Day 10: Mixed emotions...

We left the old farm house where we had stayed the night before and walked back to Hadrian's Path with mixed emotions. There was the joy and excitement of reaching our destination and the realisation that this would be our last day and the end of the challenge, which had far exceeded all our expectations. We would never forget the people we had met, the conversations in which we had participated, the sights, sounds and smells of the surrounding countryside, the knowledge we had gained, not only about the history of this part of the country, but also about ourselves. We never lost sight of why we were undertaking this adventure: our hope that we could continue to support the families and especially the children of Reuben Monareng School in South Africa.  This belief ensured our success!

Again, and almost unbelievably, the sun shone. We had walked no further than a mile when the breeze from the coast brought the delicious salt smells of the sea in our direction. This morning's trail kept the coastline in view as the mouth of the river became forever wider.

The first village

The first village we entered was that of Drumburgh...one letter box, one phone box, a medieval church, a bus stop and the ruins of a Norman Ccastle...oh, and a few houses and farms. This seemed to be the pattern of many of the villages through which we had walked in previous days.In some villages there was even the village shop which was often in the front room of a private home and sold almost anything that was needed!

Surrounding Countryside

The Path

Our journey which was somewhat shorter today, then took us through country lanes, a small copse and muddy fields. It must have been the time of day but we only met one other walker and this was a jovial Irish man from Dublin who was just setting out to walk to Wallsend and the North Sea. We wished him well; we wished him luck and the best of weather - and continued for our final few miles.

The Sea

Lunch

Today we even sat on a well positioned bench overlooking the sea to have our lunch. We dawdled, as  Bowness was within our sights and we were prolonging the inevitable...reaching the end of our journey.  And then we met Roger! Roger was a retired fisherman who had set-up his own business to take photographs of walkers as they started or finished the Hadrian's challenge. What a lovely man! He talked with passion about his years at sea, the danger of the surrounding sands and his interest in the history of the area. Photograph taken...even with my own phone. He described the people we would be staying  with tonight. He would not take any money, but wished us a safe journey home....

The end of Hadrian's Wall

Well, here we are; Bowness, the end of the wall and the end of our journey. My feet are in good condition, I may even be a little lighter and there is the feeling of elation at having achieved our goal. But my heart is heavy as I will be leaving what has been an amazing journey. The memories however, will sustain us.

There are so many people to thank for their endless support, but that will have to wait for another day. Thank you to our readers...I hope you have enjoyed our adventures and I will continue to keep you updated as to the project for Reuben Monareng.

With our love and gratitude....Rosie, a tired little Daisy, and Lesley