Day 40 - Bouncing into Melrose

 

My walk today from Jedburgh to Melrose followed St Cuthbert's Way. This is a long distance path stretching 62 miles from Melrose to Lindisfarne (Holy Island) and is named after a seventh century saint, who seems to have been a good sort. He spent much of his life in Melrose but was buried on Lindisfarne, being pronounced a Saint when his coffin was opened 11 years after his death and his body was found to be fully intact. I bet whoever opened that had to Run for Home...

The section I walked was pleasant enough, through numerous woods and forests, pungent with wild garlic, and over the bounciest suspension bridge I have been on for many a year (above). It generally followed Dere St, the arrow straight Roman Road I first joined yesterday. This was a stark difference from my recent Pennine Way experience; tarmac and civilisation never too far away, and no sight of moor or bog. I also enjoyed the change in walking through a couple of villages, St Boswell and Newton St Boswell, where there were quite a few busy shops and, most importantly, somewhere I could buy a coffee. 

I bumped into two Canadian couples, who were over here to walk St Cuthbert's Way over the next week before doing some sightseeing. I think I have now met three or four groups who have travelled from overseas to to venture on to these trails and sample some of our scenery and countryside, yet there only seem to be a small percentage of Brits who fancy doing similar.

I lunched by a stream with some black sheep and lambs opposite, a footbridge in between us. Whilst most sheep will avoid human contact and clear out of the way pretty quickly, these ladies seemed to find me quite fascinating. They skipped over the bridge and I was quickly surrounded, some of them quite happy to come right up and virtually stuff their heads in my rucksack. I was on ham sandwiches today, so there was no solidarity with their farmland mates. I have recovered from the trauma of being mugged by a lamb a few weeks back but must have been a little wary as I didn't think to take a picture.

I was also slightly perturbed to come across a memorial stone remarking on the life of Fair Maiden Lilliard, who, as you may be able to read in the photo below, disliked the English so much, she ignored the loss of her legs in battle and 'she fought upon her stumps.' Perhaps that's where the Monty Python team found inspiration for the 'only a flesh wound' sketch.

• Miles Walked - 783.3 (Avg per day - 19.6)
• Miles Still to Walk - 421 (Avg per day - 21.1)
• Avg Blood Sugar Reading over last 7 days - 7.6mmol/l (32 tests)
• Avg Blood Sugar Reading over last 14 days - 7.2mmol/l (67 tests)

My average miles per day has dropped slightly as the Pennine Way, with its numerous climbs, is not somewhere I could consistently cover more than 20 miles each day. Over the next week, I have five 20 mile plus days, mostly on the flatter areas leading me to Loch Lomond and the West Highland Way.

My blood sugar readings have also dropped slightly, which I am very pleased with. I am still taking readings every two hours or so when walking: blood sugar levels for anyone will tend to peak two hours after a meal, so I would expect my reading regime to be higher than my normal one, when I tend to only measure just before a meal. 

I have spoken to another couple of people living with diabetes this week, both of whom already have the Freestyle Libre I have mentioned before. Both say how much easier it is to manage sugar levels, their phone linking up to the device at the top of their arms and giving instant readings and even warnings.

One of the main reasons for me undertaking this walk was to let anyone newly diagnosed with diabetes see that they can still live a full and active life. The tools that are available now to help us manage the condition are so much improved from 50 years ago. Whilst you still have to be diligent in understanding and managing diabetes, young people in particular should be confident that they can still do so many of the things that their friends do.

I am on the Southern Upland Way tomorrow and looking forward to meeting my cousin, Peter, in Galashiels and walking the last 13 or so miles with him. We have a lot to catch up on!

                                                                    A fearsome lady

                            The view towards Melrose - the motorhome is down there somewhere