Greenriggs (Haltwhistle)

Our tour of Europe continues in the UK. We could head over to mainland Europe but we want Covid & Brexit to settle a bit more so we have headed north. This became two weeks of nostalgia, nostalgia for the pennine way walk we did only two months ago! We took James to see some of the places we saw on the walk, pointed out some of the places we had stopped and remembered the sheer actual physical pain we had endured. it was crazy to sit in a bar and remember how hard I had found it to walk across that room only two months ago, and start to discuss the next walk. The weather has been kind to us, although Earith is 4 degrees warmer most days! Haltwhistle is the centre of Britain or so they say. This area is more famous for it’s wall and we did lots of it. James on his one week holiday, took a break from digging up Roman ruins and spend multiple days wandering around Roman ruins and watching others dig. Vindolanda is by far the best and although we did do this 2 months ago we enjoyed a second visit and saw things we had missed the first time. Some of the ruins are basically grass with a few stones sticking out, others leave you in awe of what the Romans were capable of and wanting to know more. We did Vindolanda, mile castle 42, Housestead fort, Birdoswald fort and the Roman army museum, along with bits of Hadrian’s wall although Sycamore gap viewing was abandoned in a torrential downpour that resulted in James’ only shoes spending the night in front of the fan heater. We also went to High force, Low force where we saw people kayaking down it, well beyond my skill level, and Cauldron Snout. Much to my dismay we had to skip High Cup Nick which I would have loved to have shown James. Carlisle was given a once over and very nice it appeared too along with Whitley Bay where a paddle in the sea and some street food was enjoyed. James (and the car) was only with us for one of the weeks, the rest of the time it was walking and cycling.

Greenriggs cottage is a 5 unit campsite , a field with stunning views , a water tap and a CDP. The price tag is almost European at £12 a night! James would have liked a shower block though. I recommend this site, it’s only downside is it is remote from anything.