Day 3: Kirkandrews on Eden to Carlisle

June 17, 2021

Caught the first No 93 bus of the day from the centre of Carlisle to Kirkandrews on Eden to walk back to our hotel. We arrived to start our walk at 1pm. This late start is why we've used our bikes on the previous days.

The weather was good again and we soon got into our stride.

Passed a homemade swing in a tree. Someone had made it to resemble a horse: it was brilliant although my photo taken balancing on uneven ground on a 45 degree slope, doesn't do it justice! We also crossed Sourmilk Bridge which, we found out later, was near Milestone 69.

On our way to Grinsdale we passed two women walking the path West to East. They were much younger than us so we did say we would meet them again later when they would inevitably catch us up and pass us. They did, in Grinsdale however we could see they had missed the path and after we waved them back, they overtook us again.

The walk along side the river was at the top of the river bank with trees between us and the water. It was easy to see why there was a permanent diversion from Beaumont down to Kirkandrews on Eden, persistent heavy rain could easily make paths like this impassable.

After stopping in another perfect country idyll for lunch (see Day 2) where we watched the cows paddling in the river from the opposite bank, we continued following the river into Carlisle.

Apart from a scruffy section near the railway bridge, we were amazed at how pleasant this city section was. In one place, wild phlox grew at the sides of the path. Their fragrance could be smelt long before we reached them. The HWP took us through Bitts Park which was lovely with old established trees that had room to grow, rhododendrons & azaleas in full bloom and a wide border of wild flowers between the path and the lawns. All this with the sounds and sights of the river on the other side of the path. Probably most importantly for those walking the HWP, there were clean and easily accessible toilets too.

A little further on, we reached the Sands Centre. This is the second, passport stamp stop. Unfortunately, it's a building site at the moment with no access. We had been forewarned in Bowness on Solway so we have "The Banks" stamp in place of "Sands Centre" stamp in our books.

Despite the fact the Sands Centre was closed (aka being rebuilt) there is interesting interpretive information outside about the wall.

After learning more about the Romans, the wall and Latin we continued following the river to another lovely open space, Rickerby Park. It was here we left the HWP and turned right for a short walk back to our hotel. The Premier Inn Carlisle Central proved to be just right for the western end of HWP. Its not in the centre of the city as its name implies but is a short bus ride away and within half a mile of HWP.