Grahams’ Travels Day Three

Top Image – Graham with host Caroline

Well, again, an eventful day. But events that have delivered a slightly different outcome.

Yes, after a lovely overnight stay in Wetherby with friends Caroline and Mike where I was pampered to the hilt and, the following morning, with my beautifully packed lunch, transported back to Wetherby Service station; where the next leg of my jaunt began.

a driver delivering pig semen!

It started off well. With an experienced, and now refreshed thumb, it managed to attract a lift within 15 minutes: Aiden in his van. Aiden was a charming young man.  (a joiner, enjoys his job, proud father of two girls aged 2 and 10 months and who’d just bought his own house). He was off up north to do some ‘joining’. He drove me a grateful 75 miles to Washington service station on the A1M.
Unfortunately, this proved to be the first glitch on my journey.

Washington service station is small. It has a Greggs, a Costa and about 50 parking spaces. Consequently, stood on the exit road back on to the A1M, a car would pass me about every two minutes, none of whom felt the urge to stop. After two hours, I was concerned; worried. I just needed to get off this damn motorway and on to the A1 a few miles away. I obviously couldn’t walk on the motorway. I obviously couldn’t access the tantalising TravelLodge that was situated opposite me on the southbound lane. I was feeling decidedly down. But then, when all hope was lost, along came Aaron: An absolute star!

Arron, due to the load in his van, had to make major adjustments to fit me and my baggage in. Aaron was accommodating;  a sublime host/lift. In my eyes (sorry Aaron) slightly manic. But nicely manic. During our journey it never got personal. We just talked about work and how he could arrange  a lift to Scotland for me. Arron’s job was a delivery driver; a driver delivering pig semen! Yes, apparently, whilst a ram will shag every sheep in sight, a pig, after shagging another pig will be loyal and refuse to make love to another. So, semen from these pigs are ‘extracted‘ and sold on to farms for ‘sowing‘.
Anyway Aaron was a great lift: a lift that went 30 miles out of his way to deliver me closer to the most useless spot for hitchhiking I’ve ever encountered; a spot on the A1 near Lindisfarne and the Holy Isle: A stetch on the A1 that is single carriageway with no footpath, no hope of a lift and with articulated lorries screeching past at 60 miles an hour.
After 3 hours of precarious walking, I finally reached Berwick on Tweed. I was overwhelmed at finally making it there. More overwhelmed at the sheer beauty of the town.

So, today, made it another 150 miles, 350 miles to go to John o’Groats.

As I write, I am bedded down in a B & B in Berwick, eager for tomorrow; A  tomorrow where I shall be up at the crack of dawn to walk a couple of miles back to the A1 roundabout on the outskirts of  Berwick to hopefully, find a decent hitchhiking spot that enables my travelling  and the experiences the day might bring.

I suspect it might be, once again, eventful!

Read about Day One Here: https://www.totnespulse.co.uk/thats-it-im-off-graham-walker-starts-his-trip-day-one/
& Day Two Here: https://www.totnespulse.co.uk/well-what-a-dream-start/

Don’t forget this is a fundraiser! You can donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/graham-walker-998

DAY ONE: https://www.totnespulse.co.uk/thats-it-im-off-graham-walker-starts-his-trip-day-one/

DAY TWO: https://www.totnespulse.co.uk/well-what-a-dream-start/

DAY FOUR: https://www.totnespulse.co.uk/graham-to-john-ogroats-day-four/