E2: The western variant from Middleton-in-Teesdale

The E2 splits into two alternative routes separating at Middleton-in-Teesdale in England and reconnecting near Antwerp in Belgium. In my walk from Galway to Nice on the E2 I followed the eastern option. To be able to talk authoritatively on the E2 I decided to walk at least a little of the western route.

So today, after trains, buses and the London Underground I have arrived at Middleton-in-Teesdale. Tomorrow I will start down the Pennine Way, part of the Western E2. February is not ideal for walking the moors of the Pennines, weather can be cold, wet, snowy, muddy and generally unpleasant. However having returned from my last walk in October I was feeling a need for exercise, and maybe considered the wintry weather, a little challenge. Certainly as I waited for the bus at Barnard Castle, the grey, darkening skies, the wet, wind cold, penetrating my clothing, it did not promise an pleasant walk. However, the warmth of the Teesdale Hotel, and my pie and pint in the bar beside the wood burning stove suggested I was likely to enjoy the evenings, if not the days.