Today we walked 25km with 500m of climbing from Bellingham to Byness.
We stocked up for food at the local Spar as we left, which needs to last us 3 days. On the last night we needed to buy breakfast and dinner because it is the last shop we will see until the end of the walk.
When we set off the weather app had predicted sunshine but instead it was raining. This was unfortunate as we were hanging our spare shorts (that we used for swimming yesterday) out to dry on the back of the rucksack.
We then headed up the hill and into the purple heather when the sun came out which was very pleasant. Due to the boggy path there were a lot of flies around, this was horrible as they were everywhere.
We stopped for lunch at the top of the hill where the wind was strong enough to blow away any flies.
After lunch we went through a forest with a gravel track that was a nice break from the bogs. It also gave Will the chance to finally use the tennis ball he had been carrying, the rest of us had thought he’d lost it at the beginning.
As we turned the corner on the path we were greeted by a sudden flash of white flesh on the side of the path. As we got closer we realized someone was having a poo. We held back and let them carry on so we didn’t have to talk to them. Unfortunately they were day trippers so we saw them on their way back which led to some awkward hellos.
We got to Byness at 4pm after a more relaxed day compared to others, but nevertheless we collapsed on the beds as soon as we saw them.
There is only really one place to stay on this last stretch meaning the Inn is full of walkers doing the same walk which is nice. We sat outside in the evening to play cards which turned out to be a mistake as the midges came out to bite us.
Best wishes,
Ned and Will
