17th June 2022 Train from Littleborough to Manchester Victoria station, a tram to Manchester Piccadilly and a train to Manchester Airport.

Arrived at Manchester airport around 19:30 and our flight left the following day 18th June 2022 at 05:50am. We walked around the airport for a long while and found a Starbucks at arrivals that stayed open 24hrs next door to a Marks and Spencers that also stays open 24hrs. So we sat at Starbucks most of the night, many coffees later we were on the KLM flight to Amsterdam. We are now waiting at gate F5 for the flight to Johannesburg and then the drive back home from Johannesburg after staying the night at the Protea hotel in the airport.

Amsterdam

17th June 2022 Hollingsworth Lake

Woke up early and went for a run/ walk, such a beautiful area.

16 June 2022 Bowness on Solway back to Carlisle, onto Preston, Manchester and Littleborough

Lovely evening meal, really wishing for a good night sleep only to be faced with noisy neighbours who wanted to party. Around 11:30pm they went to bed so we finally got to sleep. Up at 8am and after a really good breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, black pudding. Caught the bus to Carlisle and the train to Preston first class, not sure how, only to find we had to stand from Preston to Manchester Piccadilly for an hour, standing back to back like sardines. Brian and Michelle kindly fetched us and took us down to Littleborough. We had a great meal with the whole family, unfortunately not aunty Kath as she is in hospital butt should be out soon.

Carlisle Station

Preston Station

Family dinner

Jamie, Michelle and Michael

Emma, Brian and Ana

15th June Half way to Bowness on Solway

After our lunch we continued walking with around 12 km left to do. Most of these Kms were on road so I was glad I traded my hiking boots for Solomon sneakers. Enjoying a gorgeous day of sunshine and very little wind we arrived at a large basin of water. There are signs every where about flooding levels. Passed a whole development with prefab housed on stilts - holiday homes close (walking distance) to the sea.

A castle, not exactly what one would expect

Basin in the distance

The Port of Carlisle

Inquisitive creatures are cows

Take a moment - so true and so beautiful

At the final stop, got our stamp and back to the pub for a cold Sao Miguel

Our accommodation for the night, such a mixture of old, it was an old fort, with new, decorated like a modern scandanavian hotel with dimming lights and touch mirrors. Minimalist straight lines, clean and clinical. Not what we expected in Bowness on Solway.

Looking back, it was a great experience. We probably did 157 Kms all in, more that the137 Kms that we expected. Detours, some expected, others temporarily uncertain of our position (never lost) 😂 well worth it and having booked it in 2019 when I was 3 years younger, I had some reservations around my fitness levels. After a fall at home, while doing the Covid19 trail, my running has been restricted due to pains in my right knee. Zonia did a great job and I am able to straighten it fully. The knee behaved and only spoke to me at the end of each walk making sure I did not over do the partying. All in all a great adventure!

15 June 2022 Carlisle to Bowness on Solway

Started walking around 10:30 after a good breakfast of scrambled eggs and haddock. Janet, Megan and Jade joined us at breakfast and it was as if we were back in South Africa, catching up and chatting about everything and righting all the world's wrongs (wish we could) We packed up and carried on back to Rickerby Park and back on the trail.

Stunning Park, walked next to the Eden river all the way

Ancient bridges

Manicured lawns and gardens

Changed name to Brits Park with some description of the walk as many walkers start at this end - West to East to have the prevailing wind at their backs

Under bridges

Through Forrest's following the elusive white acorn sign

Stopped for lunch on the way at the Greyhound Inn

Chocolate brownie with ice-cream and apple - blueberry crumble with custard then back on the road

14 June 2022 Banks to Carlisle

A flat run today of 23 km. We passed many fields and small towns. No pubs or any coffee shops. At 15km we passed an honesty bar in one of the farms and bought a coffee and cooldrink. We went on to Carlisle, a couple of times uncertain of our position we had to double back. We got to our lovely accommodation at Langley house where we met up with Janet, Megan and Jade. We went to a lovely Pub to catch up and then onto an Italian restaurant with very tasty food. Such a nice time! We came back and sat in the secret garden laughing and enjoying each others company. We will be seeing everyone at breakfast.

Lots of sheep everywhere

Kissing Gate, lots of them all through our walk.

Beautiful gardens

At the Pub in Carlisle.

Janet. Megan Jade. So amazing to have this time together.

Eden River

Crossing a field

Janet, Megan, Jade  🤗😁 UK

13 June 2022 Hexam (where we stayed) back to Once Brewed to walk to Banks.

Hard walk, every day has been hard, it's the getting up and doing the 20plus Kms that takes it out of you. It is day 4 and we had some serious up and downs along the wall. We saw lots of the wall and lots of fields and ended up at Banks that had no pub. The worst of it is that twokind ladies let us use their phone to contact the BnB only for use to have to walk back to the top of the hill 1km back to meet the owner. Lovely people who drove it to their their he and will take us back to Banks in the morning for our next 24km. They took us back to Gilsland where we have already walked past. So weird how this walk is organised, it works for them and we go along.

The Wall

Not many km on road.

Castle on the way.

This is the 4th attempt at this bridge AD80 was the first one and since then there have been 3 more as the river has moved in the last 1940 years

Ruims of another castle in the style of game of thrones

Jubelee decorations

The Hadrians Wall Way

Up, Ana has to catch up, taking pictures takes toooo long.

Down, same story 😂

12 June 2022 Chollerford to Once Brewed

We left the George hotel after an early breakfast, out the door and a straight walk down the main road, some fields again, and then we started to see the wall. We followed the wall for around 12km, stunning scenery and the best part of the wall so far. Difficult but rewarding. We don't see many walkers going our way - East to West, most people seem to be walking the other way, with the prevailing winds at their back. Wind was blowing over 25km straight into us with some rain, made for interesting walking. We left around 9:00 and were having a beer by 14:30 at the Twice Brewed pub in the town of Once Brewed. A taxi took us to Hexam to the Bows Hotel, in existence since 1820 under different ownerships.

Hectic climbs

That is where we came from 😂

Through many tree plantations

So many steps!!

So far so good!

On our way to Twice Brewed Pub