Thursday 19th May : 238.5 miles and 33,143 ft of ascents

Bryness to Kirk Yetholm ( hopefully)

This is it..The longest day

I awake at 5.20am.

Thoughts

1 What will the weather be? Raining stair-rods?Hailstones? Fierce Headwind? Look out of the window, thank goodness the wind is south-westerly, moderated and signs of sun, no rain, so OK.

2 Can I do the distance? Three days over 20 miles so far so 25 miles should be OK (but I must get back for dinner).

3 What is the terrain going to be like? Boggy again probably but hopefully drying, so acceptable.

4 What are the hills like? Total ascent today is more than Ben Nevis - this is going to be the challenge!

5.30am Hand-write yesterday's blog ready for Annie to put on her note-book while I am walking.

6.00am Shower. Walk what seems like 1/4 mile to showers, surprise surprise, no queues, first one there.

7.00am Annie (having risen and made the sandwiches) drives me the mile to the start.

7.10am Off - 10 minutes late. Climb in a straight line 640 feet in30 minutes to summit of Byrness Hill. Phone Annie, she says she can see me with her binoculars. True? I believe her.On to Saughy Crags, then Green Crag, then Houx Hill. The Cheviots (pronounced Cheeeviots) are wonderful! After only 2 hours only 4 miles but 1,130 feet climbed. In 3 hours climb Raven Knowe and Ogre Hill, total now 1,370 feet and 6 1/2 miles. Stiill the hills go on. Only stop for photos. Conmtinue along the ridge. Pause briefly at Mountain Refuge Hut, I could just nip in there and go to sleep for a few hours (but then miss dinner) so press on. Climb Lamb Hill, but PW sign is very misleading so wate about 30 minutes on a lengthy, tough and unnecessary detour (note write to Countryside Agency or anyone to complain). On to Beefstand Hill, then Mozie Law, next to Windy Gyle with Russel's Cairn (long story about its history - no time to explain) and on to Clennell Street. This usred to be the busiest crossing point on the Enland/Scotland border. Now a rough track with a gate and a stile. Although justover half way (14.3 miles)it is a convenient break for lunch. Arrived at 1.20 for a 15 minute break. Total climbed today so far, 2,701 feet. Walking for 6 hours and 10 minutes. Knackered! There is not even a pub up here. There is on Tan Hill!

Off again, thankfully for a while the ridge is fairly lefvel, so a chance to get the legs going again. Past King's seat (trig point)and on to Cairn Hill, then the choice as to whether to add on the detour to the top of The Cheviot (not obligatory on the PW). As it is a 3 mile flat detour to climb about 200 feet and take an hour, I will do it next time!

Change direction to North-West to Auchope Cairn, which is 2,444 feet high. It is right on the edge of the ridge with an extremely steep climb down on the PW. Very exposed and the wind howls (the only birds you are likely to see are peregrines and snow buntings - I saw neither).Better start the climb down quickly. I descend about 850 feet very carefully - knee protection. I reach the bottom only to realise there is now a small climb to the next Mountain Refuge Hut - it still seems tempting. Then a small descentbefore the climb up The Schil, only 400 fett, but ast this stage! The books say a short asnd sharp climb - sdhort! Then downhill again rather steeply.

All day I have been following the fence marking the border between England and Sccotland, apart from the detour to the top of Windy Gyle but now I climb the official stile into Scotland. How is it marked - nothing - you would never know it was there. So downhill now but only as far as the climb up White Law. Steep slopes and testing. I have not stopped on any climb today, but now i stop for about a minute 4 times on a less than 300 feet climb. Reach the top and back downhill and then uphill againbut only to the point where I leave the border fence and head downhill towards Kirk Yetholm. The Cheviots have been wonderful.

With only 2 miles to go I meet Annie, Molly and Alan walking up to meet me. Accompanied by a balloonn, a whistle, funny hats, etc. Climbing is bad enough, shame and embarrassment are far worse.

So a gentle descent to a road but just outside Kirk Yetholm, the road goes uphill! Only 50 feet but I would personally back any petition to get that road levelled. Come to that we could get the top cut off White Hill and The Schil as well.

So we reach "The Border Inn" at 6.50pm. 11 3/4 hourrs after starting today. Another 26 miles. Although I gave up checking the climb for the second half of the day I understand it to be 1,741 feet so a total of 4,442 feet today.

264 1/2 miles and 37,585 feet!

An evening of celebration in The Border Inn after I had signed their Pennine Way book. 15 days. Only one person had claimed anything quicker in the past few weeks and if his comments were correct he was drunk!

The object wssnot to be quick, but it was to be a real challenge for me. A fantastic way to start out on retirement.Before anyone says this was good training for the amount of walking I will be doing as I zig-zag my my way down each fairway, the next challenge is to get my golf handicap down to ......

I would recommend it to anyone but if I had not started out with my patented Satsuma Diet (SAE and cheque inthe post to me for details!) and lost almost 2 stones, I would never have made it!

But I did.

The best fun since, um ........... last night!