The weather was awful last night, a lot of rain. So of course, this means mud, and mud means slippery conditions. NOT FUN!!! Especially painful on knees. The walk took us past lots of segments and sections of the wall and by Housesteads which is a Roman ruin, quite substantial and very interesting.
The first part of the walk was mainly mud, and lots of it. In some places we had to walk through huge, deep, stinking mud holes. My shoes took a thrashing. At least I know my shoes are waterproof. The path was very slippery in places and I hate having unstable surfaces to walk on, makes for a frightening time, always fearful of slipping over and doing further damage.
Some of the path followed the wall, this meant some big climbs and sharp descents, using muddy rocks or slippery grass. I hated it, to be honest. If it was dry, I don't think it would have been quite so bad.
The scenery was beautiful, rolling green fields, stone walls, lots of sheep and cows. Had to watch out for the cow/ sheep poo, though, of which there was substantial amounts.
Lots of walkers out, many day trippers, a group of Scouts and some teenagers having a go at abseiling. Many people stopping to look at the wall and ruins.
We are staying on a farm - which is also aB and B. Nothing around except fields and sheep. Our meal is here tonight. My room is lovely and I am looking forward to getting some decent sleep.
Tomorrow we head off to....um, I have forgotten, but it is around 22 km I think. The first bit is hilly again, I just hope the rain holds off so things can dry out a bit. Otherwise I may be grumpy :)




