Day 3: Hiking from Wall to Once Brewed 25km

If Monday was the day of RAIN and Tuesday was the day of MUD, then Wednesday was the day of COLD and WIND! (Thursday was also cold and windy; lucky us!)

If any day stands out more than the others in terms of difficulty it was Wednesday for me. It was a really long hiking day in pretty inhospitable conditions. We did the most climbing on Wed. and some of the paths going up and down the crags were pretty dangerous, especially since they were wet and slippery and the wind was raging. I did a crab walk (on all fours) up some of the hills as it was the only way I felt safe. One time going down a rocky hill my foot slipped off a wet, muddy stone and I ended up sitting on my rear. However, that was preferred to going ass over teakettle down to the bottom.

I kept my camera zipped up in my pocket a lot of the time as I didn't want to damage it and it just wasn't safe a lot of the time to take photos.  The next two aren't my photos but help to show what it was like. Some of the descents were so steep that I had to use the rock wall to balance myself.

 ...and unfortunately it was rainy and windy to boot!

There was nowhere to stop to get warmed up, dried out or fed so we had to take a lunch with us and we sheltered by the wall to escape the worst of the wind. I did worry that the wind would inflate my coat and I'd go drifting off like Mary Poppins! The one good thing about the wind though was that it would dry my rain dampened pants in just minutes - I didn't bother with rain pants, because they just made me sweat! Oh look, the clouds are breaking up - hahaha!

I love this photo of the two sheep - I can imagine what they're saying: "so...what do want to do today?" "Oh, I don't know...eat some grass I guess...I heard the north pasture is especially luscious right now..."

Rain threatened off and on most of the day.

It was fun to look back to see what we had climbed so far...

Looks like rain coming - Annie's ready!

Enormous skies... we're definitely going to get rained on again!!

A mixture of grass and rocks on this climb - oh, and watch out for all the poop!!

 The grassy hills were easier to climb than the rocky ones.

It was a long hard day!

This was my last photo of the day (around 5:30pm) - we had climbed up to a parking lot for the Northumberland National Park and we had to call the B&B to come and pick us up as it was off the trail by a couple of miles. Annie tried a couple of times with her call being sent to a 2nd number (who we found out was the B&B owner's mother-in-law). No one called us back after Annie left a message so we faced another 2 mile walk to the B&B called Saughy Rigg Farm (hereafter known as Soggy Bottom Farm!)

This photo shows where we came from and some of the crags and shields that we climbed over.

By the time we arrived at the B&B around 6:30pm (over a 10 hour hiking day) all we had the energy for was a quick supper of squash soup and crusty buns. Then it was off to our room to shower, dress our wounds and rest...well, I had to wash my socks first!! I have 3 pairs each of hiking socks and sock liners so it was time to do some laundry. Thankfully they had heated towel racks so they dried quite quickly. ( I probably could have gotten an extra day out of each pair of hiking socks but I live in fear of toe fungus!!) We were really happy to have that day under our belt. We were dealing with blisters (both of us), aching achilles tendon (me) and various aches and pains in our feet and legs (both).

We really felt like we had accomplished something that day and I think we felt better prepared for whatever came at us next. If we could survive that part of the hike and still smile about it then we were doing great!

Paddington Station to Moreton in Marsh

My luggage situation was this: a large purse to carry everything that I might need while travelling - my passport, my wallet, my tickets along with things I might need quick access to such as camera, phone, iPad, iPod, rechargers, lip balm, snacks, a newspaper. Then I had a backpack (my carryon) which had my raincoat, rain pants (both never used on this trip), first aid kit, packaged snacks for my walks, binoculars (never used), waterproof cover for backpack (never used), wipes, hand sanitizer, water bottle etc; and a medium-sized suitcase with clothing for hiking and post-hiking activities, extra shoes, toiletries, socks etc. I used almost ALL of my clothes.

 I took the London Express from Heathrow to Paddington Station because from Paddington there was a direct train to Moreton-in-Marsh where my walk began. I used my Oyster card to pay for the trip. A seasoned traveller now :)

Paddington Station seemed huge! And noisy and busy! I wandered aimlessly for a few minutes taking in the sights.

 the large windows...

the many platforms...

Then I found a place where I could store my suitcase so I could go outside and have a look around at the big city of London. It cost L6 per suitcase for 3 hours so I only stored my suitcase and continued to wear my backpack and carry my purse. Perhaps not the wisest decision but I am forever frugal!

 One thing I got into the habit of doing was taking pictures of my surroundings in the hopes that if I got lost the photos would help me find my way back! Thankfully I never had to test that theory!

 so this is the intersection nearest Paddington...

 this one I took because of the palm tree - it still amuses me that there are palm trees in England!

You will see a lot of architectural photos - I studied architecture, specifically churches & cathedrals while studying Visual Arts and Art History when at university so I can't help myself. Feel free to zip on by them.

While walking around I came across this quiet little lane leading into some residential housing - doesn't it look like a nice little sanctuary in the middle of the busy city?

 Speaking of sanctuaries - this is mine! I found a quiet place where I could sit, read my newspaper and watch people go by. I am by nature a people watcher. I just wish I could find a sneaky way to take peoples' photos as they walked by but I thought that could be a dangerous habit so I mostly stuck to buildings. Mostly :)

 I kept thinking (hoping) Dick Van Dyke and the rest of the chimney sweeps from Mary Poppins were going to pop out of those chimneys! No such luck!

 Back I went to Paddington...

I went up to the 2nd floor and found a spot to sit in a restaurant where I could people watch to my heart's content.

 I hadn't had anything to eat yet and it was almost lunchtime. So I had some fortifying tea and eggs on toast. I made sure I ate lots of protein on my trip as I expended a lot of energy on my walks.

I collected my suitcase and watched the screens to see which platform I needed to access for my train to Moreton in Marsh.  I really enjoyed the trains in England - very comfortable, quiet and fast.

Though difficult for taking pictures clearly though this one isn't bad...

 One of the stations along the way - it was about a 2 hour trip.

The little station in Moreton in Marsh. People were getting taxis and limos but High St. (Main St.) was only a block away so I walked it and found my hotel easily.

Dear Diary:

Kittens are trying to write this entry! Why do kittens love keyboards? pft==97he3[ But it a=== makes no sensee=!!  Oh my![

Well I thought I was over my jet lag and then I overslept by 2 hours this morning!! What the heck!? Sigh...good thing I don't have to go anywhere today! I have two outings tomorrow and one on Friday plus on Friday I will buy the last few things I need for Thanksgiving dinner. I can't believe it's Thanksgiving weekend already! Yay - a long weekend! Who cares? Everyday is the weekend now:)

Went to El Ranchito for dinner with a former colleague last night which was yummy, very filling and fun getting caught up after not seeing her since early September. Then we met up with 2 other former colleagues (except they're not retired) to see the movie "Gone Girl" which I would highly recommend. It has a different ending than the book which sets it up perfectly for a sequel. Ben Affleck's penis WAS on display for a split second LOL!! as I had read in a review. Not long enough to form an opinion however! 

The sun is shining though it's only going up to 11c today and we're supposed to have some major winds. So I think I'll stick to riding my bike in the basement as my exercise du jour. And now...to read the newspaper. Life is tough.