First Impressions.

I was under no illusion about the challenges ahead on the first part of the first real day of this Peddle for Maasai Girls Education; it seemed like a good idea at the time of planning. Trying to be true to the southern terminus of the Watershed created a mountain, or at least a very big hill to be climbed, strait away. For barely a mile out of Kielder, and the route took me off and up into the forest, with most of Deadwater Fell, as the immediate target. Deadwater; dead steep, more like!

The first haul was up a reasonable forest road, but soon enough, a short-cut beckoned, up a brutal mountain bike trail  - going up, what is strictly speaking a down, section. More forest road, and then more short cut, until finally, out of the forest and somewhat out of puff, the open moor, where the gravel road led ever skywards to a motley collection of communication masts atop that hill. Right turn, across Deadwater Moor, and a wide sweep by track and almost trackless, through the heather to the summit of Peel Fell; southern terminus of the great Watershed of Scotland.

Thereby however lies a geographic conundrum, for some unknown reason, the England Scotland Border runs across at about 50m to the north of the summit cairn. Why did the ancients, not use the top of the hill as a marker? Who knows, but the your`s truly is happy to regard the top(ish) of Peel Fell as the start of the Watershed, at this end. Ahead lies some 1,200 Km of moor, bog, mountain and forest, before the northern end is reached, 23 days later by this modus, at Duncansby Head.

The next hill-goal is Hartshorn Pike a few Km northwards into Scotland. Just getting there is a slither down through washed-out peat hags, across a stretch of bog, and then hauling the bike up through the largely trackless heather, to the top o` the hill. There, bliss awaits on this sunny day, a lochan, yes it must be that, and not a tarn, because we have left England behind, and a welcome pause for a brew-up using the same Trangia Stove that fueled me so reliably along my first Watershed Epic of 2005. So, sitting by this nameless lochan with mug of tea in hand, the vista is spread around in magnificence, and michty me, the journey ahead is for real - inasmuch as this virtual journey can be.