The St Cuthbert's Way - Thoughts in Conclusion
Heading to Wideopen Hill on Day 3
As is customary, we thought we would put together a few thoughts that may help in the planning & execution of walking the St Cuthbert's Way. Most of these points are pretty generic to long distance walking and are therefore much the same as in previous blogs we have written. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and the advice given is not exhaustive. The best form of research is other people’s blogs, guide books and using plain old common sense. Some of the advice and thoughts below may be repeated from the Planning & Preparation page at the start of this blog - apologies for that!
The walk itself
Taking into consideration we were walking the St Cuthbert's Way whilst in the middle of a worldwide pandemic we still did not encounter many other walkers on the route. The route is extremely well way marked and with a bit of forethought can be split down into manageable chunks to fit whatever your stamina & walking pace.
The St Cuthbert's Way official website (link below) is a must read and should be perused as there is lots of extremely useful information contained within it.
Having completed The St Cuthbert's Way it is fair to say that, whilst a shorter walk than ones we have completed before it certainly provides the walker with an ever changing variety of walking terrain, views & scenery and is jam packed full of historical interest. One comment we would make is that there are a few occasions when we were bothered by Cows and therefore this needs to be factored into your walk. On each occasion we were able to divert our route and thereby avoid them.
Give it a go and see for yourself.
Planning and Accommodation
The planning for this walk was very simple as we were based in the same place for the entire walk. As indicated earlier, our original plan was to walk the route in June 2020 however Covid 19 put paid to that. It was a simple case of waiting until we were allowed to undertake the walk and contact the Hotel in Morebattle to arrange new dates. The Templehall held on to our deposit and thankfully we were able to rebook our preferred dates.
For those of you travelling with a dog, don't be put off. Most B&Bs are coming around to the fact that it pays to be dog friendly and more and more are making the transition and this was true of The Templehall.
Kit & Medical
As we were based in the same place we did not have the worry about bag weight. We carried a rucksack each with the usual items contained within it for a day on the hills.
To keep snacks and spare water cold, we used a small cooler bag with 2 slim ice packs in. Each night we asked the B&B owner to put the ice packs in their freezer ready for the next day.
Medically, we used a fair bit of Vaseline on our feet and micro porous tape that resulted in no blisters. In a nutshell, each morning tape up any areas where you have had blisters appear in the past and then rub a light coating of Vaseline over the rest of each foot and in between your toes. It really does pay to rub your feet at night with some foot lotion and also buddy up getting your feet ready in the morning. No matter how much training you have done before the walk, your feet will hurt at some stage. When resting up or whilst having lunch, get the boots off and air your feet and change your socks if necessary.
After about 20 minutes walking have a stretch of the hamstrings, calves, groin and quads. Repeat this before and after any lengthy stop and on completion of the days walking. This stretching routine will pay dividends.
It goes without saying that a basic first aid kit is a must.
Rucksacks
Apart from your Boots this is the second most important piece of kit you have. Make sure it is comfortable and fits your needs. As stated earlier, we used a couple of Osprey Daysacks (with rain hoods) and these were just the job. One thing we would say is fill it up and test it out before you start - make sure it feels comfortable and get out and walk with the weight in it. Additionally, make sure you have dry-bags in your kit for those rainy days.
Water
There is a link below to Refill - a website giving information with regard to water refill points etc. Another thing you could do is just apply common sense - if you get the chance then top up. Cafes and shops you visit - they will more than likely help you out.
Mapping
We carried the relevant OS Maps, two Compasses, a GPS and the St Cuthbert's Way guide book complete with hand drawn mapping. Suffice to say we did not get lost.
Useful Links
The St Cuthbert's Way Website - a must read for anybody thinking about undertaking this fabulous walk (and this blog of course!)
www.stcuthbertsway.info/#163-slide-5
Lindisfarne (Holy Island) Safe Crossing Times
https://holyislandcrossingtimes.northumberland.gov.uk
Accuweather - a very good weather update service.
www.accuweather.com/en/gb/united-kingdom-weather
Refill - a national, practical tap water campaign to aid you in topping up your supply on route. Well worth "tapping in to" (nyuk, nyuk).
refill.org.uk
The walk itself
Taking into consideration we were walking the St Cuthbert's Way whilst in the middle of a worldwide pandemic we still did not encounter many other walkers on the route. The route is extremely well way marked and with a bit of forethought can be split down into manageable chunks to fit whatever your stamina & walking pace.
The St Cuthbert's Way official website (link below) is a must read and should be perused as there is lots of extremely useful information contained within it.
Having completed The St Cuthbert's Way it is fair to say that, whilst a shorter walk than ones we have completed before it certainly provides the walker with an ever changing variety of walking terrain, views & scenery and is jam packed full of historical interest. One comment we would make is that there are a few occasions when we were bothered by Cows and therefore this needs to be factored into your walk. On each occasion we were able to divert our route and thereby avoid them.
Give it a go and see for yourself.
Planning and Accommodation
The planning for this walk was very simple as we were based in the same place for the entire walk. As indicated earlier, our original plan was to walk the route in June 2020 however Covid 19 put paid to that. It was a simple case of waiting until we were allowed to undertake the walk and contact the Hotel in Morebattle to arrange new dates. The Templehall held on to our deposit and thankfully we were able to rebook our preferred dates.
For those of you travelling with a dog, don't be put off. Most B&Bs are coming around to the fact that it pays to be dog friendly and more and more are making the transition and this was true of The Templehall.
Kit & Medical
As we were based in the same place we did not have the worry about bag weight. We carried a rucksack each with the usual items contained within it for a day on the hills.
To keep snacks and spare water cold, we used a small cooler bag with 2 slim ice packs in. Each night we asked the B&B owner to put the ice packs in their freezer ready for the next day.
Medically, we used a fair bit of Vaseline on our feet and micro porous tape that resulted in no blisters. In a nutshell, each morning tape up any areas where you have had blisters appear in the past and then rub a light coating of Vaseline over the rest of each foot and in between your toes. It really does pay to rub your feet at night with some foot lotion and also buddy up getting your feet ready in the morning. No matter how much training you have done before the walk, your feet will hurt at some stage. When resting up or whilst having lunch, get the boots off and air your feet and change your socks if necessary.
After about 20 minutes walking have a stretch of the hamstrings, calves, groin and quads. Repeat this before and after any lengthy stop and on completion of the days walking. This stretching routine will pay dividends.
It goes without saying that a basic first aid kit is a must.
Rucksacks
Apart from your Boots this is the second most important piece of kit you have. Make sure it is comfortable and fits your needs. As stated earlier, we used a couple of Osprey Daysacks (with rain hoods) and these were just the job. One thing we would say is fill it up and test it out before you start - make sure it feels comfortable and get out and walk with the weight in it. Additionally, make sure you have dry-bags in your kit for those rainy days.
Water
There is a link below to Refill - a website giving information with regard to water refill points etc. Another thing you could do is just apply common sense - if you get the chance then top up. Cafes and shops you visit - they will more than likely help you out.
Mapping
We carried the relevant OS Maps, two Compasses, a GPS and the St Cuthbert's Way guide book complete with hand drawn mapping. Suffice to say we did not get lost.
Useful Links
The St Cuthbert's Way Website - a must read for anybody thinking about undertaking this fabulous walk (and this blog of course!)
www.stcuthbertsway.info/#163-slide-5
Lindisfarne (Holy Island) Safe Crossing Times
https://holyislandcrossingtimes.northumberland.gov.uk
Accuweather - a very good weather update service.
www.accuweather.com/en/gb/united-kingdom-weather
Refill - a national, practical tap water campaign to aid you in topping up your supply on route. Well worth "tapping in to" (nyuk, nyuk).
refill.org.uk
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