WEDNESDAY 23 JULY
98 MILES 2000 METRES
We had the company of fellow Westie and local Damon Rodwell for the steep pull out of Melrose round the side of the Eildons. He and Francis left me for dead as I laboured up the steep hills so early on in the day. Once things evened out we enjoyed lovely rolling country roads east of the A7 round to Hawick, where the Morrisons' toilet proved a godsend to me. From there we took the cracking road out to Newcastleton, gentle slopes with one final drag, before a swooping descent for miles past the local llamas(alpacas?)down into the planned village of Newcastleton. We found yet another lovely tea shop where we enjoyed soup and sandwiches, and I stocked up on home baking, including a wonderful slice of home made Battenberg cake. Damon headed back off home and we headed on to deserted country roads - Kershope Forest, Bewcastle - over the Border into Northumberland and Hadrian's Wall country near Gilsland and Greenhead. Crossing the main road to Newcastle we had a really steep pull over on to the minor roads, past Featherstone Castle. Lonely moor roads past Slaggyford led us to another tea stop in cobbled Alston, which after coke floats and scones and jam fuelled us up nicely (apart from my bonking after 5 mins-too much sugar) for the slog up to a high point of 600 metres on the grouse moors, before the descent to the lonely Youth Hostel of Langdon Beck.
FRANCIS' ACCOUNT=
The road out of Melrose was cruel and there were a number of tough climbs during the day but we did begin to wonder whether there had been a national emergency when we found ourselves cycling along roads and past houses for several miles without seeing any vehicles or other signs of life.
We crossed into England just after a lunch stop in Newcastleton. I noticed that John has brought his passport with him but he didn't need it because we sneaked over the border on a backroad.
After a second cafe stop in Alston, there was a cruel end to the day when we had to do over a thousand feet of climbing to get over the watershed to Langdon Beck youth hostel. The one highlight of the final climb was to see a short-eared owl hunting near the summit.
Langdon Beck hostel is modern and environmentally friendly, with its wind-turbine, reed bed, recyled rain water, Sky television and many other features.
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