Had to fix our own breakfast in Wetherall. Left the house clean and tidy and off. Fine weather for the first hour or so then back to cold, windy ( thankfully as a strong tail wind) and occasionally wet.

Good thing about it being 8C is the when the temperature rises to 12C it feels really good! Same for when the wind drops, the rain stops or the sun comes out.

Today we went touristy and off-route for a day to visit Hadrians Wall, and in particular to see the stump of the sycamore tree featured in Robin Hood but cut down by some local louts a few years ago. (one theory is that the Jesuits weren’t renewing the lease of a third generation farmer so he decided to get even by cutting down the tree; the police eventually charged a couple of young guys from Carlisle).

Passed some plantation logging and some more coppiced trees on the way. A wrong turn saw us at a farm gate, the farmer directed us to the bike route in spite of the official walk going past his farmhouse and the medieval Thirlwall castle outside his back door.

Surprisingly hilly ride although most of the hills were quite doable. One out of Greenhead was very steep and long.

Saw lots of forts and lots of wall and one farm with the ruins of a feudal castle (1000 year younger than the wall) behind the kitchen door.

That was about it. Shepherd’s Pie for dinner made from local sheep. Tasted of Manx sheep.

Goodnight

I forgot. We arrived at (steep) driveway to our farmstead a bit early so rode on up hill to the Ridge top to visit Hadrians Wall again. In particular we walked 1.4 miles to Sycamore Gap where Robyn Hood was filmed. Before (we heard) a local leaseholders farmer got angry at his landlord and cut the tree down one stormy September night in 2023.

Very steep walk along that section of the wall