Day 2 - Wed 30^th Aug 2000 - Mountain Rescue Hut 2 to Byrness

 

Felt like crap in the morning, also felt like a crap in the morning but held on to that as apparently the local sheep dogs like to roll in it and a farmer had complained via a note left on the hut wall. Too tired to dig a hole - easier to plug one. Dil, now harbouring a pounding headache, went off and found the spring to replenish our water supply. The spring was at the bottom of a steep hill but relatively easy to locate. That was the sweetest water that I have ever tasted, much better than any tap water.

While Dil was away we had our first visitor of the day, a lone walker heading North who must have camped on the other side of the hill not knowing the comforts of the hut were over the rise. We took some pictures of the mess we had made of the hut, packed our stuff away and tidied up and were on our way.

The weather was much the same as the previous day. The walking was much easier this day - although it did have its moments. The thought of us only having to walk 10 miles that day made us feel a little better. We walked on until we arrived at Chew Green where we stopped for a bite to eat. At the top of the hill opposite we could see the soldiers from Otterburn on manoeuvres. Dil got out his binoculars to get a better look as we sat on the green grass that covered an old Roman fort and ancient village. It was here that Dil left his binoculars, forgetting to pick them up when we left and walked on. That could confuse the archaeologists in years to come!

 From here we met two further walkers who had come from Byrness and were walking to the Roman Fort. The last one warned us that it became boggy as we climbed up the hill passed the forest, which indeed it did. We finally caught site of Byrness through the forest, the first houses that we had seen since leaving Kirk Yetholm yesterday. The descent down into Byrness was quite harrowing clambering down over large rocks and through a pine forest set on the steep bank of the hill.

We arrived at Byrness mid afternoon and collapsed on the grass by the main road. It was a relief to remove our walking boots and socks. We laid in the sun for a quarter of an hour and then walked into the village to the Youth Hostel after changing our shoes to our spares. Arriving at 3.30pm, the front door was open so we went in and put our boots in the drying room. We made a cup of tea and had a long drink. I found some squash and drank my fill only to discover it was grapefruit squash (I hate grapefruit). The warden turned up at 4pm. We were surprised when he said that he was relatively empty as our co-walkers had booked into the Hotel having been told the Youth Hostel was full. The sun was still warm so we sat in the back garden at the Hostel, cleaned our boots and returned them to the drying room.

Dil had abandoned his sleeping bag that morning in the Mountain Rescue Hut, the zip was broken. This had been the plan when we set out. I had taken a relatively new bag with the intention of posting it back home when we arrived in Byrness. A good plan I thought, but the Post Office shown on my new map had long since closed. We went to the local garage that doubled as a Café and a poor excuse for a shop. "Where is the nearest Post Office", we asked. "Ten miles down the road", was the reply. It was already 5pm and there was no transport. I was resigning myself to the fact that I would have to carry the sleeping bag for the next day when the Proprietor offered to drop it off at the Post Office later that week. I gave him a tenner for the postage and his trouble. He said that he used to run a Sub Post Office and that he felt that a fiver would easily cover the postage. I exchanged my tenner for a fiver and thanked him very much. When the parcel did arrive home the postage was over £5, I must send him the difference. We purchased some High Energy drinks from the shop and I also treated myself to an Ice Lolly.

That evening we went to the Byrness Hotel to eat and met up with our co-walkers for the first time since the previous afternoon, they had arrived at about 7pm. Also staying at the Hotel was a Motor Cyclist who lived in Inverness and was driving his brand new bike to Lincolnshire to store. He worked in Saudi on the Oil Rigs and was moving his home from Inverness to Lincolnshire, I know not why. He did like to talk. After our meal we walked the half-mile back to the Youth Hostel. It was there that I discovered that I had left my shoulder bag with my Camera, Cell-phone and all my Cash at the Hotel so had to return to collect my belongings, an extra mile I could have done without.