Birches at Crammell Linn

It's Wednesday, so I was out walking with the Haltwhistle walkers.

Today the fog was even worse than yesterday which was a back blip if you missed it. We did Haltwhistle Rings walk 22 plus extra miles because we started and ended in Greenhead instead of Gilsland. It's a great walk.

Ian, our leader today, completed walking all 22 of the Haltwhistle Rings' Walks in April 2004. He wore the medallion he had been presented with, (looked suspiciously like a well decorated beer mat) and had the newspaper cutting from the time. He always looks as if he is strolling at the front, despite his pacemaker, and the rest of us puff and pant to keep up with him.

I walked 13 miles yesterday and 10 today so I'm well pleased. My training for the walking festival is going well.

We had lunch near Crammell Linn waterfall in the Irthing Gorge. I liked the way the birches were swaying in front of the water and the myriad colours of spring about to burst forth.

PS Did I mention the mud? It was incredibly clarty today. I also allowed one foot to slip into a stream so had a squelchy boot for half of the walk......