It was searingly hot but we persevered. Got to the three mile point and had a lie down on the verge ( I fell off my rucksack when I tried to use it as a cushion) but decided to continue and just as we got to Harlow Hill (5 miles) it started to rain a bit. We had already had some rumbles of thunder but now there was lightning across to the south. All at once it was as though a tropical storm had hit, really windy, temperature plummetted and torrential rain. There was no B&B, it had closed down. I was really getting tired by then, not being as fit etc.... We saw a closed church which appeared to have a porch so we went there to shelter. It was an illusion, there was a bit sticking out that LOOKED like a porch but it had a big solid locked door where the entrance should have been. We had gone past a campsite not far back so we went back there to see if they did bed and breakfast or had a caf where we could shelter. They didn't. The chap at the door told us the next B&B was another couple of miles away, I had already blisters coming up, I could feel them, probably because the rain was so heavy my boots had filled up with water.
It was no use, rain or no we had to carry on. Lucy was starting to have problems too with her boots, they were rubbing her ankles, we stopped and loosened her laces but the damage was already done. Because the trail here goes into the ditch of the wall we were getting even wetter because all the plants, nettles and stuff were weighed down with the rain and we were brushing through them as we walked. The trail went up and near the road so we clambered across and walked on the road instead. It was a 60 mile an hour zone and the cars zoomed past us scarily, and the road being on top of the route of the wall here was straight on as far as the eye could see with, scarily, no human habitation in sight.
About a mile outside Harlow Hill we came to some little lakes with a bird hide, so we decided to stop and do some repairs to my feet. It took about half an hour and we had a snack to give us some energy. Lucy really got the nosebag on! By the time I had finished sticking the plasters on she had nearly eaten all the food. We didn't really look at the birds much but we blessed the builders of the hut! When we were ready to set off again, the rained had stopped or slowed to drizzle, which was a real improvement. I couldn't believe it had been so hot I was moaning just a couple of hours before. There was only a mile to go before the next B&B, I can't say we struck out invigorated, because it would be a lie on my part, Lucy being 30 years younger than her unfit old Mum, was doing much better so I tried not to go on about my feet too much and stifled the groans under some light hearted banter.
We walked past the Robin Hood Pub and the B&B was next door, fantastic! Lucy knocked on the door and a woman answered. She obviously didn't like the look of us and when we asked for a bed for the night, she hummed and hahed. She wasn't expecting anybody, she didn't know if she had a twin room... I said we'll take a double, or two singles, anything she had in fact. She relented and let us in on the proviso we take our boots off on the step. If it had been me I'd have wanted my sockes off too. There was enough rain water and mud inside them to keep a pig happy.She said that the room would be £50 and she didn't take cards. Fair enough. I had broug
ht my cheque book with me as I had seen on a another web site that it would be more acceptable. She would take a cheque.
The woman,(she did not introduce herself) said because she wasn't expecting anyone that we would have to wait an half hour for hot water for a shower. We just wanted to take our wet things off.
In about 45mins I thought there would be some hot water, so I said I'd go first.
There was just enough water to get shampoo on my hair before it went cold. Luckily I had put the plug in because I needed to soak my feet to get the mud out of the blisters. So I rinsed my hair in cold water, and washed in the inch of lukewarm water in the bottom of the bath. I came back into the bedroom to give Lucy the bad news. We both got into bed because we were so cold. It was 7.50pm by this time and we debated going to the pub for something to eat but we were both so cold we couldn't bear to get dressed again.
Worked out we had walked 7 miles including the mile in Huddersfield that morning.
It was no use, rain or no we had to carry on. Lucy was starting to have problems too with her boots, they were rubbing her ankles, we stopped and loosened her laces but the damage was already done. Because the trail here goes into the ditch of the wall we were getting even wetter because all the plants, nettles and stuff were weighed down with the rain and we were brushing through them as we walked. The trail went up and near the road so we clambered across and walked on the road instead. It was a 60 mile an hour zone and the cars zoomed past us scarily, and the road being on top of the route of the wall here was straight on as far as the eye could see with, scarily, no human habitation in sight.
About a mile outside Harlow Hill we came to some little lakes with a bird hide, so we decided to stop and do some repairs to my feet. It took about half an hour and we had a snack to give us some energy. Lucy really got the nosebag on! By the time I had finished sticking the plasters on she had nearly eaten all the food. We didn't really look at the birds much but we blessed the builders of the hut! When we were ready to set off again, the rained had stopped or slowed to drizzle, which was a real improvement. I couldn't believe it had been so hot I was moaning just a couple of hours before. There was only a mile to go before the next B&B, I can't say we struck out invigorated, because it would be a lie on my part, Lucy being 30 years younger than her unfit old Mum, was doing much better so I tried not to go on about my feet too much and stifled the groans under some light hearted banter.
We walked past the Robin Hood Pub and the B&B was next door, fantastic! Lucy knocked on the door and a woman answered. She obviously didn't like the look of us and when we asked for a bed for the night, she hummed and hahed. She wasn't expecting anybody, she didn't know if she had a twin room... I said we'll take a double, or two singles, anything she had in fact. She relented and let us in on the proviso we take our boots off on the step. If it had been me I'd have wanted my sockes off too. There was enough rain water and mud inside them to keep a pig happy.She said that the room would be £50 and she didn't take cards. Fair enough. I had broug
ht my cheque book with me as I had seen on a another web site that it would be more acceptable. She would take a cheque.The woman,(she did not introduce herself) said because she wasn't expecting anyone that we would have to wait an half hour for hot water for a shower. We just wanted to take our wet things off.
In about 45mins I thought there would be some hot water, so I said I'd go first.
There was just enough water to get shampoo on my hair before it went cold. Luckily I had put the plug in because I needed to soak my feet to get the mud out of the blisters. So I rinsed my hair in cold water, and washed in the inch of lukewarm water in the bottom of the bath. I came back into the bedroom to give Lucy the bad news. We both got into bed because we were so cold. It was 7.50pm by this time and we debated going to the pub for something to eat but we were both so cold we couldn't bear to get dressed again.
Worked out we had walked 7 miles including the mile in Huddersfield that morning.
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