Day 60: Pennine Way - Once Brewed to Bellingham

Day 14 on the Pennine Way, and it’s back to business. I woke up feeling a lot better this morning, so it was onto a quick few miles on Hadrian’s Wall, then back onto the remote Pennine Way. 

• Date: 19 May 2024
• Start: Once Brewed
• End: Bellingham
• Miles: 15.7
• Total miles: 787.7
• Accommodation: Demesne Farm Campsite

It was a rather chilly morning, with a lot of fog in the air. I set back out onto Hadrian’s Wall, along with the hoards of other people. Fortunately, it wasn’t as busy as the previous morning. 

I arrived at the Sycamore Gap, which of course isn’t as impressive as it used to be with the tree gone. 

The Pennine Way separated from the Hadrian’s Wall Path shortly after, marked by a very pointless stile. It all became very remote again very quickly, which I actually prefer. 

The path passed through forests, although a lot of the trees had been destroyed by a storm two years ago, leaving a lot of empty land. 

After the half way point, I spotted these signs for a pit stop, so I went to take a look. The bed in there looked like it had seen better days, you’d have to be desperate to sleep in there. I had my lunch here though and bought a can of pop from the tuck shop. 

Shortly after the pit stop, I caught up with Ruth and Alan who I met a few days ago. Another walker, Neil, joined the three of us for the final few miles into Bellingham, where the sun showed up. 

I headed to the campsite, which is on a farm weirdly situated in the middle of the town. I headed to my new favourite shop, the Co Op, and bought some ravioli and sauce for dinner. I then chilled at camp for the rest of the evening. 

Tomorrow is the penultimate day on the Pennine Way, as well as my last full day walking in England!