Monday, May 25, Day 10

Carlisle to Burgh-by-Sands -- 9 miles





In the morning, Alice prepared a nice English breakfast and we visited with other guests while we ate. It was a nice B&B, and we enjoyed our stay there.

A short walk from our B&B was the Sands Center where we got the 5th stamp for our passports. It is a building that appears to be a sports/athletic club, but also has theater and arts as well. We went in through the main entrance, and the passport stamp was by the “till” in the restaurant. Now we had only one stamp to go--the one we'd get at the very end of the trail.

Since we had done some exploring in Carlisle the day before, we repeated the first part of the trail. But we didn’t mind walking through Bitt’s Park again in the beautiful morning sunshine.

After visiting with several people along the path, we headed back toward the River Eden.

We had a laugh at the sign on the back of a factory building. I didn’t see a soul offering services to be tipped for, but since we didn’t leave any trash behind, I guess we obeyed the sign!







Russ enjoyed looking for pieces of old bricks or artifacts (ie/junk) to bring home. He has seashells from New Zealand, leaves from Australia, antique bottles from China, a pitchfork from Switzerland, something from Russia (I forget what), and on and on! As well as currency from all the countries we’ve been in (about 30). In the background is the railroad bridge carrying the West Coast mainline train to Glasgow. It came roaring over us as we were passing under the crossing.

Following the acorn through the woods. For the next couple of hours we walked in the woods beside the river.

There were a lot of ups and downs on various kinds of steps, bridges and walk ways.





Bridge over "Knockup worth Gill." How’s that name for a rather less than salubrious stream?

Oh my! Decisions, decisions, all the day long! Ha!


It was very muggy, and we were quite glad when that section was over and we came back out in the open.

Russ said he wished the signs were a little more specific! If you click on it, you can see it says "danger of death!"

This looks like a Roman stone, but the guidebook says it’s a “city boundary marker stone.” What city??? There's no city anywhere around...





Coming in to the village of Grinsdale, we stopped to visit with a couple of neighborhood families. It was a Bank holiday, and everyone was enjoying the unusually nice weather. Thanks to Denise, Irenee and their families for their friendly welcome. What lovely people we have met along the way! That is why walking through the country is so much more enjoyable than seeing it fly past your car windows!

Once again we were out in the countryside, in pastures and farmland.

I enjoy the way the British name everything. All the houses and cottages have names, and I loved this old bridge. Makes you wonder how it came by its name--Sourmilk Bridge.

Another cool tree.

Note the wool on the fence. Surely they must shear these animals at some time during the year?

Delightful views of the Eden from this part of the path.

Path leading to Beaumont.

12th-century parish church of St. Mary. It rests on the site of one of Hadrian’s Wall turrets.

I decided to have a short rest, but it was hard to find a place to spread my blanket where there wasn’t a tombstone or grave!

The book said there is so much Roman stonework in the area, it was nice, for a change, to have this beautiful little Norman place of worship. (No matter that is partially constructed of Wall . . .)

There was a line of trees with massive trunks in this pasture just before coming into Burgh-by-sands. Nearby is Ecclefechan, the birthplace of Thomas Carlyle and more Roman historical sites. We just kept walking . . .

We came to the village of Burgh-by-Sands- (pronounced Bruff) early in the afternoon and received a most cordial welcome from Paula and David, the owners of Rosemount Cottage. (http://www.rosemountcottage.co.uk/)

They showed us to our comfortable room, (with a big bathtub!) and offered to take us to a local pub for dinner that evening.

Meanwhile we walked down the road to The Greyhound Inn. We bought drinks, sat outside in the sunshine at a picnic table and read. What a lazy, comfortable way to enjoy a couple of hours! The nice thing about walking this trail in 10 days is the extra time you have to soak up the flavors of the countryside. You don’t have to be concerned about trying to finish 16 miles or more each day. The path is almost all easy walking even for retirees like us!

Beside the Greyhound was this statue of Edward I, “The Hammer of the Scots.” Symbolically, he died nearby of dysentery during the last assault on his hated foe--Robert the Bruce.

That evening, David drove us down the road toward Glasson so we could have dinner at The Highland Laddie Inn. Close by was where Bonnie Prince Charlie stepped off English soil for the last time and became a fugative in Scotland--before escaping at last to France. The Highland Laddie was a very busy pub that had good food and fast service. I had a dessert that was absolutely wonderful. I can’t remember what it was called, but it was a warm caramel-type sauce over a dark cake. Talk about melt-in-your-mouth! After we finished, David came and fetched us back to Rosemount Cottage for a long, soaky bath and a good night’s rest.
What a completely enjoyable day it was!