24km (465.72 km) – Friday 22nd July.
We had to wait until Joyce, the host-run-ragged could find the time to deposit us back on the track today so we finally started around 10am, quite late by any walker’s standards, we then had a two mile hike back up to Windy Gyle to continue on the Pennine Way. The weather was perfect and the terrain was fine; the usual bogs, but as we were on the last leg of the trek it all seemed manageable. We saw no one all day and were again struck by the solitude of this area, there is literally no sign of human existence as far as the eye can see in any given direction, I am very glad that I did not do this trek alone as it would have been extremely lonely. We arrived in Kirk Yetholm and went straight to the Borders Hotel to pick up my certificate (!) and have a drink with Beverley, John, Lorna and James (fellow Pennine Wayers) before continuing down the road to our hotel, The Plough. It’s over and unlike the Camino I was rather glad to be finished. I think the constant bog got to most of us and we are all glad to not have to face another day negotiating it. Today’s memorable part was a style that led to an impassable bit of bog. We negotiated this by climbing along a fence but the older couple had to do this too – I really hope I can still clamber along a fence twenty five years from now, I don’t think they really appreciated how impressive it was that they have coped with the last few days…So now it’s over and I should be elated but really I’m just hoping all goes well with Joanne whose operation was earlier today.

Of course the last few days I’ve been going through what’s next, hopefully something with Joanne and Graham next year…

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