Day 19 - Bellingham to Byrness

This section of the Pennine Way is rather a "getting from A to B" experience, with nothing of huge interest along the way, unless I'm just being unobservant, which is always possible. After climbing from the North Tyne Valley up onto the moors the first half of the day is over the familiar undulating boggy moorland, not quite as wet as earlier days, but still a fair amount of leaping and squelching and swearing. Most of this moorland is covered with heather, which should brighten the place up come August, but at this time of year it's just a mass of grey-brown or occasionally burnt black. Even the grass on which the few sheep are grazing is largely a rain-bleached white.

Callerhues Moss

For several miles the moorland continues, occasionally rising to a pile of stones cairn, like this one at Deer Play (that seems to be what it's called on the OS map).

Deer Play - no deer, no play

The highest point of the day seems to have been at Whitley Pike, but even that's only 370m. At least the view gave us the warning that heavy rain was on the way, so time to put on the waterproofs. Actually it was a fairly dry day, but the wind was bitingly cold.

Whitley Pike

Then suddenly, after 6 or 7 miles, the open moorland stops and the Forestry Commission Redesdale Forest plantation starts. It's a pity there's no deciduous margin to soften the blow, but it's a money making business so maybe that's too much to expect. It's nice to see that some seedlings from the forestry prison have escaped and are making a living in the surrounding moorland.

Here comes the forest

The Pennine Way now skirts around the edge of Redesdale Forest for a couple of miles, occasionally dipping into the forest then heading out again onto the moors. Along the forest boundary we started to notice what looked like milestones every couple of hundred of yards, inscribed with "G H". We couldn't think of anything this might stand for (George Harrison ? Go Home ?) but in the B&B we're staying in there's a history of the Otterburn Training Range which has the answer - it's "C H" for Carnaby Haggerston, and these are 18th century estate boundary markers.

Carnaby Haggerston was here

After a mile or so of Redesdale Forest the Pennine Way turns right and enters Kielder Forest. Actually it's exactly the same forest, it's just that this part of the forest is considered part of Kielder. I don't really know what that means, but I'm sure it's important if you're holding a chainsaw and about to cut down a tree.

Another few miles on rather boring Forestry Commission gravel tracks through the forest and we were down in the valley alongside the River Rede. Strangely the conifers are planted rather more thinly down here near the visitors' centre. Surely not to give the impression that it's not such an intensive operation, and that there might be some wildlife living in there ?

Another couple of miles along the Rede and we're in Byrness, where we're staying at the excellent Byrness Hotel, where we were greeted by Kate (owner) and Pippin (dog), who rolls onto her back at the least bit of encouragement. Just to be clear, that's Pippin, not Kate who does that.

Pippin

Tomorrow we're onto the home stretch, which means the scary bit up in the Cheviot Hills.


If you would like to donate to the MND Association, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/PhilipJAWhite