Today was different and not recommended for other HWP walkers. Our dilemma was how to return to the HWP from the Scotch Arms Mews in Brampton. We had walked off-trail from Haytongate the previous day to get to Brampton. There were a few options. One was to get a taxi back to Haytongate. This would lead to a 14 mile day, and we dislike taking taxis if we can avoid it as we like to walk from the threshold of where we stayed. Walking back to Haytongate would lead to a 17 mile day which was also not desirable for us. I had asked the HWP Facebook group about this dilemma and had been strongly warned against the road to Newtown. However, there was the suggestion of walking along the roads to Crosby. It came down to either (1) a taxi back to Haytongate or (2) walking the road to Crosby and we went to bed with the Crosby walk planned. Dianne at Scotch Mews raised an eyebrow at the Crosby idea. I checked Google Street View and it showed no path but a verge. After plenty of rain overnight and a forecast of more rain and high winds, we questioned our decision but decided to stick with it. Janet’s main dislike when walking is mud.
In summary, the Crosby route is about 5 miles on very busy roads. The verge is uneven and you are often buffeted by the wind from large passing lorries, or a surprisingly large number of car transporters. Most of the time you are “wading” through shin- to thigh-deep vegetation. We were fortunate that it didn’t rain. We made it to Crosby without incident but do not recommend this to HWP walkers. With that in mind, here is what our day looked like!
I loved the sight of all the shoes drying by the fire.
A fine breakfast rounded off an excellent stay and a very restful night. A final farewell chat with Dianne revealed that other walkers had not asked for taxis, which was rare. I think most, if not all, of the others were heading east. With a bad forecast, we bundled into our rain gear and headed off.
Soon, the clouds parted and we saw plenty of blue sky. You can see the narrowness of the verge on the road from Brampton leading to the A689.9 miles to go.While sometimes the verge was wide or mowed, this scene was typical. While there was enough room to be safe on the verge, having a coach speeding past at 60mph at 2-3 ft away from you is different!I loved this weather vaneWe passed by the airport, which I see is marketed as the Lake District’s airport! It was here that we heard our first seagull since leaving Newcastle. These were Irish Sea gulls rather than North Sea ones!!The Skiddaw Cafe added to the Lake District theme. I thought I could see Skiddaw, but then it got covered in rainy clouds (of course!)We both picked up a few hitchhikers. They really like velcro!And we made it to Crosby and rejoined the path. The guidebook mentioned an honesty stop but we could not find it.This sign captured our day. It turned out dry and sunny. Based on the forecast, I had put my hat and sunglasses in my bag going with Hadrian’s Haul. I should know not to trust the forecast!The path soon took us alongside the River Eden which appeared full. It was very different from the Tyne on the other side of the country.We passed a corn field where the crop towered over me.Some corn husks. These looked almost ready for harvest though it looked like an animal had taken a nibble from one. Other fields had less mature plants. This rural approach to Carlisle was so different from the industrial history on the outskirts of Newcastle.And then there was mud. The HW path was shared with tractors. The mud wasn’t deep and we managed to get through quite easily, but there was a lot of it.We passed by this mound and maps suggested it was not Roman but part of Linstock Castle which was built in the 12 century, using Hadrian’s Wall. This was the only thing we saw today with any relationship to the wall.We had a fine rest under cover at Linstock house and chatted with a couple of ladies hiking east. Next door, it appeared that the barn has recently been renovated into “The Barn” which looked interesting!I crossed the M6 bridge without too much trouble, and there is a sign with both Newcastle and Carlisle on it!This is Rickerby Park Tower, a folly built in 1835. Very new!The war memorial in Rickerby Park. The size of it reminded me how much sacrifice there must have been for such remembrance.And we took Memorial Bridge over the River Eden.We had an hour to kill before we could check into our B&B so we followed the river around to the Sands Centre, but unfortunately their cafe was closed.Our search for a cafe took us through tunnels under the A6 roundabout and they were adorned with murals. We learned that Carlisle is home to Custard Creams, as well as Hadrian’s Wall!We had some fine refreshments at Adeline’s Tea Room that was so cute. And the staff were so friendly.On the way from Adeline’s to our B&B, we spotted this shop selling Halloween stuff that was attached to a Church of Scotland building. Perhaps the church sold off or leases the building to the store? That was a first for us. We made it to Langleigh House! It was 11.5 miles, and my estimate of walking direct was a little under 10. We still felt quite fresh, but are also happy not to feel tired! When we checked in at 3pm, our bags had not arrived yet but they made it about thirty minutes later.That evening, we chose to dine at the B&B. Yvette and Norman were such interesting hosts, Yvette was a fantastic cook (she used to teach it), and their two canine boys so well behaved and kept out of the way, except when we went to say hello. While other meals in the trip have been good, this was extra special. No one else was eating tonight, so it was just the two of us and it felt like they were treating us as royalty!Our bedroom is on the top floor of the house and its antique furniture makes us feel we are going back several decades. The B&B is on a quiet street so I am sure we will sleep well.
We only have one day of hiking left 😕. Tomorrow is a longish day at 15 miles, and the dropping temperatures and shortening days are signaling the end of summer and autumn’s arrival. The weather forecast looks good, but we need to be ready for anything.
This blog post is linked to from my Hadrian’s Wall Path page, where you can find the accounts of the other days in this adventure.
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"Cajunlimeys" combines Lousiana (Janet) and England (Peter). For "limeys," check out scurvy in the English navy.
We love adventures and use blogging to write a photo diary to preserve our memories. Some crazy friends enjoy following us and my notes might help others plan.
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The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 