21km (223.42 km) – Tuesday 12th July.

After a delicious meal last night of melt in the mouth beefsteak chilli and rice, we leapt out of bed this morning, smeared plenty of gunge onto our boots and tucked into our bacon rolls. We were on the path by 8.30, enjoying the sun and our new boots/poles. It was a stiff climb out of Keld but we were rewarded with stunning views of the place, including a smart new pub which had been converted from the old YHA place where I’d stayed previously. The route was straightforward and we arrived at Tan Hill pub (the highest in Britain) by 10.30. The landlord quickly advised us NOT to stick to the path, but to stay on the road and then track, as a number of sink holes were appearing due to the recent heavy rain. Apparently a young Spaniard had recently been up to his neck in mud and was rescued by a fellow walker! We didn’t fancy such antics, so did as advised and made rapid progress towards Bowes. There wasn’t much ascent today (400m) but because we were in toads/stony tracks quite a bit, our feet were quite sore after 13 miles and we were glad to arrive at the small village of Bowes, walking past the ruins of Bowes castle, a cornerstone of a Roman fort. The pub is decent with large portions of veggie lasagna and sticky toffee pudding and comfy beds. Bliss 😀