WTWFD Stage 12: Carlisle to Burgh by Sands

With only two stages remaining in our Walking the Wall for Daina challenge, it was high time to board a train and head for Carlisle to continue the walk. Yesterday saw me return to my native town, which is also where Daina lived, and where many of my family members are based, so this walk had a special significance. Accompanied by my youngest son and my aunt Gunta (Daina’s sister), we set off from The Sands Centre at Bitts Park, where we had concluded our previous walk.

Suburban Strolling

Walking the tree-lined avenues of Bitts Park was particularly nostalgic for me, as I had spent many happy hours here as a child. My son spotted a tiny toad which was so well camouflaged we almost stepped on it! Gunta kept us entertained with news and anecdotes (she is a renowned teller of humorous stories) while we walked past the Sheepmount athletics track (site of many a school sports day) and under the former Waverley rail bridge: a masterpiece of Victorian engineering which is now sadly disused, though it would make a great pedestrian/cycle route over the River Eden. We then passed the former coal-fired power station and rail yard at Engine Lonning, where my son looked out for remnants of its former days (allegedly there is a turntable hidden in the long grass), though it was hard to spot any. The path continued to follow the river Eden, with several steep staircases to negotiate en route to the hamlet of Grinsdale, where the trail turned inland towards Kirkandrews on Eden. Little evidence of Roman Heritage was to be found here, though I believe the path follows the route of the wall wherever possible. I reassured some friendly American tourists that they would see the wall if they kept on walking (for another 15 miles!) The Hadrian’s Wall trail, being a World Heritage Site, attracts visitors from around the globe.

The Search for Scones

One friendly couple we met along the trail assured us we would be able to enjoy tea and scones at Beaumont (which the locals pronounce Bee-mont), just up the hill from Kirkandrews on Eden. Gunta decided to continue to this point, though she’d only planned to walk to the edge of Carlisle originally. She loved walking through the fields and along country lanes, which reminded her of her childhood in the West Cumbrian village of Waverton, just up the road. True to the ‘Mont’ part of its name, Beaumont (a charming small village) sits at the top of a steep hill. I have struggled up here on my bike many times, though it was equally challenging to tired walkers’ legs. We reached the top of the hill to find that tea and scones were to be had (at the Village Hall) but only on Sundays. This would have been perfect, except that today was Friday. Luckily, the Tower 70 cafe was open. This was a converted trailer serving as a cute cafe run by a vivacious Chinese lady with a hatred of wasps. She made us pork dumplings while telling us how best to deal with the pesky insects (vinegar stops the swelling if applied to a sting immediately, apparently). A delicious and much-needed interlude. We also got a very welcome cup of tea, which we washed down with sandwiches and shortbread.

Close encounters of the herd kind

A signpost in Beaumont indicated it was only a half hour walk to our destination, the much larger village of Burgh by Sands (pronounced ‘Bruff’ by locals). If you are ever in the area, you can visit the Edward I monument, where the medieval English King died on his way north to fight the forces of Robert the Bruce. We had neither time nor energy to pay a visit on this occasion. It was a hobble over uneven farm fields for us, to find a bullock waiting by the bridge which we needed to cross in order to make it to Burgh. Luckily for us, he was not particularly aggressive, nor all that interested in humans.

My dad was reliable as ever in providing a lift back to Carlisle⸺thank you once again, and especially to Gunta, for making the walk seem much shorter by keeping it fun!

A note on Kissing Gates

It is customary, at least in my family, to give a peck on the cheek to the other members of the walking party when passing through a kissing gate. Gunta entered into the spirit of this with enthusiasm, making ‘mwahmwahmwah’ sounds while doling out the required kisses: pucker up! God knows what the tourists made of it all!

You can find more images from the walk on the official EIF Instagram.

Stage 12: Carlisle to Burgh by Sands
Distance: 6.5 miles
Elevation gain: 323 ft
Time: 3.25 hours
Total Distance: 91 miles

Thank you for supporting this journey!

I am walking the Wall in memory of my Aunt Daina, who died from MND in April 2024. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far, and to those who have bought Daina’s book, My Life With MND. Your sponsor money will go straight to the North and West Cumbria branch of the MND Association, to help those living with MND, just as they helped Daina when she was most in need. You can visit my fundraising page at Justiving.com to make a donation.

Ingrid