I took my leave on a rainy Wednesday morning and arrived at the campsite by mid afternoon. The wind had picked up and my feet were nearly numb as the water soaked through my shoes and socks. The site warden took pity and invited me in to his caravan for a cupa. With a cigarette in one hand and keeping small terrior at bay with the other, he told me that he had retired early due to ill health, and worked as a joiner managing a team. I shared about why I was passing by and where I had been so far.

The following morning, the rain continued and after cycling for a couple hours found a cafe to have a fried breakfast. (Rothbury) The route took me through a couple of river crossings that were now impassable due to the water level. I got to the next campsite near Walkworth, passing the castle beforehand. Then on to Alnwick the next day visiting St Michael’s church and Alnmouth coastal village. The hostel was historically the main police station and prison and the backyard seemed a suitable place to put out the wet clothes to dry. In the evening I relaxed in the lounge area and had some cultural exchanges with a some folk from Melbourn Australia and a student from Beijing, China.

The last leg of the tour took me mainly on the coastal area, passing by Seahouses, Bamburgh castle and on to the campsite near the Holy Island (Lindisfarne) causeway crossing. With the sound of the main train route, north/south near by and fields of wheat and barley all around, I settled down to rest, looking forward to the final day.

As more rain was expected by late morning, I headed towards the causeway for 9am, the tide due to be out for about 8am. The sun seemed to guide the way across and patches of pink Hop Trefoil coloured the ⁰sides. Other visitors had also began to arrive and I quickly looked for a good position to make a picture, without too many people included. I rode passed the castle and then to St Mary’s church, founded by St Aiden. There was an area for children to colour in Celtic shapes and some words of reconciliation near the alter, given by the church of Norway in 1993, marking the 1200 year anniversary of the first Vicking raid.

At 12 noon I joined daily gathering for prayer, led by Faith of the Aiden and Hilda, at their prayer room. She said she remembered me at their group gathering at Scargill in December 2023. To close the route, I headed up the coast to Berwick Apon Tweed, sighting the Royal Border Bridge, for my return train connection.