Distance: 11 miles
Weather: hot and sunny
I woke up to brilliant sunshine and I had breakfast and was on the trail by 8:45. It was quiet in the village; it was Sunday morning after all. I walked over the bridge and had a hairy walk to the start of the Tess Railway Path along a busy road with no pavement. Today I was heading for Barnard Castle, where I was staying over night, before catching the bus to Darlington and then a train home back to Leicestershire.
As I reached the footpath for the Railway trail, it coincided with the arrival of the Duke of Edinburgh teenagers I briefly met yesterday so I hung around for 10 minutes to give them a head start with their grumpy ways (apparently, they dropped a lot of litter yesterday which the Belgians picked up and gave to their leaders...).
Well, it was a beautiful walk today. The railway had been a single track on the side of the valley so there were excellent views and there were lots of handy benches to sit a spell and admire the vistas which was nice. The trail was awash with wildflowers: wild raspberries, meadowsweet, harebells, geraniums, burdock, scabious, birdsfoot trefoil and St John's Wort. There were also lots of animals including beautiful horse and ponies, chickens and lots of sheep. I met three rams and they were very tame and let me give them a pat as I passed by. I passed Mickleton and then Romaldskirk where the railway passes through private land so I walked through the village. In the village was the most picturesque pub called 'The Rose and Crown. I decided to visit and it was just as perfect inside with brasses, dark wood, comfy settles and cosy public rooms. I had a pot of tea and homemade biscuits whilst I gently perspired; the day was becoming hot. When I got up to leave, i noticed I had left a puddle as my water bottle had leaked...I made a sharp exit.
Back on the trail and I was heading for Cotherstone. I had lunch there sat on the village green under a shady silver birch tree. It was peaceful until a lawn mower started up. I put my boots back on and went in search of the path down to the river and another trail called the Teesdale Way. It started as a quiet lane with just me and the hundreds of sheep panting in the heat. Then there was the River Tees where I turned right and followed the path towards Barnard Castle through fields and shady woods. I spotted an array of purple orchids which were gorgeous. It was easy walking but v hot. Just before I reached Barnard Castle, I spotted some substantial stonework through the trees which was the Deepdale Viaduct and once carried the trains travelling from Middleton over the River Tees. Such a shame the viaduct is now unsafe to walk across. as it would make a great entrance into the town.
I soon arrived in the busy metropolis and walked past the dramatic ruined castle which towers over the river. I felt quite superior arriving on foot as all the cars queued at the traffic lights. It was a stiff climb past the castle and up to the town centre and I soon spotted my hotel. I booked in, had a shower and went for dinner to a super Italian restaurant where I ate starters, a whole pizza and dessert - a great meal to celebrate the end of this year's peregrinations.
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