Wonderful, wonderful day, which ended walking down besides clear remnants of The Wall in warm grassy evening to our plain-but-elegant farmhouse home for the night,
Halton Red House Farm.
As I write, I am sitting in a window embrasure (original architectural features in need of rescuing for you home improvement types) watching night start to fall over the valley of the Tyne. All the superficial noises (electric heaters, for yes, it is cold up here at the end of May, the odd car) seem to sit only lightly above a very deep quiet which I can almost hear. Tim has picked up on this atmosphere, and of course for a city child who lives with the reassuring continuous thrum of train and bypass it's a bit scary.
How we came to be here is somewhat coincidental. Where we had originally planned to stay had a bathroom disaster, but not only did they feed us, they sorted out and paid for the replacement accommodation. Everywhere we've been has been like that - everyone trying to help us on our way. Very moving. Some of our hosts have even
donated money.
After this impressive feat, and done with
walking for the day, we went down to the
Northumberland County Show. Last time we went to a county show was in Hampshire in the pouring rain, on a camping holiday we had to abandon (nothing left dry, and the pegs came out of the ground twice in the middle of the night). There were literally only 3 other people there apart from stallholders and the gymkhana competitors. Today was a bit different, with the May Bank Holiday sunshine bringing people from all over - according to the local news a record 26,000 people.
My mind keeps returning, though, to the last hour's walking of the day. Whereas the day had been full of walkers, a running stream indeed, come 6pm all were safely stowed in pub or barn or loft, and Tim and I had the hill to ourselves. Truly a perfect evening, with Tim running ahead still full of beans, and the knowledge that tomorrow we would be heading higher and more remote. "When do we really get away from civilisation, Dad?" he asked today. Perhaps my goal of getting the family to Cape Wrath for a fortnight one day still holds water!
walking for the day, we went down to the Northumberland County Show. Last time we went to a county show was in Hampshire in the pouring rain, on a camping holiday we had to abandon (nothing left dry, and the pegs came out of the ground twice in the middle of the night). There were literally only 3 other people there apart from stallholders and the gymkhana competitors. Today was a bit different, with the May Bank Holiday sunshine bringing people from all over - according to the local news a record 26,000 people.
