Day 29 Well House Farm to Rowland's Gill

Raining when I got up - eased to a drizzle when I was packing up the tent but then rained steadily for the next two hours. I walked on quiet roads and bridal paths to Ovingham. On the way near Old Nafferton I finished up walking through someones garden in error. I met a neighbor who realized that I was lost. She had a good knowledge of the local bridal paths so was able to direct me (a horse rider who also volunteers at the local RDA). I couldn't find anywhere to eat in Ovingham so walked along the south bank of the rive Tyne to Wylam. Along the way I met a great chap, Albert - a retired joiner who has a fantastic house near the river and who does up old motor cycles (no Norton's though!).

I then headed SE across country, first to Greenside and then Barlow on quiet roads. Finding the farm track from Barlow to Thornly Bank proved difficult. I wandered around a farm but found no one to ask directions. I headed off to a road and found someone who gave me directions on to a path (which wasn't the one I was trying to find!). Eventually I walked 3 sides around a wheat field to look for an exit. I could see the road through a hawthorne hedge so tossed my pack over the hedge and carried on walking looking for a gate to get out of the field - which I eventually did and then went back along the road to retrieve my pack. I made rapid progress to some dog kennels when I realized that I had lost my new hat (13 pounds from M & S) which I had been using as as a pad for my shoulder. So I left my pack on the side of the road and went back about 1 1/2 miles to find it. The rest of the walk to Rowlands's Hill was uneventful.

I have pitched my tent at the camp site, though they only have a caravan symbol now. It is possible next year that they may not have tents, just caravans.

One of my phones doesn't work anymore - maybe when I tossed the pack over the hedge something jarred?? Tomorrow I do want to to get to see 'the Angel of the North' (a.k.a. Rusty Rita) so will do so after finding somewhere to have breakfast and then hopefully look for somewhere to replace the phone. There is quite a big shopping complex nearby.