Day 16 - What a bog!

Slaggyford to Greenhead

Today's Miles - 10.7 miles
Today's Ascent -   1748 ft
Today's Descent -   2024 ft
Total Miles so Far - 211.0 miles
Star Team Member: Paddy for his remarkable recovery!

We left the Kirkstyle Inn at about 11 o'clock, moving past the church, back the way we came yesterday. It was raining very strongly, and we were togged up, so we wouldn't get wet! 

St Judes Knaresdale

We were sopping wet, and after walking only 1 mile, spirits were low in the wet rain, but we plodded along the Roman Maiden Way. It really was coming down fast and we had covered little distance, but we (Mam and I) did a bit of singing to get our spirits back up, and the rain went! It was still pretty grey but at least it wasn't raining!

I knew there was a reason why we carried the waterproofs

We crossed a road after tromping through the soggy moorland, to get to more soggy moorland on the other side. The river was a torrent and very high and flowing fast, as you can see!

High water mark

We walked along the bogs and up a hill to have our lunch, then with 4 miles walked on.

Thinking we had seen the last of the rain, we walked along the wet moors... and reached 'the bog'. We crossed a bridge and were faced with deep water and boggy puddles before a dry patch on the other side. If you have ever read the children's storybook 'We're going on a bear hunt', the saying 'we can't go over it, we can't go under it, we'll have to go THROUGH IT!'. This basically sums it up. Paddy (now magically recovered- I think he herd us talking about sending him home and pulled his act together) trotted ahead, straight through the calf-deep water. We tried to delicately hop through, but realised there was no way we were going to get through with dry boots, so we bit the bullet, and ploughed through the deep water. Lets put it this way; we got very wet. 

Sodden boots, we walked up a hill to pour the water out of our boots and wring out our socks. 

A bit wet!

We dropped down from the endless bog called Wain Rigg and out of the quagmire, then crossed the A69, and hit Hadrien's Wall. There was a special singing edition of that Oasis classic; "And after all.... We're on Hadrien's Wall". Up and over a golf course then down a path through some high plants, boots squelching up and into Greenhead, wet and tired.

Drying Out

Tomorrow we walk along Hadrien's Wall; I promise more Oasis special edition singing!

See you tomorrow,

Caitlin :-)