A great walk with interesting ancient places and varied landscapes

Printed below is an unedited log of the walking experiences of Hugo & Reni Sterkman from Holland who walked the Segedunum to Trimontium leg of the Way.

Tuesday 26th July 2005

Reni at the Tall Ships Race Newcastle

On the evening of the 25th of July we left IJmuiden in Holland with the ferry ‘Queen of Scandinavia’ to Newcastle where we arrived next morning. We took the bus to Wallsend where the 7-days walk started.
At Segedunum (the museum) we searched for the acorn-symbol of the Hadrian Wall Path and followed it through a very busy Newcastle because of the Tall Ship races. We couldn’t follow the original path but outside Newcastle we picked up the acorn-symbol along the quays of the ‘dirty’ river the Tyne. The Way leaded us along industrial areas but beautiful wild flowers made it nice to do it. The weather was dry but clouded.
Our final destination that day was Heddon on the Wall, a nice place with a pub where we enjoyed a good meal and a ‘superhostel’ (Hougton North Farm) where we had the overnight stay. That day we walked about 15 miles.

Wednesday 27th

Hugo at the Wall - The real stuff… Planetrees

The second day was also nice but with cloudy weather. We walked a long part along the Roman Military Road, where cars drove at high speeds, but the path turned out to be more beautiful and varied. Many, many sheep, through forest and lots of hills, crossing many stiles and gates, we saw the first part of the Wall near Plane Trees.

Our address that day was the Youth-hostel at Acomb, where we had to walk along a long and very busy road. The Hostel was very old, but Acomb has a splendid pub, called the Minors Arms, where we had a good evening meal and also breakfast next morning, far before opening hours.

Thursday 28th

Chesters Fort & Museum

We took the bus back to Chollerford where we continued our walk. Soon we reached Chesters Museum, where we paid a interesting visit.

Unfortunately it started to rain soon. The most beautiful parts of the Hadrian Way we walked through clouds with drizzle and rain, causing a poor view, just at the most beautiful parts of the Hadrian Walk.
Fortunately we had our walking-sticks with us helping to climb and descend the slippery and wet slopes. The Youth Hostel at Once Brewed was our destination that day where we arrived in a very wet condition.
That day we walked 16 miles and we got used to it, as the conditions in Holland are quite different as far as the differences in level are concerned.

Friday 29th

Steel Rigg

No rain, it looks like as if we are lucky today. We walked back eastwards along the Wall with a clearer view, lots of climbing again and we passed Steel Rigg and now we could see more of the surroundings. We reached the Pennine Way and took that Way to the north.

We crossed beautiful landscape with hills, through woods and fields, with, again, thousands of sheep. We walked that day 18 miles to the Youth Hostel in Bellingham, a nice place with an old Hostel and friendly volunteers.

Saturday 30th

Making coffee near Lord’s Shaw

Terrible drizzly weather today. We wondered if walking is purifying, as we read in a book before we went on holiday! We walked in grandiose hills and we see them in all kinds of grey tones. By noon bad weather started and we went up and down along an edge of a forest, wrestling through ferns that were far more to a (wo)mans’s high, in the pouring rain, climbing over rocks and the mud behind our ears, we asked ourselves if we were on holidays or a survival tour….

We reached the South-east corner of the Kielder Forest, a moor land, difficult to cross because of the water, but beautiful for it’s orchids, old lichen and grouses. We were very cold and wet when we arrived at the Youth Hostel in Byrness. It was a tiring day, but the silence and the loneliness gave good feelings.

Conclusion: walking was purifying (after 15 hard miles).

Sunday 31st

Reni on the Cheviot Hills

The first part of the Walk was a steep hill through a forest, climbing over rocks. We reached the Cheviots, a beautiful view, also thanks to the lovely weather. The Pennine Way ended here for us and we took Dere Street; to make some decisions we had to use our compass. Here we enjoyed the real silence, something we don’t know any more in Holland. The only things you hear are flies, bees and sheep. Dere Street is far more remote than The Pennine Way and the signs became more infrequent.

In Crailinghall we called our host from the B&B in Jedburgh to pick us up. Jedburgh is a beautiful town with a nice Abbey from the 11th century. We had a good and friendly rest after 16 miles.

Monday 1st

River Tweed – Mertoun Bridge

Our host brought us back to the point, we left yesterday and we followed Dere Street, a long straight path, what is in fact a very old Roman Way, as we walked more very old military ways over the last days. At a certain moment we took to the St. Cuthbert’s Way. We walked in a complete different area than yesterday along the clean and romantic borders of the River Tweed with very old trees. At Eliot’s country-house a beautiful old well was kept in good condition, to serve our thirsty throats.

The last part of our walk was heavy and as we needed a meal by the evening (which was not to be served here) we took the bus in Newtown St. Boswells to Melrose. The last hill before Melrose was to much for us! Unfortunately we missed John Henderson of Walking Support that way, who was waiting for us in the Eildon Hills.

At the Youth Hostel of Melrose we had our overnight-stay. We were attracted by the friendly atmosphere of the place!

Thursday 2nd

Melrose Abbey

Waiting for the bus that morning, we met John Henderson who was curious to know our experiences, as he missed us the evening before. We could set him at rest, telling we had a great walk with no problems in spite of the weather some days!

In Holland we walk a lot, but we had to get used to the hills and so it took us more time every day to cover the distance. Nevertheless, nothing went wrong, we were lost not a single time and every afternoon/evening we reached habituated areas. All the overnight stays were well organised by John Henderson. We experienced a friendly atmosphere in the Youth (what’s is a name…) Hostels with unexpected meetings and friendly people!

A great walk to do, with interesting ancient places and various landscapes!

Hugo and Reni Sterkman
Holland

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