What sort of twonk would pitch their tent on an ants nest?....

.....well me actually. I'm covered from head to toe in bites! I'll come back to that though.

What a fantastic time we had courtesy of the Sandysike campsite and camping barn - an absolute must for any Wall through-hiker. Their hospitality was second to none and the full English this morning was simply heavenly. We shared our two dining experiences with six lads from the Met who were hiking the wall in the opposite direction - to be honest I think Richard scared them. Regardless, Andrew got a tenner off one of them this morning for Zoe's Place, so that's more towards the total.

We set off into a drizzly morning and thought perhaps it was set for the day. Fortunately we were wrong-it only lasted half an hour and then we were back to our customary sweltering sunshine. We spotted the BBC forecast later in the day though and apparently it's going to pour down tomorrow. Can't grumble though-we've been blessed with the most wonderful weather for a walk in northern England.

Today's route took us through lowland farms-predominantly grazing land for cattle and sheep before eventually joining the river which meandered its way into and through the city of Carlisle. Our assorted injuries made us look as comical as ever as we limped our way along the trail. Once again we came across a few 'honesty' refreshment stops-ranging from a box balanced on a tree stump containing drinks, sweets and chocolate, to full ornate summer houses complete with fitted kitchens and huge glass fronted fridges containing a massive range of confectionery for the hungry hiker. I think they they are a wonderful contribution to the trail by trustworthy trail supporters and long may they continue.

Aside from the couple of stops we had at these honesty stops, we also had a refreshment stop at the Sands leisure centre at Carlisle, where we would have stopped in any event to get our passports stamped. As ashamed as I am to say this, my eyes were immediately drawn away from the healthy menu full of salad this and cous cous that-and I saw the words 'Chips and curry sauce' on the specials board-I couldn't resist. That, followed by home made carrot cake and a pot of tea and off I waddled, a contented, limping hiker back on the trail. The fact that my fellow hikers called me names like 'fatboy' and 'porker' didn't worry me in the slightest. I couldn't give the tiniest s**t-I was happy.

So, we eventually reached West View campsite just outside Carlisle at about 4.30pm and proceeded to jockey for position for the one shower. It's still really muggy, but the storm clouds are gathering. Ah well.

So back to the ants. I actually said to the lads that knowing my luck I'd probably pitch my tent on an ants nest. Would you believe it?! I bloody did. I must have 60 bites without exaggeration.

So here we are in the Museum pub in Carlisle, great food and beer and it's Tim's birthday-happy birthday-you don't look a day over 50!!

Enjoy the photos.

Russ