Day 88 – Longtown to Kershopefoot

So ShedWeb proved to be a reliable indicator of the national mood. And since our last trip, two other slightly less momentous – but more immediately relevant – decisions have been taken. First, to abandon carve-up Colin in favour of the firm that got us from Gretna to Rockcliffe, and secondly to start our walk today at the junction of the A7 to the north of Longtown. Our first post-Brexit trains are on time; Carlisle Colin (or Connie?) is at the station to meet us; her roundabout lane arbitrage is exemplary; and we get to our start point without incident around noon. We set off north east towards Kirkandrews where, from St Andrew’s Church, we cross the Esk by a suspension footbridge which was built in the 18^th century (and has recently been overhauled thank goodness) to connect the church with Netherby Hall on the other bank. After passing through the Netherby Estate, the next couple of hours are pretty unremarkable along narrow lanes. Today’s walk will end at Kershopefoot, near the western edge of the Kielder Forest, but we’re due to be staying about three miles away, across the border, at the Grapes in Newcastleton. The owner/landlord has said that he’ll pick us up if we let him have our ETA at Kershopefoot and it becomes clear that we’ll have to phone him sooner rather than later whilst we still have a mobile signal but with our estimate being potentially less reliable. There’s now some drizzle in the air and, having resisted the temptation to call in at a pub (i.e. it’s closed) we phone the Grapes just after 3pm to say that we should be at Kershopefoot around 4:30. At 4 o’clock, we’re walking along the edge of the Kershope Forest, the rain is getting heavier, and we still have about a mile and a half to go. John speeds up and disappears into the gathering gloom, Gary makes a token gesture at acceleration, and Ben keeps going. And whilst John emerges at the Kershopefoot bridge just before 4:30, it’s Ben who times his arrival only a couple of minutes before our lift comes into view and just after the rain starts to hammer down. Our good fortune with the weather surely can’t last….? It takes around 10 minutes to get to the Grapes, which means early sharpeners on our arrival and, after the required drying out and freshening up, a similarly early supper. Even with a sticky afterwards, we’re back in our rooms by 9 o’clock, leaving in the bar several locals who were there when we arrived 4 hours earlier.