Barney gets a whole page feature in our local Hexham Courant!
Still time to match a mile - see www.DogsUnite.org.UK/match-a-mile for details.
Also donations page is still open at www.JustGiving.com/BarneysLongWalk
Friday, 21 August 2015
Hexham Courant
Monday, 17 August 2015
Postscript
As a few of you will know, our youngest grandson, Archie, was diagnosed with cancer just a few days after we started the trek. We deliberated over whether to terminate the walk but decided to continue and be prepared to finish at short notice should we be needed in Australia where he lives.
His parents, our son Dan and his partner Sally, have had a testing time as treatment progressed. They live over 200 miles from the childrens hospital in Melbourne where Archie is being treated and they have two other boys.
Fortunately, Sally's mum has been able to help out (she lives in Seattle) through a very difficult time when Archie has had chemotherapy and two operations. Now it's our turn to assist, so we are flying out to Melbourne on Wednesday to be with the boys through the next 3 months while Archie has more chemotherapy.
His parents, our son Dan and his partner Sally, have had a testing time as treatment progressed. They live over 200 miles from the childrens hospital in Melbourne where Archie is being treated and they have two other boys.
Fortunately, Sally's mum has been able to help out (she lives in Seattle) through a very difficult time when Archie has had chemotherapy and two operations. Now it's our turn to assist, so we are flying out to Melbourne on Wednesday to be with the boys through the next 3 months while Archie has more chemotherapy.
Day 133 Home!
A 6 O'clock taxi saw us at Thurso station for the 6:50 to Inverness. Then it was trains to Edinburgh, Carlisle and finally Haltwhistle where Sue picked us up - thanks!
Before we knew where we were, we were having a meal in our local, the Crown in Catton and that's almost it...
Before we knew where we were, we were having a meal in our local, the Crown in Catton and that's almost it...
Day 132 John O' Groats
A rest day!
The weather stayed fine so we simply... chilled out.
We finished by visiting the Seaview Hotel and I had quite the best seafood meal I have ever had!
The weather stayed fine so we simply... chilled out.
We finished by visiting the Seaview Hotel and I had quite the best seafood meal I have ever had!
Day 131 Keiss - John O' Groats!
Well, what a final day!
The guidebook describes this as not suitable for children or dogs and we had two (I'll let you decide who they are...)!
A glorious walk along cliff edges where sometimes you hang onto the fence because the drop is so close! The 40mph winds never really happened - it was just a classic windy coastal walk with the wind in the right direction.
We met up with Geoff at a couple of points which helped progress a lot - hot drinks and food! Again, our heavy sacks were in the van and Barney carried nothing - he loved it!
Then, after a long day, we arrived at John O' Groats and... surprise, surprise, Kay, Nigel & Guide dog Jackie appeared at the end! They'd travelled all the way up from Falmouth to greet us! They saw us off at Land's End and I remember Nigel saying 'we might get up to John O'Groats to greet you' but never really expected it, as it is a 900 mile trip (don't we know)! He even posted Facebook posts to make it look as though they were still at home! What a finish - even the sun was shining!
The guidebook describes this as not suitable for children or dogs and we had two (I'll let you decide who they are...)!
A glorious walk along cliff edges where sometimes you hang onto the fence because the drop is so close! The 40mph winds never really happened - it was just a classic windy coastal walk with the wind in the right direction.
We met up with Geoff at a couple of points which helped progress a lot - hot drinks and food! Again, our heavy sacks were in the van and Barney carried nothing - he loved it!
Then, after a long day, we arrived at John O' Groats and... surprise, surprise, Kay, Nigel & Guide dog Jackie appeared at the end! They'd travelled all the way up from Falmouth to greet us! They saw us off at Land's End and I remember Nigel saying 'we might get up to John O'Groats to greet you' but never really expected it, as it is a 900 mile trip (don't we know)! He even posted Facebook posts to make it look as though they were still at home! What a finish - even the sun was shining!
Day 130 A9 - Keiss
A full day for Wendy & Meg. First forest, then steadily more easy down to Watten where we enjoyed our first shop since Ullapool!
Next was a change of route - Andy Robinson in the guide describes the crossing of the Moss of Killimster as hard - if he says that, he means hard! Given that it is hard because of the, let's say, damp nature of the terrain and the fact that everywhere is already waterlogged this year and we'd had steady rain last night, we decided to bite the bullet and walk the road instead. Barney really slows up on roads normally but having Meg along made all the difference and he trotted along at normal speed!
Eventually we left the road and headed for the beach! This was the East coast and our first sea en route since Devon although we had camped next to Loch Broom at Ullapool.
Geoff had spotted a fish & chip van in Keiss earlier where we finished so we raced off in anticipation to find it had shut 10 minutes earlier! Yet another dehydrated meal it was then...
Next was a change of route - Andy Robinson in the guide describes the crossing of the Moss of Killimster as hard - if he says that, he means hard! Given that it is hard because of the, let's say, damp nature of the terrain and the fact that everywhere is already waterlogged this year and we'd had steady rain last night, we decided to bite the bullet and walk the road instead. Barney really slows up on roads normally but having Meg along made all the difference and he trotted along at normal speed!
Eventually we left the road and headed for the beach! This was the East coast and our first sea en route since Devon although we had camped next to Loch Broom at Ullapool.
Geoff had spotted a fish & chip van in Keiss earlier where we finished so we raced off in anticipation to find it had shut 10 minutes earlier! Yet another dehydrated meal it was then...
Day 129 Dail Righe - A9
More track and eventually we met up with Geoff & Wendy again for Wendy & Meg to join us for the walk whilst Geoff did the transport. Jos had described the camper van previously as the (n)ice cream van as it is cream coloured so Geoff & Wendy presented us with... ice creams!
A picture below shows Meg in a stream - her favourite position in water is sitting down!
The destination was the A9 but we weren't camping on it!Geoff picked us up and we made our way to the Watten campsite - not the best one of our trip! The walking was good however apart from Jos dropping her Australian cap and we having to return (in the camper van) to find it!
A picture below shows Meg in a stream - her favourite position in water is sitting down!
The destination was the A9 but we weren't camping on it!Geoff picked us up and we made our way to the Watten campsite - not the best one of our trip! The walking was good however apart from Jos dropping her Australian cap and we having to return (in the camper van) to find it!
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