The English Pennine Way - Day 18 & 19 — Long Walks, Organics & African Stuff

From Byrness it was a steep climb out of the village, up through a forest, to Byrness Hill (413 m), where there were lovely views. There was a howling wind which tried in vain to blow me straight off it again! Not only was it powerful but freezing. I donned my waterproof jacket, it felt much warmer. I kept it on all day, as there was a real chill in the air. The forecast said it would be very windy, with heavy rain in the afternoon. Fortunately, they only got half of it right, and the rain held off.

Despite the horror stories I'd heard about the path across the Cheviots, I was pleasantly surprised to find it relatively easy (It wasn’t raining though!!). Some of the path was actually paved! The wire fence I came across was "The Border" between England and Scotland, and I simply had to follow it.

It was head down and bum up all day into the wind. There was little to see except heather and boundless, rounded hills disappearing to the South and East horizons. To the North, I could occasionally look down into the lowlands of Scotland, an exciting thrill. Sometimes the PW dipped its toe into Scotland, but most of it remained on the English side, clinging very close to the fence.

**The border fence along the ridge in the Cheviots**

At Lamb Hill (511 m), I met a soldier in a small bivouac and stopped for a chat for half an hour. He was pleased to have some company and kindly made me a cup of tea, most welcome. He told me that he was a checkpoint for some "Junior Leader" soldiers who were doing a map-reading exercise. He explained that the name, JL, was given to some Boys' Service training Regiments of the British Army Taken from the age of 15 they would eventually move on to join adult units at the age of 17½. After 20 minutes, a section of them arrived at the check-in, all carrying huge packs and they looked really tired. They had to walk 90 km in 3 days - I was pretty much doing that for 19 days! I left them as they tucked into their lunches.

On and on..... I met two guys mending the border fence, near Beefstand Hill (561 m). They had tried to do it last year, but the weather was so bad that they had to abandon it. Passing over "Windy Rig" (548 m) and then "Windy Gyle" (620 m) they were well-named, with the wind whistling around my head at something like 80 - 90 kph! The views were amazing and well worth the climb and discomfort. Windy Gyle was about halfway from Byrness to Kirk Yetholm.

I climbed down and crossed into Scotland to Russell's Cairn. There was a rough shelter here from the wind if I needed it. I joined Clennell Street, an old drover's road, and crossed back into England at what was locally known as the "Border Gate". It was not as grand as it sounded!

**Cheviots - The Border Gate! © Duncan Smith**

I turned right here onto a farm track that took me to Uswayford Farm, 2.5 km away, for my night's stop. The farm was a welcome and charming sight as I approached it. Tucked away in a pleasant little valley and surrounded by a few tall trees, and a stream running through it, completed the picture.

**Uswayford Farmhouse tucked in behind trees in the Cheviots © Duncan Smith**

The hostess, Mrs Wilkinson, was a formidable lady. She was very talkative, and not mein hostess by any means! She offered no welcoming cup of tea, and we were told, quite firmly, that dinner was at 6 pm exactly, and woe betides if you were late!! I shared a room with four other walkers who'd I previously met on the Way. It was nice to catch up with them again.

The farmhouse had seen better days and was in a sad state. However, the beds were clean and dry and the lights worked, just. "The generator is on the blink again!”.

Just one more stretch the next day would see me at journey's end, Kirk Yetholm. Hooray!!!!

Day 19 - Uswayford Farm to Kirk Yetholm

This B&B was basic but perfectly adequate. I could see that the poor tenants must have been struggling to make ends meet. From what I'd seen and experienced on my walk the previous day, it was a very remote spot to live and work. It was a very unforgiving and harsh environment and must have been a remorseless and soul-destroying existence. I'd worked on a remote Welsh Hill farm for a year, before going on to study agriculture, so their life resonated with me.

After a good breakfast, I headed back the 2.5 km to rejoin the Way and my final push to Kirk Yetholm. From then on, it was easy walking following the border fence again. The wind had gone up another notch and blew even more strongly in my face. However, it kept changing its mind as to the direction it wanted go and would suddenly change direction by ninety degrees, as if to try and sweep me off my feet. Which nearly did, several times.

On the ridges, the wind picked up even more and turned freezing cold. It was very tiring. But, on the bright side, it wasn't raining or misty! I could imagine that, even in summer, if the day turned wet, as well as cold and windy, it would be very easy to get hyperthermia on the Cheviots.

At Cairn Hill (737 m) there was a detour to "The Cheviot" (816 m), the highest point on the border hills. However, by this time, I was tired after the whole journey so far and being battered today by a strong, cold wind. Consulting Wainwrights “Pennine Way Companion" (Alfred Wainwright was a British journalist and avid walker) to find out what he said about this detour. He said, ".....after floundering for a 4.8 km round trip through filthy and pathless peat hags that demolish the spirit and defeat the flesh without even the reward of a view.....". He quickly talked me out of it! I pressed on without feeling a bit guilty, as his words fitted my life’s philosophy, in that, "Why split your arse when all you need is to gently crease it!”

It was a steep climb up to "The Schill" (605 m), an excellent heart-throbbing slog. I didn't stay long there and hurried along about another 1 km towards the final crossing of the Scottish border. Once across, I had one more hill to climb, "Black Hag, before the descent to Kirk Yetholm. My pace became much lighter and I quickly passed Burnhead Farm, Halterburn Hotel to see Kirk Yetholm in the distance! At last!!!

I walk alongside the Halter Burn, where bright red and yellow musk flowers along its banks welcomed me. Up and over a cheeky last hill, thrown in for luck, and into Kirk Yetholm!! MADE IT!

**Musk Wildflowers by the Halter Burn © Duncan Smith**

My next very important step was to make my way to the "Border Hotel" and claim my free pint of ale!! Wainwright himself had set up this '“free pint” as a lovely tradition for anyone who’d bought his guide for their journey; were bona fide "Pennine Wayfarers", and were able to verify that they’d completed it in a single journey. If you qualified on all these counts, then you could go to the Border Hotel and claim your free pint and say, "Charge it to Wainwright". However, in 1979 he amended further copies of his book to say, "For pint read half-pint. Sorry about this. Inflation, you know!". So, I claimed my half-pint and down that quickly, it didn’t touch the sides, and ordered another!

**The Border Hotel at Kirk Yetholm. The end of the Pennine Way © Duncan Smith**

There were 12 of us who had finished the Way on the same day. We’d leapfrogged each other on our separate journeys. Sometimes not seeing each other for days, the suddenly meeting up again. We swapped our addresses, notes and stories.

Sadly the beer was quite awful, so we Pennine Way “finishers”, took ourselves off to “The Plough Hotel” in the village which had a much cosier atmosphere and great beer. We carried on with our well-deserved celebrations for a number of hours before staggering off to find our Scottish YHA.

The hostel was excellent, Very comfortable, clean and with very good facilities indeed. Having settled in, it was back to the pub again!!

The next morning I was sitting quietly at the Hostel with an enormous hangover the next morning, I waited for a friend. He had kindly agreed to pick me up from Kirk Yetholm village and take me to Berwick station. A BIG help.

Go back to Days 16 & 17 - https://duncangoeswalking.squarespace.com/blog-pages/the-english-pennine-way-day-16-amp-17