Day 14 Garrigill to Knarsdale

Distance: 12.5 miles
Cumulative: 200.5 miles
Gates: 49
Stiles: 28

Anne Bramwell and her husband have kept the Post Office at Garrigill for 50 years! They did do well for us, especially drying our saturated clothing. The forecast was for the morning rain to die out, leaving a dry window between 10 and 3. We left at 10, waking briskly above, and sometimes alongside, the beautiful South Tyne.

The South Tyne north of Garrigill

Rain was never far away, so cagoules were on and off. In the interest of speed we gave the delights of Alston a miss.

Alston

The whistle of the steam railway punctuated the morning drizzle, and we were rewarded with a sighting.

The South Tynedale Railway, north of Alston

Sadly we had to whistle past Whitley Castle, a Roman fort with spectacular earthworks, which was built about the same time as the Wall, to protect the Roman's lead and silver mines in the area. Must go back!
We also saw a much richer bird life: oyster catcher, lapwing, heron, swallows and wagtail. In a lull in the drizzle we had lunch at Thornhopeburn, sitting on the course of the Maiden Way, the Roman road linking Kirkby Thore in Westmorland with the fort at Cavoran, near the wall. From Slaggyford the route follows a stretch of the South Tyne Way, the track bed of the old Alston line. Here the heavens opened so that, despite our best efforts and arriving before 3, we arrived sodden once again! Fortunately Les and Margaret Graham are retired farmers, and Margaret quickly organised drying and a warm welcome.