After the completion of the Pennine Way, it was time to head back to Leeds for a few days recovery prior to doing some sightseeing. Kirk Yetholm is a bit of an awkward place to get back from, much worse than Edale which is close to major train lines. In our case, we had to get a taxi from Kirk Yetholm to a town called Berwick-Upon-Tweed. We had a very talkative and chatty taxi driver called Mark who kept us entertained the whole way, not least from trying to decipher his accent. After a 30 minute or so taxi ride, we arrived in Berwick-Upon-Tweed and we were able to catch the southward train from Edinburgh.

The train southwards went through through some beautiful spots through the Northumberland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It was hard to capture this from the train, but it is definitely an area which would be worth returning to in the future. It felt strange to suddenly be racing through the countryside at 125mph after spending so many days travelling slowly through the landscape.

16 miles/26 km

Total miles: 237 miles/382 km

We had a great nights stay in the Cheviot Hotel last night which was probably one of the best hotels we’d stayed at on the Pennine Way. Bellingham is the last town on the trail before reaching Scotland as Byrness is little more than a collection of a few houses built for former timber workers. Therefore, we did our final resupply before heading off for our final few days on the Way.

The trail climbed steeply out of Bellingham, first along the road before finally stepping out onto farmland. After a further steep climb up to a farmhouse, we turned left and were greeted by an enthusiastic 3 year old waving at us from doorway. No doubt the little chap was overcome with emotion at seeing such famous hikers, so we made sure to give him a cheery wave before heading on.

20 miles/32 km

Total miles: 180 miles/290 km

Today was the second of our big days and would end with a rest day in Alston, Cumbria before the final push to the Scottish border. Alston marks a milestone for us as we will have now done most of the hardest parts of the trail and will have easier days ahead.

We had an enjoyable meal at the local pub, The Stag Inn, the night before and found everybody in Dufton very friendly. Being the second day of Jubilee celebrations, everybody at the pub was, of course, blind drunk. There was one individual next to us who would laugh loudly at anything said in a slightly irritating ‘Mwuh HUH HUH…’. After dinner and a couple of pints, we headed off fingers in ears through the busy bar with a last ‘’Mwuh HUH HUH…’ ringing in our ears as we retreated to a safe distance.

The walk out of Dufton was pleasant as we ambled up a leafy country lane through farmland and woods. The temperature was warm and it was one of those rare days in the UK with hardly a cloud in the sky.

22 miles/35 km

Total miles: 161 miles/258 km

Yesterday was a public holiday in the UK with the first of three days of celebrations for the platinum jubilee. That also made for an interesting night for anyone looking for a quiet night. I was staying at the local hotel and was kept awake by the singing and yahoo’ing until 2.30 AM. Ben was staying at the local campground and had a litany of tales to tell starting with being greeted by a drunk campground manager whilst checking in! His day finished with being kept awake by a bunch of hairy bikers snoring the night away a short distance away from his tent.

So, it was in a somewhat bleary eyed state that we stumbled onto the trail for our biggest day of the Pennine Way, a total of 35km to Dufton. This is the first of two big days we have coming up with the second being tomorrow. Fortunately, today is one of the highlights of the Pennine Way.

With a short walk out of Middleton, we turned right and began our walk along the River Tees. Rain was forecast today but, from the look of the clouds, we were hopeful we would avoid it. It was very pleasant walking through the meadows as we departed Middleton.

17.5 miles/28 km

Total miles: 123 miles/197 km

Today started off easily enough with a gentle walk out of Hawes across the River Ure and some gentle farmland. The weather was forecast for rain again but the day started off nice and dry.

There was an optional detour today to see Hardraw Force, a large waterfall featured in several Hollywood films but, given our mileage today we decided to press on.