Newbrough to Bellingham 5/10/25

 

Good Morning.

The hotel where I spent the last two nights had this Beer Pig that looked like a movie popcorn popper.  It was filled with cracklings or chicharrones. My grandmother used to make cracklin' cornbread, and if I remember correctly, Piccadilly Cafeteria (remember them?) also used to have cracklin' cornbread.

Back on Hadrian’s Wall.  From this view, this looks like a mere bump in the road.

Another view.  If you look closely, you will see some dots on top. Those are people.

Further along.  Once again, the people look like dots.  There were at least six of these enormous hills to climb and descend.  These were pant-pant, gasp-gasp steep.

Looking down at this gorgeous lake.

Finally, I veered way from the Hadrian's Wall hike, an entirely different set of trails. That was a good thing, but I did not see another hiker for the rest of the journey.  There were the expected amounts of way ups and way downs.

Lots of rocks to climb over.  Today’s hike, after a few missteps and wrong turns, was 18.9 miles.

Interesting how the grass grows on top of this wall.

The Acorn is the symbol of the Pennine Way.

Many bridges to cross and gates to open.

I had to forge this stream.  I managed to leap from stone to stone without falling in the water.

Every day, I think there can be no more ups.  I couldn’t tell from afar where the trail from the pasture was going.  It turns out that when I got close, there was a path to the other side of the mountain.

Okay - a little tacky, but this sign said, Shitlington Hall 3/4."  Not sure I would have kept this name.

When I reached this point, Bellingham looked like a far, far away city.

A beautiful river with kayakers and swimmers right before the city limit sign.

I had dinner in a pub.  Fried Haddock looked like the safest thing, plus a little wine.  I will say that the Brits make the best  fried fish and chips in the world. Sorry, Dad in Heaven, your fish was the bomb, but something about the coating on their fish is extraordinary.  It is similar to tempura, light and crispy, and full of nasty grease that tastes terrific.  I had something else in mind for a birthday dinner, but on a hike, you have to go with what is available. I particularly wanted to celebrate with dessert - it didn’t have to have a candle or anything, but something sweet.  I had no luck at the pub, so I went to the Co-op and bought a giant chocolate bar. Nummy-nummy!

So after another long day, I bid you good night and God bless!

Newbrough Day Off 5/9/25

Good Morning!

Right outside of my room is this poster. It says, "Living to an old age could be dangerous for an old woman in the Newbrough of the 17th century. Old Meg was one such unfortunate woman. Accused of witchcraft, she was tied to a stake and burned to death. She then had an iron spike driven through her heart to prevent her vengeful ghost from returning to haunt her executioners. A pink thorn tree not far from Lane House  marks the spot, near to the stream that bears her name - Meggie’s Dene."

I took a bus to Hexham. Hexham has a history of marauding Vikings and England’s first purpose-built prison, Hexham Old Gaol, dating back to the 1300s. Doesn’t that sound like a fun place to be imprisoned? 

I also went to Hexham Abbey, which was originally built in the 12th century and added to over the years.

The main altar was stunning. "The wooden rood or cross is a reminder of Christ's death and resurrection.The High Altar is the principal altar in the Abbey. It is where, with other altars, Holy Communion is celebrated. Bread and wine are shared in accordance with Jesus' command: 'Do this in remembrance of me.' 1 Corinthians, chapter 11, verse 24'

The 16th-century painting of the Holy Family shows the infant Jesus meeting John the Baptist.

The two photos above are sides of a magnificent gilded pulpit.

In the rear of the abbey, there was this magnificent wooden carving of a cathedral hanging from the ceiling. As I was admiring it, a woman walked by and told me it had been carved by a refugee many years ago.

In another alcove stood a tapestry entitled “The Tapestry of Life. It took Ukrainian artist Yulia Achkasova over 645 hours between September 2023 and February 2024.  She said, “Being so far from our country, Ukrainians feel disconnected from their roots.  Historically, our ancestors have used patchwork tapestry and embroidery to overcome the pain of conflict and in times of difficulty.”  I, Jeanne James, stand with Ukraine!

I hope that Dan Stokes reads this because I know he loves organs, and this is a Phelps Organ.

The signs says:

The Phelps Organ is not as you might

expect, with 3 or 4 manuals, but only

has 2 manuals and pedals.

Nevertheless, there are over 30 stops,

and it is particularly versatile; excelling

in French and German Baroque music,

but in all other styles too. It has been

used for recordings and broadcasts and

featured on Radio and television. Many

world famous organists have played

here, most notably Dame Gillian Weir.

Recordings of our organ and choir are

available in the Abbey Shop.

Pictured here is the 'organ console'

where the organist sits to play.

There are 2,304 pipes in total on the

Phelps Organ. As you can imagine,

tuning all 2,304 of them individually

3 times a year is a huge undertaking

and takes a number of hours.

There were so many beautiful stained glass windows.

I particularly like this one.

Directly across from the Abbey was the Hexham market, started in 1222.

Gorgeous plants for spring planting.

And booths of fruits and vegetables. You can smell them as you walk by.

I had the most wonderful dinner.  Amazing how these country hotels make the best food, nothing like the tourist food you get in the big cities.  Tonight I had pan-fried fillet of cod, sautéed potatoes, salsa verde, red pepper, roasted cherry tomato dressing with pine nuts. I would order this over and over.  I used to think that the best thing about English cuisine was Indian Cuisine, but I stand corrected. You have to get away from London to get good English food. And I think Cod is the most undervalued fish in the world. Mostly, we have Cod as fried food, but as I have said a thousand times, you can fry up an old tire and it will taste pretty good. Cod deserves way more than being our favorite fried fish.

So this is all the news that is fit to print.

God bless, until tomorrow, Good night.

 

Greenhead to Newbrough 5/8/25

Good Morning all!

I had some fun before I left the hotel.  The neighbor’s dog wanted to play catch, so I obliged him.

This was the only flat part of today’s walk. No surprise there. Today's walk was a mere 9.2 miles.  And tomorrow, I have a day off.

My first sighting of Heidreins’ Wall.  Hadrian's Wall was/is a defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, started in AD 122 under the reign of the Emperor Hadrian.   It was 73 miles long.  

The only bench on the walk.  It even has a name, “Walltown."

The top snake photo doesn’t thrill me.  It is a poisonous Adder.  Says to leave them alone. I have no problem following that suggestion.  

Much of the wall disappeared due to road building in the 18th century and farmers taking the stones to build their fences and farms. Preserving much of what remains can be credited to John Clayton, who, little by little, bought the land on which the wall was erected. Clayton, a prosperous farmer, used his farm profits for restoration work. After his death, the National Trust began buying more property and continued to restore it. No section is its original height.

I have always loved Arthurian Legends. Hadrian’s Wall was also featured in the 2004 film "King Arthur," in which one of its primary gates is opened for the first time since its construction to allow Arthur and his knights passage into the north for their quest. The climactic Battle of Badon between the Britons led by Arthur and his knights, and the Saxons led by Cerdic and his son Cynric, is set just inside the wall. (mostly copied from Wiki)

The sign says, "Cows with Calves Take Care!

 Grazing cattle may

becomé protective of

calves especially when

dogs are present

If you are approached

by cattle, let go of

your dog immediately"

I don’t have a dog, and they look pretty content.  Problems on the trail are just what happens. I got a nosebleed.  What a terrible time to get a nosebleed.  I started getting them regularly when I went through the FBI Academy at Quantico.  I was beginning to think maybe I had a brain tumor or something awful. One of the instructors there told me they were really common at the academy due to the air being recirculated.  He told me to use vaseline in my nostrils. It worked.  I still get them in winter when it is dry. As you probably guessed, I neither had vaseline nor a Q-tip, but I had to do something. I was tired of other hikers seeing me sitting in the grass with a handful of Kleenexes and asking if I needed a doctor. Kind of them, but I was fine.  My only choice was a packet of mayonnaise and a pencil with an eraser. It worked! And it made me think of BLTs for the next hour.

Cawfields Quarry with Hadrian’s Way in the background, and even more exciting, there was a clean ladies’ loo.  They are as rare as hen's teeth on this route.

It was ingenious how this wall was built between these huge mini-mountains. It would be tough to breach this fortress.

I saw these three guys on the trail.  Two of them were traveling together, while the other was traveling solo.  Mannerly gentlemen, all 60 or probably 70 plus. They are standing at the highest point of Hadrian's Wall.

This is a drawing of a normal section of the wall.  Caufields are openings in the wall that mimic our Customs Controls today.

I love British signs.  The road butted up to this tree.  I guess some numnutz must have parked there. It was a narrow one-lane road.

I ended my walk in Once Brewed.  I understand that if you enter the town from one direction, the sign says “Once Brewed,” and if you enter it from the other direction, it says "Twice Brewed.”  The most romantic story is that on the eve of the Battle of Hexham in 1464, Yorkist foot soldiers demanded their beer be brewed again because it lacked its usual fighting strength. The ploy worked as the Lancastrian army later fled after an early morning raid against the rejuvenated troops.

I had to wait for more than an hour for my ride to the hotel where I was staying.  It was about a half-hour ride off the trail.  I went to the Twice Brued Inn and the little sign says, "HISTORICAL SITE - On this day 14th January 1863, absolutely nothing happened."

This was also on the outside wall.  To the left is the stone mentioned on the sign.

My hotel is the Red Lion Inn at Newbrough, pronounced "New Bruff"

I had a delectable dinner. I ordered two appetizers: twice-baked cheese soufflé with creamy cheese sauce and pork and chorizo meatballs topped with spiced tomato salsa and glazed cheese. They were so good that I forgot to take a photo. The soufflé was almost like a cheese puff with cheese fondue, and the meatballs had a good spicy kick. But the real pièce de résistance was the sticky toffee pudding. Moist and caramelized and too good to leave even a smidgeon. Talk about a sweet dream!

I am hoping to finish today’s blog before I retire tonight and be caught up.

God bless you all!