Day 8
Banks to Bleatarn Farm
8 miles
Today was a āmove the vanā day, so we were up and on fairly promptly. Happily we managed to buy some local sausages from Hadrians Wall campsite before we left – ideal for bangers and mash tea tonight!
After moving the van along about 30 mins we arrived at Bleatarn Farm campsite (prearranged early arrival š ) at 11am, before our cab collected us at 11:15 (weāve mastered a 10 min set up now šŖ ) to take us back to Banks, where we finished yesterday.
Our 8 miles today were fairly bland in views compared to previous days- however we saw the highest section of wall along the whole trail- sitting at 3metres high in its day it would have been 4.5 metres high which is staggering.
We also had some nice countryside views, and lots of livestock fields and farms. We passed 3 honesty sheds with supplies for weary walkers in, with various items ranging from a kettle and tea bags to full blown microwave and freezer ready meals! All very nice but weāre getting weary now as we near the end of the trek!
The weather kept dry for us which was nice- although it was much cooler. Itās lashing down now (overnight) though!
Weāre staying at Bleatarn farm which so far has been wonderful. The farmerās 12 year old daughter had us mesmerised this evening as she helped her dad build a shed next to our pitch which became her āHonesty Snack shedā. We watched her fill it with goodies, make and attach her signs and it was very cute! We commented to her and her dad how impressed we were with her entrepreneurial spirit and they asked if we had any suggestions of items. Currently it has milk, bacon, tea and coffee bags, pot noodles, crisps, hair bubbles etc etc. We said blister plasters- to their great enthusiasm! 10 mins later the girl came and knocked on our van door in the rain and brought Keith a box of blister plasters from their family medicine box. How cute! We were both weary tonight but that little act of cuteness and entrepreneurial spirit gave us a much needed lift!
The end is in sight. Will our legs and blistered feet hold out! stay tuned! š¤
PS the sausage and mash went down a treat!
Day 9
Bleatarn Farm to Burgh on Sands
14.5 miles on the wall path today
Only 8 miles to go tomorrow!
I canāt believe it! Weāre almost there!
Today we marched like a Roman army to Beaumont to the w of Carlisle (12.5 miles) to find our end point for today which was a pub was closed! So of course, we carried on for another 1.75 miles practically in our knees to get to the pub in Burgh on Sands where we received a very warm welcome indeed.
Todayās route was relatively smooth and flat. The first 6 miles flew by and we were crossing the M6 and skirting Carlisle before we knew it.
From Carlisle the route became green again, following the river Eden through fields of livestock and up and down river gauges. The humidity today was high which made it hard going but we skirted the rain all day which pleased us hugely.
Reaching the pub was a wonderful moment and we quickly sank a couple of pints each!
Radio Taxis provided a chariot back to Gandalf at Bleatarn and we were soon tucking into a delicious campfire stew which had been cooking in the slow cooker all day.
Tomorrow is the last stretch of the Hadrians Wall path. Weāve got a move the van morning first so stay tuned to see how we get on!
Day 10 (or 9.5 as I like to call it!)
Burgh on Sands to Bowness on Solway
8 miles
An early start beckoned as Iād promised Keefy a bacon and egg bap before we departed on what we hoped to be our last day of the walk.
Breakfast delivered, van packed away and then off we went towards Bowness on Solway, what would be our final point of the walk.
Weād pre booked Bowness on Solway camping and they let us onto our pitch early, which enabled us ti catch the 10:30 bus back to Burgh on Sands where we finished yesterday.
By 11am we were walking our last 8 miles on the trail.
We were exhausted but anticipation and excitement kept our legs moving. The first 4 miles was along the road weāve driven along, but the route followed the course of the Roman wall still and the views across the Solway Firth were lovely.
We passed Drumburgh castle which although looks more like a farm or Manor House, sits on the site of a tower which would have been on Hadrians Wall.
As we neared the end I could feel my emotions bubbling up to the surface. How possibly had we made it this far- my foot problems have been non existent this entire walk. How can that be? Keith has mammoth blisters but soldiered on. How did he do it? Jazz- our OAP dog showed no sign of his age whatsoever and was still pulling us into the pub with the energy of a version of himself from the start of the walk! How the heck did we walk for 10 days solid in Northern England without needing our waterproofs once? Iāll never know but Iāll be forever grateful that this moment in time was able to happen and that the plantets aligned to enable us to complete this epic adventure.
We simply had THE BEST TIME and Iāll always be so proud of what we achieved!
When we turned the corner of course I sobbed and sobbed. We spent the afternoon in the pub cheering on others who had finished and sharing the excitement of those about to start.
We didnāt think much at all to the campsite. It was overpriced – Ā£30 to park in the car park and extra Ā£7.50 for electric. The showers were good but dirty. And donāt start Keith off on the door to the loo block which wouldnāt close and the squeak of it in the wind kept Keith awake for most of the night! He closed it at 4am, unable to bare it any longer but of course whoever next went in let it swing open again!
However all those things aside, the location was perfect and we had such a great time celebrating our achievement in Bowness on Solway.
Logistics for this stage below š
Logistics
Day 8
Move van to Bleatarn Farm campsite
Ā£25 pn with hard standing, EHU and water.
Showers and washing up area
Honesty snack shed on site
ā”ļø cab to Banks
Sproul Taxis Ā£35
There are cabs closer in Brampton but two out of the three were on holiday which meant the only one working was full days beforehand
Airbus 2000 cabs came recommended for this stretch.
ā¬ ļø walk to campsite
8 miles
Day 9
ā”ļø walk directly from campsite
We walked to Burgh on the sands
14.5 miles š®
ā¬ ļø cab back to campsite – we used Radio Taxis
Ā£28
14.5 miles
Day 10
Drove van to Bowness on Solway camping Ā£30 pn without EHU. Ā£7.50 extra for electric.
ā”ļøbus to Burgh on the sands – sporadic time so be careful here. We caught the 10:30 but there wasnāt another due for a few hours! Ā£2pp
ā¬ ļøWalk to finish and campervan š„
8 miles
On our drive back to the east, it was unbelievable to think of the distance weād covered!
We popped into Lanercost Priory which is about a 3 mile detour off the wall by foot. Itās made of bricks taken from the wall.
We also went to Vindolanda as the weather was cooler so we could leave Jazz safely in van (no dogs). The site is huge and has a rather impressive section of Roman road. Also it was home to some very exciting Roman finds – the writing tablets. There are 13 on display and more in the British museum which we saw earlier this year. Because of the peat soil here theyāve been preserved incredibly. We thoroughly enjoyed the informative guided tour by the archaeologist there and the museum is very good too. Definitely worth a visit! There is also a section of reconstructed wall to give an idea of height and appearance.
That concluded our Hadrians wall Roman adventure- what a brilliant time weād had.
Happy to report it is not the end of our summer camping trip though son stay tuned for more updates on what follows!
