Alston to Greenhead

Today it rained. Sometimes it drizzled, sometimes it lashed, other times it was merely torrential but for every single minute of the day it rained. Rab drilium jacket - excellent. Zamberlan goretex boots - excellent. Greenhead hotel beer, accommadation and food - all excellent. All in all an excellent day if you can call 16.5 miles in the pissing rain excellent. More about my walking companions later :-)

I knew when I arrived at The Greenhead Hotel that they would be putting me in a nearby B&B because they were full but what I actually got was a whole flat to myself with a sitting room, two bedrooms and a bathroom - very nice!

My room in the flat at The Greenhead Hotel

 

The Greenhead Hotel

Like many PW walkers I took the easy route along the old railway trackbed from Alston to make easy and swift progress and rejoined the PW later on that morning. It was definitely the right move after 20 miles the day before. The thunder and lightning were a bit scary since I was on top of the moor at the time but just added to the drama of the day and the landscape. The Pennine Way has an endearing way of going exactly where it wants and at one point it literally went through a guys garden between his house and his garage. There isn't a sign to tell you this but I was lucky enough to meet the owner at the bottom of his drive and he pointed me in the right direction. It felt a bit strange but sure enough there was a ladder stile out of his garden on to the moor behind!
Janet Donnelly
Sent on the move