On that subject I cannot believe how physically well I feel this morning. I was asleep at 10:00 pm woke up at 4am, but luckily went back to sleep straight away again and woke at 6:30 am. I felt under a bit of pressure today to get the job done in good enough time to get the bus back to Carlisle to catch my train at 5:09 pm. I wanted to get on that train as if it was the last thing I ever did. That was my real finishing line for me and I would not rest until I was safe in the carriage on my way to Crewe station and home. I guess this is what gave me the energy and drive. I couldn't eat anything whatsoever for breakfast so I left my heavy rucksack and headed off into Carlisle to pick up the trail from where I left it last night. I have actually completely lost my appetite. I would have thought alot of exercise would have been the opposite but strangely I left most of my meal last night and I am just not hungry at all !! Wierd ?
The other main reason I couldn't eat was because the cooked English breakfast was inedible !! I laughed to myself after as chatting to the owner he admitted that no one ever does b&b here and he was thinking of going room only. I tongue in cheek agreed that it is hardly worth it. Most people pick up a bagel or macdonalds on their way. I felt sorry for him to be honest. He was a really friendly bloke. He was a bit camp which gave him this wierd persona because he looked like an ex wrestler or docker, with a big beer belly in blue jeans and white t and loads of tattoos but when he mentioned to me he was staying in tonight to do his hair I must admit alarm bells went off. Anyway the place proved to be a great choice of stopover point as it was near to the river where I picked up the trail again.
Alongside the river Eden in Carlisle is Rickerby Park which is beautiful and the trail follows the winding path of the Eden for about 2 miles. It was just before 8 am when I set off so the sun was low in the sky and it was going to be a lovely day on the west coast of Northern England. I still cannot believe I have walked from one end of the country on the east coast to the other side in the west. Makes you realise what a little island we live on. Little but gorgeous and full of some of the best people in the world. Foreign travellers are in awe of it. We really do not realise what we have got. So proud to be British. I talked a lot about the Paralympics/Olympics to people along the way as you can imagine it is still very much on everyone's minds. One lovely comment that I will never forget was from a wonderful man( I will tell you more about this guy later on for a good reason). He was Bob from Melbourne, Australia and he said that back home in Os the comments on their news there were saying that the London games had proved to be the very best in living history and the proud Australians who hosted Sydney recently were respectfully silent in their reactions, kind of underlining the fact. I felt so proud of our little island. The Australian tourists said it was the people and atmosphere that the Brits injected into it that was the main reason. Enough said.
Everything was going great. I felt good, pain in legs was down to Defcon 3. My 2 sticks were helping loads. I might have forgot to mention that the nice man at the brilliant but scary Gilsland b&b mended it for me with a jubilee clip. All was going a bit too well and the balance in the yin yang thing hit about 3 miles in when it started to get really boggy and unbelievably water logged. Every field was like the dead marshes. I was half expecting to see Gollum and the 2 hobbits ! The worst part was when I went up an incline and my feet went down in almost to my knees and water filled my boots. One of my sticks was stuck 2 feet down and when I tried to save it it snapped in 2 !!
Ok now it is time to start to motor on to the finish line and I set off for the village of Kirkandrews. The next few hours was basically head down and walk as fast as I could and I made it to Bowness On Solway in great time at about 1 pm. The official start/end of the Hadrians Wall Path trail. They have made a really great wooden hut as the crossing line and it feels really good to finally see it in the flesh after looking at it on numerous youtube photos and videos. I also looked at the final mile on google maps and it is really wierd seeing the last few hundred yards in real life without any arrows and writing on the road ;o) When I had finished my little 'moment' at the end I looked at my walkmeter app on my mobile and it showed 98.6 miles !! I have got to carry on for a couple more to get to 100 miles and so I did. I walked up to the famous Kings Arms pub where every wiery walker has enjoyed the celebratory drink and hearty welcome but as I had heard from loads of west to east walkers it was closed for refurbishment ! Doh ! Outside paint job is looking great though !!
Just down the road I met the couple as mentioned before from Melbourne with her sister who were both born & bred in Bowness. They told me a litte about the history of growing up here, playing on the wall as children, etc. It was lovely to meet them and when I returned from my little 2 mile top up they were still around town. I went up to their car to ask if they knew the next bus times and they instantly said to me jump in we will head over towards Carlisle and drop you off. 16 miles away !! I could not believe it, I could have hugged them all. The end of the walk of just over 100 miles, met so many lovely people, and at the very end I chance upon meeting 3 wonderful people, saviours of a very tired and emotionally drained 44 year old whose only thought was how to get back home as quickly as humanly possible. I would like to thank Bob & Julia Anderson of Melbourne & Sabina Day of Seaton for helping me get home to my family 2 hours ahead of schedule. It doesn't sound alot but at that time those 2 hours was worth a million pounds to me. You will never ever know how grateful I am for that. I hope to meet you again and if you ever get near to Shropshire/Cheshire you will have a royal welcome XXX
The day was turning out better than I could have dreamt. I walked into Carlisle centre now loaded down with my very large rucksack and day-sack headed towards the train station. Two ladies shouted my name from the bus depot. It was the 2 ladies from Devon I had met on Day 1 !! It was great to meet them again and get a run down on our adventures. It was a real shame the buses run so damn efficiently and they had to board and we said our goodbyes. Next thing just as I had changed my ticket at the train station to the 3:09 train a lovely little kerching sound came from my justgiving app on my phone. It was another donation to the site from a very special lady. Thank you so much to Christine Harding. Your timing was perfect and your note did make me shed a tear. Xx In a crowded train station too. Oh well, I don't care what I looked like. Must have got something in my eye ;o))
Thanks to Bob, Julia & Sabina I had the absolute pleasure of ringing Debby with the news that I would now make the 3.09 train !!!
The train was boarded, my finishing line mentally broken and job well and truly done !!!!!!!!!!!
Back in June I woke up one day with an overwhelming pent up wish/need to remember my mum in a special way after being without her for the last 20 years. The first 5 years after it happened was mostly unconscious slow burn grief and recovery. When dad passed away in 1998 the focus was switched and the recovery was slower still. I am sorry if this is heart on sleeve type stuff but I want to get to the point of all of this. She was an amazing lady, and my children would have loved her too as I know Debby did. She loved Deb & my mum had this overwhelming love of children so she would have undoubtedly have been in awe of her grandchildren Jess & Cal who she never knew. I loved her so much, she was the best mum ever and when I think of her I want to smile and not cry for gods sake. I want to remember my mum in very positive ways and this trip across the UK from east to west was for her and being a children's nurse specialising in seriously ill children at Booth Hall Hospital in Manchester I chose the inspirational charity of Hope House Childrens Hospice. The care and work they do for terminally ill children and their families is without doubt beyond anything that can be written down on a blog or anywhere. They are truly amazing people. Now thanks to everyone of my friends, family & clients who have very kindly donated the hospice is so far nearly £1,700 richer. So seriously ill children and their families will get some much needed help and this is all down to me loving and remembering my mum in a very positive way. Like I said before...Job Done.
********************* THANK YOU SO MUCH *************************
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