Bellingham had a butcher and a baker, as well as a few other small shops, which, together with the pubs, made it an attractive, traditional village. As the baker opened early I stopped there for coffee and croissants for breakfast and a pork pie for lunch. The pork pie looked hand made with slightly irregular pastry. Its appearance was so tasteful that I felt squashing it into my rucksack would damage its artisan beauty. So I ate it.
While I then drank my coffee a coach arrived for the school kids collecting outside the Co-op. Time to move. Moorland was the theme of the first half of my hike, draped over rounded hills. New green shoots of heather were pushing up from last year's brown remains giving the moor a green and brown mottled appearance. Although generally dry, the sky was overcast and sombre, a few skylarks tried to add some cheer. No sign of the Lapwings and Curlews today. Unusually I found myself keeping pace with another Pennine Way walker, a brave person struggling with a painful knee.
Commercial forests occupied the second half of today's hike. At least the forest roads gave some fast walking. In consequence I arrived at the Forest View Inn before the check in time. Fortunately the new owners were very considerate and allowed me into the conservatory where I was soon joined by another Pennine Way walker. Two more walking couples joined us for dinner in the evening, one of which was using the same guidebook as myself to walk from Land's End to John o'Groats. The other were the "gazelles", who I had heard about from other hikers on the Pennine Way, so named due to their speed. Conversation over dinner was of walks and trail running.
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