What a Day !

Well, what a beautiful dawn, or just after ! I had intended getting up to view the ‘Skyspace’ exhibit at dawn, but mid night waking revealed black skies, and no stars, so I slept on…. and then, voila ! the sky had cleared, the sun could be shining…and I was in bed, still I did manage to watch the sun come up from my secluded bed away from anywhere , in Kielder Forest.

So, breakfasted and ready to go by 8 a.m….. I was off,firstly on the ‘Lonesome Pine’ Trail, http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/eng-nee-kwfp-mtb-map.pdf/%24FILE/eng-nee-kwfp-mtb-map.pdf  climbing up, out of Kielder, passing it;'s ‘castle’ and along the side of the Lake, up into the hills beyond.  The sun was still shining, and it was a beautiful day.

Nearly at the top of the hill, I then joined on to the ‘Bloody Bush’ trail http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/ourwoods.nsf/LUWebDocsByKey/EnglandNorthumberlandKielderKielderKielderCastleForestParkCentreBloodyBushMountainBikeTrail and rode across the ‘stairway to Heaven’ boards, raised high above the boggy marshland below, and onwards towards the border with Scotland…. where I should have turned left….. Oooops, everyone knows navigation is not my best ability, so I turned ???, yes, you’ve guessed it Right, and straight through the border, passing Passport control… and into Scotland, eventually realising my mistake, when I’d climbed a hill that I needn’t have done. So, turned round and swooshed back into England,carrying on past the Bloody Bush http://www.travelinenortheast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N13458  checkpoint  and onwards on the trail…passing areas filled with red mushrooms,twinkling in the morning light….oh, and a shower of rain also.

then it was back up the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ again to regain the Lonesome Pine Trail, and ride back down, into Kielder, and back to ‘Wally’ for lunch…875 Mts climbing in 4 3/4 hours !

Phew ! I was pretty tired, and unsure whether to do another route in the afternoon, but after a couple of circuits of the ‘trails park’ realised  I couldn’t do another big route, and I was pretty mucky and sweaty… so set off for the Northumbrian Coast, arriving at Dunstan Hill CCC site http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/siteseeker/aspx/details.aspx?id=6130&returnPage=search.aspx ready for a cleaning shower, and to find a Pub to watch Manchester United V Benfica !

After eating and showering, I walked along a moonlight beach, to the nearby village of Embleton, and found a pub showing Football – Manchester City !!!

So, I had a couple of thirst quenching pints, and walked home !!

United managed to draw without my support , well done (and away from home, unlike City who could only have a dour draw at home !)

and now…. moving along the coast again !