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Our weather luck ran out today. We woke up to torrential rain and high wind. Our B&B landlady had already been out with her dog and said the water was running down the hills. She advised us not to attempt the first section and offered us a lift to the next village.

We were wearing full waterproof gear and set off over the Northumbrian moors. It was really grim - rain, wind, mist and completely waterlogged, boggy paths. We sheltered behind a wall for lunch and met some other walkers who had tried to do the section we had missed out and had been turned back by a farmer who told them the stream they needed to cross had burst its banks. So although I was sorry to miss out this bit (which included crossing the border from Scotland to England), we had made the right decision to take a lift.

This photo shows Mandy and me during the afternoon tea break. It's amazing how comfortable an old parcel truck can be when you're really tired, wet and cold.

We arrived in a really lovely market town called Wooler eventually, having taken 5 hours to go 8 miles. That night in the pub I ate the biggest plate of lasagne and chips you have ever seen.