It was what us southerners call a mild morning. It was dry but Niether hot nor cold. Leaving my little hiding place just on the outskirts of Dumfries and keeping the river in sight i headed to Glencaple to meet alison who had gathered a few goodies for me including nikwax for my boots and some new walking socks, mine now perishing. Alison had also arranged for me to meet a guy from the nith voluntary inshore rescue service, a private lifeboat service, for a quick tour of their boat house and for a chat about the invaluable services they provide assisting the coastguards. The surrounding area is notoriously dangerous with rapid tides and quick sand. Thankfully I'd not needed their assistance during this leg of the trek but listening to some of robbies stories really highlighted the dangers of the solway coastline.
It was a fascinating break from the daily hikes and actually speaking to the crews of not only the rnli but also the volunteers of community projects such as pirsac and ninth helped me fully understand what drives the crews to risk their own lives in order to save others. It also highlighted the costs involved in launching as well as replacing and repairing vital kit.
Leaving the nith boathouse i followed a kind of footpath along the banks of the river until it started to get a bit soft underfoot as i walked over the silty shores nearing the mouth of the river. Deciding i really quite liked to keep my record clean and not wanting to get stuck in the mud i opted to head up to the road running parallel to the water.
I didn't need to hike long before I found a way back to the shore where the caerlaverock national nature reserve began. The nature reserve consists mostly of salt marshes and mud flats. You will find most common coastal birds and i would speculate a great view of the solway. Unfortunately for me although it was a lovely day there was quite a thick haze hanging over the solway and i didn't get much of a view of anything.
The hike was very easy going as salt marshes go and the longer I hiked the warmer it appeared to get. After a couple of hours wandering along again lost in my own thoughts, mostly about how i was going to fund the nile challenge and attract sponsors, eventually reaching the mouth of another river. It was a little too deep to wade across and un the back of my mind i wondered how solid the river bed would be, having visions of getting stuck half way across. Obviously it was a job for hoolley, or was it. I checked the cached satellite images of the area and located a bridge about a mile away. Thats 20 mins there and 20 mins back, it takes about the same time to get hoolley ready and then packed away. It was to be a close call. By pack rafting across I'd save a couple of miles hiking true but I'd also have a wet backpack and the extra weight of any mud or water and time wise it would be about the same.
After 40 minutes walking and still no sign of the bridge i had to concede to the fact that maybe my estimation of the distance to the bridge was somewhat out. In fact it was twice as far as i had guessed which meant in theory i could have made the crossing twice including packing away and unpacking hoolley in between. I was committed now and there was absolutely no way i was going back to make the crossing now.
Finally reaching Bankend and the bridge i followed the road parallel to the river and back towards the coast. Forefront in my mind was to get water for the evening meal and find shelter before it got dark. Passing a small bridge and seeing a woodland ahead i decided to stop to collect some water. Peering over the brick wall of the bridge i could see the water wasn't quite right, in fact it looked like morning after urine. While deciding whether or not i could do any better i noticed dogs barking at the gates of the farm i was now next to. Looking up and away from the urine coloured stream I noticed the owner of the collies peering out from the farmhouse. I went over to say hi and decided to ask if it would be possible to fill my bottles.
Janet and john had lived in the farmhouse for 15 years having moved from Sussex in search of a better more relaxed life. Having filled my bottles we then chatted for quite some time about the trek and the local area. So much so i was becoming conscious of the amount of light left. Making my excuses and eager to get to the woods before dark i set off with a fair pace.
I hadn't walked far when i heard a call from behind me, it was john, he'd quite literally run up the road after me. A little out of breath when he reached me john invited me to spend the night at the farmhouse in one of the spare rooms. It was a lovely gesture and one i simply couldn't refuse being that it was a completely random act of kindness.
No comments:
Post a Comment