Been a bit quiet on the twitter front, sorry about that.

Everywhere I rang ahead, I got the same reply – ‘Sorry, we’re booked up’. I had prepared myself to join up a few of the stops into some more massive walks to make sure I kept a good pace along the trail, I didn’t think I’d be doing it to get a roof over my head. Even that way my only option would be hotels charging quite steep prices for a bed. YHA’s are shut or full of cyclists.

After chat and some help ringing around from the YHA I’d pleaded to get into, it turned out my best option was to get a bus to Newcastle and then another 3 back into the Pennines and arrive at Alston or Dufton. Pretty disappointed at this as I’d be missing out some of my favourite bits – waterfalls and High Cup Nick amongst others. The hotels in Alston where out of the town itself and asking for 40 to 60 quid a night. Sat at Newcastle bus station I was still pondering what to do. My legs felt fine, I could walk the rest of the way and I’d had such a great start hammering out the Cheviots in 1 day. The bus to Newcastle had shown me just how much of the walking I was missing out on during the hour and a half journey. I decided I’m in this walk for all or nothing. Having bussed this large section with an aim to skip 4 or 5 stops, I’d only have the nagging feeling that I needed to do the whole thing again next year, so that’s exactly what I’ve decided to do.

I had a look around Newcastle and then headed off to Sheffield to see my brother. He met me on the street outside the side entrance and wouldn’t come near me. I was wearing my hiking gear still and as he approached, his grimacing face explained why no one sat next to me on the bus. I stank. I stank really, really bad.

After harassing me up the stairs and forcing me to strip to my boxers in the quite public hallway outside his flat, he caught a whiff of my trousers while trying to stuff them into the washing machine and immediately hunched up and began to violently dry wretch. I haven’t laughed so hard in a while. He got his own back though, half way through my hot shower he burst in armed with spray bottles of bleach and doused me from head to toe shouting at me like Father Merrin.

I think Lauren must wonder what she was thinking getting involved in with our family sometimes.

So, anyone up for doing it next year or indeed just the Cheviots over a long weekend or something let me know. I know that route like the back of my hand now. You better be able to do it in a day though.