Day 91 - Byrness to Barrowburn

To maintain the mood of last night, John has been reading a blog written by someone who, when walking the section that we’ll be on today, managed to fall into a marsh! Colin provides a good breakfast, and also some supplies for our journey, and sees us on our way. Strange to think that this was one of our first encounters on the whole walk – if not the first – with someone called Colin and he wasn’t a cab driver. Today starts with a climb to 1300 feet within the first hour, so the clothing strategy is not to wrap up too heavily in the light of the immediate exertions, but to have layers readily available to don as soon as we reach the ridge before the cold starts to bite. And it proves to be a sensible strategy, because the temperature at the top is several degrees lower than it was in Byrness and there’s a bit of a breeze, with occasional light rain, coming from the east. Bracing at best. It’s an extraordinary landscape. Spectacular for the short periods when the sky is clear; somewhat forbidding when the clouds roll in. And always the sense that you’re many miles away from anywhere and anyone. The route itself is reasonably clear, but it’s quite hard going, involving frequent rises and falls (albeit not steep), and having to find our way around some boggy areas or crossing marshes on duckboard which, on most occasions, proves to be somewhat slippy. Our aim is to walk to Windy Gyle and then down from the ridge to a car park where we’ve arranged to be picked up. However, there are a couple of earlier routes down which would involve a longer (but more predictable) walk along a road to reach the car park. By the time we reach one of these bale outs – which starts from a mountain refuge shelter near Lamb Hill – there are varying degrees of tiredness within the party and, having munched our way through Colin’s provisions in the refuge hut, we decide that the predictability and higher temperature of the road route is the sensible option. Having worked our way down to the road, it’s then 3 miles or so to the car park, skirting the edge of Otterburn Military Camp and passing some soldiers having what would appear to be a mid-exercise breather. Our taxi is waiting at the car park and gets us to Newcastle station in time for us to sample the delights of the Centurion, a former first class passenger lounge which has been converted into a rather splendid and spacious station bar. Just the one leisurely and very welcome drink before catching trains home.

Postscript:  During the immediately following days, we decide to follow Colin’s advice and cancel our November trip. Subsequently, having regard to the distinct possibility of unpredictable weather lasting until March/April, it is also decided to start our 2017 walks in Coldstream and to postpone the Windy Gyle/Kirk Yetholm/Coldstream section until late spring/early summer.