Oh the luxury of a bed with a mattress and duvet, in a warm sheltered room. Followed by a cooked breakfast
The promised rain is yet to appear as we collect our bikes from their store
As ever, an uphill start to the day
Passing what remains of Hadrians Wall
and proceeding towards the Wark forest
where we join a forestry track. This is rough and stoney, very jarring without any suspension.
The trees provide shelter from the northeasterly wind. The first time that we've had to contend with a headwind
The rough track has done my front tyre no favours. To be fair I've had that tyre since buying the bike eight years ago, and should have replaced it before starting this journey
The promised rain arrives after Bellingham. A cold rain, driven by a cold biting wind
Chilled, we pull into the Bay Horse at West Woodburn for hot drinks and to thaw out
The next place with facilities is Elsdon, seven miles further on. We are splitting this rather grim day into manageable chunks.
The rain has eased, though the strong northerly headwind is blowing straight at us. I am trying to be very gentle with my front tyre, avoiding bumps and loose gravel.
Elsdon arrives, and we go into the Bird in Bush to warm up again. Beer and pizza hits the spot!
Our final leg for today is the ten miles to Harbottle and the Star Inn. That leaves a very manageable 55 miles for tomorrow, when the weather is supposed to be kinder
It's a wet and windy ride, up and down dale, on quiet and smooth roads. We scout around for a likely campsite, spotting a nice flat patch of grass in the car park for the castle
So off to relax in the pub, where we are told of a better camping spot further up the road in the forest
You were in Twice Brewed when walking the Pennine Way with Simon in 2018. Has it changed much?
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