Day 6: Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway

The Path's End:

It is almost eerie how I jinxed everything by speaking too soon. Remember what I said yesterday about having walked all the way with no rain? Well, at least we can take that record off the list.

I woke up and looked out of the window to find a slow, steady rain. Initially, I was mildly happy that I got to use the “backpack rain poncho” that I had bought for the trip. So, I got ready and lugged the backpack and pulled on the rain poncho. There were several reasons that my enthusiasm for the rain faded. First, it brought on a laughing fit from the others in the group as it made me look like a hunchback. It is the kind of poncho that covers both you and the backpack. You can see in the pictures that I look hunched over because of the design of the poncho. Second, the day was warm and there was no sign of the strong wind that blew in our faces all week as we walked. The poncho trapped all the heat generated by the body while walking under it and I was sweating more than usual and was also more uncomfortable than usual. Third, while I thought it may be nice to experience some true English weather during the trip, it soon got frustrating. We walked for hours in a variety of forms of rain. It went from a light drizzle to a steady rain to a driving downpour with gusts of wind. We were soon soaked to the skin (I was less soaked than many others), and there was nothing fun about walking in the rain.

All I did was put my head down and walk steadily to get to the end. The unpleasant weather and lack of any particularly scenic spots meant that I had no urge to stop for pictures and simply wanted to get out of the rain as soon as possible. I am so happy that we only had to experience this weather on the last day. A good part of the walking was along the road and the path was relatively flat. The few points where we had to climb up and down and through the woods, the path was slick and slippery. While coming down one particularly steep set of wooden steps along a river, I slipped and landed hard on my bottom. Remember, I was one of the few people in the group carrying my full backpack. Since the others were going back to Carlisle for the night, they had only but the bare minimum in their packs. I slid down a few of the steps on my bottom and sat there for a second praying that I hadn’t hurt anything too bad. Luckily everything seemed to be in order and it was only the next day that I noticed a lump on my bottom where I had landed – and it was quite sore. With the incredible number and steepness of the climbs we had to do on days three and four, it would have been sheer hell in the rain.

Because of the weather and lack of scenery, we made great time. I was also one of the first people to leave in the morning since I had already bought my breakfast and lunch for the day the previous night. By 9 AM, I was on the trail. But, you never know how long the path for the day is or when we’re going to get to the destination. While the trail is well marked, the distances are not. Even the books that the group members had all seemed to give slightly different distances from place to place on the path. We were supposed to be doing a little over fifteen miles today. With the horrible rain in my face, I really don’t think you can even imagine my delight and sense of achievement when, at about 1:30 PM, I came across a sign that said “Bowness-on-Solway.” I stopped an old man walking along the kroad and asked him to take a picture of me in the front of the sign. He was happy to do so and then wanted to talk for a while. He also said he couldn’t really see well and that he would point the camera at me and click and I should check whether it was okay. He took his time and you can see that there was water on the lens.

I was so delighted to be at our destination after six days of walking that I slowed down and waited for Ed (one of the walkers in our group) to catch up and we took numerous photos of each other at every sign that indicated the end of the Hadrian Wall Path. It really was fantastic to get to the end of this incredible adventure.

I have learned so many things along this walk that I’ll probably be blogging about it for days to come, if I can find the time when I get back home.

I learned that I actually can manage with almost no Internet access for a week. I did manage to get a few rare connections to quickly cut-and-paste my notes into the blog, but I didn’t really get to check and respond to my work email much. The world hasn’t ended (as far as I know) and it’s actually reassuring in a way to know how expendable I am.

I learned about the amazing recuperative powers of the human body. Almost all of us were in some degree of pain at the end of each day. You could see how most of us walked with noticeable limps and groaned in agony every time we had to get up from our chairs or move in any direction. Still, by the time the next morning rolled around, we strapped on our boots and marched out for another long day of walking/climbing. I would go from serious pain the previous night to being able to set a steady walking pace along winding and climbing paths the next morning. I can’t imagine how hard the body must have worked overnight to repair me enough to allow me to do that. To be able to put yourselves through this kind of punishment and emerge unscathed is a testament to the power of nature and evolution in developing this fabulous machine we call the body.

Meeting Neil Salmon and talking about how his wife woke up one morning and found their perfectly healthy three-year-old son dead in bed taught me how it is possible to turn even the most horrific tragedy into something positive and inspiring. It would have been perfectly forgiveable for them to turn inward in their grief and curI into a metaphorical ball. Instead, they decided to set up the charity to help others who have gone through the same pain. The goal is simply to help parents who have to bury a child – something most parents don’t plan for. I fervently hope that I have the same courage and character to take difficult circumstances and turn them into something positive. While some people may lash out in anger at God and at the world around them when bad things happen to them, I am inspired by this charity to look on the positive side of things and see how I can turn the situation into one of opportunity and service.

I have learned that pain is mostly psychological. Given the healing powers of the human body, we can probably withstand a lot more pain and extended discomfort than we give ourselves credit for. When left with little choice, we will endure and we don’t get to experience anything close to the limits of our capabilities because we always take the easy way out when it is presented to us. I think I mentioned that when I was hurting on Day 2, if someone had offered to get me a taxi to the destination of the night, I would have jumped on the chance. And it may not have been a bad decision. All I’m saying is that I have learned that we can do more and handle more than we think we can. I don’t think I would have the sense of achievement I feel now if I had skipped a step in the walk. Unless we try and do things that we feel we cannot do, we’ll never know what we can do. Most of you know that I am not into exercising and working out. Still, this walk has taught me that I have more stamina than I give myself credit for. There were a few people on the walk who were significantly bigger than I am and at least visually in a much poorer state of fitness. Yet, I admired the way that they hung in there and walked all the way with the rest of us and were mostly cheerful and friendly at the end of each day. Even now, I realize that they have got to be hurting more than me. It is quite amazing that some of the walkers even attempted this strenuous walk given their physical shape. But they did and they ought to feel prouder of themselves than I do. We just have to try things we think are beyond ourselves.


I got a great lesson in simple little ways that you can make a tiring walk like this fun. All along the walk, we encountered hundreds of "kissing gates." These gates (see photo on the left) separate the different fields we walked through along the path. They keep the grazing cattle in their pasture and prevent them from wandering into neighboring fields. They also slowed us down as only one person can pass through the gate at a time. You swing the gate, walk through one side, move out of the way, swing the gate to the other side, then walk across. We encountered literally hundreds of these gates. Apparently, these were called "kissing gates" because couples holding hands are forced to let go to walk through the gate. So, according to tradition, when the couple is on either side of the gate, they kiss. One of the walking couples, Neil and Claire, decided to kiss at every single one of these gates. Did I mention we went through hundreds? They kissed at every single one except one. Unaware of the tradition or their plan, I walked in between Neil and Claire at one gate and prevented them from kissing. Yes, I did feel bad about it when I found out later. While most of us complained about sore feet, I didn't hear a word of complaint from them about their sore lips!

Finally, I learned that a hot shower can work miracles. We were sweaty, stinky and miserable at the end of each day. All it took was a hot shower to make me put my boots back on and head to the pub for a pint or two. Oh yes, and the English do make the best ales. Make sure you only go for hand-pulled ales in any pub you visit.

We ended the walk at the King’s Arms pub in Bowness. We applauded each person as they walked through the doors during the afternoon. We drank beer (Cockerhoop Ale was my choice of the evening). We played pool. We exchanged email addresses. And I could tell we all were basking in the sense of achievement at having reached the end of the wall path. From sea to shining sea. We had walked in six days from the North Sea to the Irish sea. It is not something I will do again, but I am so glad I did it. I hope to be back and do day trips along the best parts of the wall, but I’m done with coast-to-coast walking.

Unless someone finds me a good reason to do so.

Day 4: Winshields to Banks

The night at the B&B was very comfortable. For the record, and the satisfaction of the group, the bed was big enough that Justin and I never needed to touch during the night. I woke up a few times at night, but was able to go back to sleep. Other than the uncomfortably hard bed, there was no major problem. It was nice to wake up and take a second shower (I had taken one the previous night) before pulling our things together and heading to the campsite for the big group photo. We were also supposed to help pack up the tents while the slower walkers got a head start.

Justin and I walked to the campsite because it was too early for breakfast at the Inn. We helped take down the tents. As I was eating my cornflakes, I realized I didn’t have my camera with me. I asked Dan’s wife, Kerry if she would drive me back to the Inn to see if I had left it on the counter there as I was paying the bill. We went there and after searching for it in my room, I discovered it had slid halfway under the covers on the bed. Luckily the camera was rescued.

Today’s walk also spanned some spectacular vistas. One of the things I think I was a little unprepared for on this trip was the fact that it isn’t just a walk, but for a good part, it is a climb. There are numerous hills and vales that we have to cross. Over many days, we’re spending almost all day climbing slopes (some of which are astonishingly steep) and slowly climbing down the steep slopes on the other side. The amount of miles we cover each day I think grossly misrepresents the effort we put into walking each day. The uphills and downhills are quite taxing. But, we’re often rewarded at the top of hills with incredible views of the English countryside. We also continue to walk along impressively preserved sections of the wall. It is astonishing that so much still remains almost 2000 years after it was built. Today, we passed the ruins of a castle that was built in 1359. The castle was mostly built with stones taken from Hadrian’s Wall. Think of this. In the 14th century (medieval and ancient by almost any standard), people would have considered the wall ancient because it was built almost 1200 years before they existed. To think we can even see a structure that is so old is quite enthralling. And to see so much of it as we walk along is amazing.

In terms of leg injury, my exceptionally painful left foot magically healed itself. I have no explanation. Today, that left foot felt completely pain-free. I could feel the usual twinges in the first hour of walking, but by lunch time, I could feel nothing. I mean absolutely nothing – not even mild discomfort. But then again, it is quite possible that my threshold of pain has changed quite a bit during this walk. In Spinal Tap terms, I think I may have reached 11 on the pain scale. Mild discomfort today may have been described as “unbearable pain” yesterday. Unfortunately, my *right* foot started acting up. I had a blister on my little toe on the right foot and it was hurting quite a bit during the walking today. Basically, every step I took, I was stepping on the blister with the toe right next to the little toe. When I got to our hostel in Banks, I reluctantly peeled off my socks to find that the left foot blisters were raw but not unbearable. However, the bottom of the little toe on the right had swollen to well over twice its size. There was a massive “bubble” at the bottom of the toe that had spread and was under the toe next to it. In true Rambo style, I pulled out my travel sewing kit and prepared to punch a little hole in it to drain the fluid. One of the other people in the room, came to me and suggested that I instead use the nail clippers to cut two large holes in the blister to drain it. He explained that tiny pinpricks would quickly heal and refill, while larger holes would ensure that the wound remained fluid free, His explanation made sense to me and I painfully cut a couple of holes in the blister and drained it. I put some Neosporin on it and bandaged it for a short while (since I had to go to dinner) with the plan of leaving it uncovered during the night so it gets less raw.

Another discovery during this walk is the power of a hot shower. Almost all of us come into our destinations limping and aching all over. I was hurting quite a bit (like everyone else). In addition to the blister, my left knee, hips (where the backpack rests all day), shoulders (the chafing from the shoulder straps), and the left arm (from the effort of using the walking stick), were all aching. However, there’s something magically therapeutic about taking a steaming hot shower and changing into clean clothes. I immediately felt better and headed to the pub across the street for dinner.

After a pint of the local brew (the starting point in any pub), I asked some of my friends along on the walk what the most “English” item on the menu was. I wanted the full experience. They said that the “Cumberland Sausage” was quite a local item and I ordered it along with the “Bread & Butter Pudding.” It was exceptionally good. Despite generally not being fond of sausage, I must say the Cumberland sausage with mashed potatoes and peas was excellent. It was spicy and tasty. It just goes to show the advantages of constantly trying something new with a genuinely open mind. I didn’t even think I would like the sausage, but I was determined to find every single opportunity to try something new and local on the visit. I hate the idea of traveling and eating, say, at MacDonald’s. It really helps to have some locals recommend something because I almost certainly would not have chosen anything called “Cumberland Sausage” and “Bread & Butter Pudding” if I had been on my own, given that the menu had numerous other choices that were unique, but closer to my comfort zone. I had another couple of pints before calling it quits and heading back to the room to type this up.

Tomorrow is another long day of walking that will end in Carlisle – the penultimate stop on our walk. I am encouraged and quite sure I can walk through the blistered feet. I don’t think I’ll ever do this walk again and that makes it a worthwhile experience. There are ways of enjoying Hadrian’s Wall by doing day trips and doing one-day walks along the wall. The walking coast-to-coast is unnecessarily painful and to me, that validates the core reason for doing this – the charity. While it is an unforgettable experience, it is a lot more than a holiday to look at 2000-year-old stones piled up in a few spots. It is a test of endurance and motivation and I’m secretly glad it has not been an easy stroll in the English countryside. I have also managed so far to stick to my personal goal of ending each evening in a pub with some local brews down my throat. They have almost all been tasty and worth the crazy price (about GBP 3 a pint). These folks certainly know how to make a good ale.