreads!).

From here the path splits, with one path carrying straight on for Mountholly in the College Valley or turns right (PW) across a very wet marshy col to the base of the climb up the Schil.  A steep climb of 400ft eventually brought us to the top of the English side and the cloud had now lifted a little bit but was still hiding the Cheviot and the border ridge to the west so rather less than impressive views. We scrambled over the fence back into Scotland and climbed the summit tor of the Schil before settling down to lunch in the rain in the shelter of the summit rocks.

A faint path lead back down to the col between The Schil and Black Hag but eventually disappeared so we crossed back into England for a short bit before returning once more to Scotland.  At Steering Knowe the PW splits into the alternative route (the one we had come up) or the original route that still followed the border fence.  As we walked over Steering Knowe and down Steering Rig the rain eased and we could actually see blue sky way over to the west coming our way and a very vague light was showing through the clouds (the sun?).  The walk down gave views right across the Tweed valley with the views gradually improving as the cloud lifted and it became much brighter.  The final sting in the tail was the climb up to White Law on reaching the top we were rewarded again by some inspiring visual images as the cloud shredded up and around Hare Law and Wester Tor.  The final descent down to the cars was a very pleasant leisurely walk in clearing weather so that on reaching the cars we actually managed some sunshine.

p.s.   Sundance’s rain boots have been sent back and hopefully the next pair will restore normal service.

To view more pictures taken on this walk click here.

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