After a lovely walk in February with my family to find the source of the River North Tyne and then walking back into Kielder my husband and kids all agreed that coming back to complete the rest of this stage and to walk the full length of Kielder reservoir, some twelve miles, would be too much for them. So, as mentioned in a previous post I enlisted the help of my good friends, Helen and Phil. They are both seasoned walkers and the three of us make a fantastic team. Helen is a cancer survivor and over the years has been involved in a lot of fund raising events, raising money for Cancer Research including the 'Relay for life' and 'March on cancer', to name but a few. We both took part in the 2018 'March on cancer' and decided to wear our hats, we also brought a spare along for Phil. As this walk is dedicated to those affected by cancer, something close to all our hearts, it just felt like the right thing to do!
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| (Helen, Phil and me.) |
We set a date and had arranged to meet at the bottom of the reservoir early doors, where we would leave my car and head up to the top end of the reservoir in Phil's car. As this was going to be a long linear walk we thought it best to use two cars. The weather forecast for that weekend was horrendous at best with severe weather warnings all week. There was a few points throughout the week were we contemplated cancelling as we didn't think we'd even make it there but, collectively we decided to get our heads down and get on with it! Also, I'd promised Chance a good day out and didn't want to let him down.
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| (A snow covered carved seat, spotted along the way) |
We arrived at the meeting point by 9:30am after a pleasant drive, which filled us with hope of a nice day, unbeknown to us what was heading our way. We all piled in Phil's car, with Helen and Chance squeezed on the back seats together and set off to the starting point, noticing along the way that the sky had turned grey and what looked like snow was heading straight for us. Once there we wasted no time heading down to the main road to find the way markers, just as a few small snowflakes started to fall. Within minutes those small snowflakes grew and grew into the biggest flakes I'd ever seen. We could barely see the path ahead and the large flakes that came to rest on my eye lashes didn't help either. We soldiered on along the Lakeside way path, trying to remain positive and hoping it wouldn't last long. Fortunately luck was on our side that day and after around 20 minutes it eased off.
As the snow died off and turned to drizzle, we reached Kielder Viaduct. We didn't spend too long here as the dark skies were obscuring our view. I can imagine on a clear day the views would be beautiful.
The Hairy hiker wasted no time indicating it was time to move on!
Back on the Lakeside way the sun made a few brief appearances as it tried its best to burn through the clouds. The temperature was low and the wind was biting cold at times but as we were walking at a quick pace we were warm enough and spirits still high.We chatted as we walked while Chance meandered along with us. Normally he would be running up and down the path, rushing ahead, sniffing everything and diving into bushes to chase birds but today was different. Almost as if he knew it was going to be a long haul and he should conserve his energy.
We had planned to stop around the halfway point at Leaplish Waterside park to eat our lunch and have a break. The thought of this kept us going and the view of the pub as we turned a corner on the waters edge was a much welcomed sight to us all. At this point we had walked for 3 hours, covering nearly 8 miles.
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| (A rather unique curved bridge we crossed along the way) |
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| (The soggy, hairy hiker paused for a photo opportunity, making sure I captured his good side!) |
When we arrived at the pub, the Boat Inn, we realised all the outdoor seating was damp so we opted to sit inside and eat or lunch later, after a much needed, refreshing pint. Chance was happy to be inside for a rest and fuss from the barmaid. He was probably hoping this was the end, little did he know we were only half way.
We left the pub after one drink, although we could of sat there all day in the warmth. As we walked we ate our lunches. Not the most attractive sight but we were keen to press on!
We came across Freya's cabin where we stopped for a quick photo shoot!
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| (Phil, Helen and Chance strike a pose) |
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| (A great shot, taken by Helen!) |
Throughout the day we got a few shots of the reservoir but due to the bad weather they weren't the clearest. We could see the dam in the distance and it never seemed to get any closer, it was almost like we were chasing a rainbow!
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The dam is down there, somewhere)
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Earlier on in the day, around 2 miles into our walk we had came across a sign post, stating Kielder Dam was 12 miles away. This had thrown us slightly as the guide book had suggested the full walk was 12 miles so we thought we only had 10 miles to go. As it turns out the walk is actually 14 miles, and we definitely felt those extra 2 miles!
All in all we had a fantastic day. Even the weather couldn't dampen our spirits, although it had a bloody good try! The last few miles were tough (maybe for me the most) and a feeling of utter relief waved over all of us when we spotted my car through the trees. Even the Hairy Hiker wagged his tired tail when we shouted, "There's the car!".
I'm pretty sure 14 miles is the furthest I have ever walked and its definitely the furthest Chance has walked. It was a very proud moment for me and memories were made that we will all cherish for a very long time.
A grueling day to mark the first of many. Bring on the next one!
