I woke at about 5:40am, looked out and saw the ground covered in a thick layer of frost. Not only that but there was also ice on the inside of the tent where the condensation had frozen. The emergency blanket placed under the groundsheet had certainly prevented the penetration of moisture. It was much drier than usual. When I left my bowl outside with a few drops of water in it, within 15minutes it had turned to ice! Rolling the tent up was quite difficult and it would drip for the rest of the day. I was away at 7:15am and within 15minutes back onto the Pennine Way. It was sunny but humid and cool but I sweated profusely. I struggled on the few uphill sections but found the grip of my new boots to be excellent on the muddy slopes. I unintentionally herded a flock of sheep over a bridge and along a river bank until they 'escaped' back to their field by walking through the river. I saw a yellow wagtail and then three 'strange' birds that flew up and off to one side. Then I realised they were probably plover fledglings that had just learnt to fly as two adults screeched and dived overhead. By 10:00am I was entering Bellingham. The Co-op was open but very small and had no Pasta 'n Sauce or alkaline batteries or decent elastoplast. The hardware store was, as I suspected, closed on Sundays. I sat on a bench having a drink of orange and sorting my supplies when a man walking by spoke. It turned out he was walking from Lands End to John 'O Groats and today was his third rest day. He was taking about 3 months to complete and was gaining sponsorship to rebuild the church tower in his village somewhere near Bath. I continued at around 11:00am. I stopped briefly by a signpost on a hill to phone Gemma and David. I was enjoying the walking. The clouds were gradually welling up. As I crossed a particular boggy piece of ground I noticed movement in the grass. It was three plover chicks trying to scurry away. One hid under some grass so I carefully moved it aside and took a photo although it was barely distinguishable due to its colouring. I fear they may have been abandoned, as there were no adults screeching overhead. At around 1:00pm I stopped for lunch. I tried to locate a sheltered spot such as a grouse butt shown on the map but to no avail. Briefly the sun shone but within minutes I felt a few spots of rain. It didn't materialise but I was forced to put on rain jacket and gloves to keep warm. Within ½hour I was on the move again. I met an elderly couple walking from Byrness to Bellingham and she told excitedly how she had seen two plovers. I had difficulty empathising until later I realised there weren't that many plovers in this area. I told of the chicks I had seen. At 3:30pm, whilst ascending a particularly steep and boggy (yes really) bit of ground, I paused for a rest. I was now alongside the forest and had expected good tracks but was to be disappointed for some time to come. At 4:00pm a light drizzle started and it looked misty in the distance. Not enough for rain clothes though. I was at last on forest roads and made good speed down to the picnic site at the start of the forest. A path now led the last couple of miles along the river. The rain became more ominous and I put on my rain jacket and covered my rucksack. I passed the caravan site about 1 mile short of Byrness and was tempted but that would mean an extra mile tomorrow and no hot meal. I carried on and the rain became heavier. By the time I reached Byrness Inn I was feeling damp right through. The 'Inn' is at present not a pub but they do B&B and you can camp. They had a room available so I took this option to enable me to dry out for the final two days ahead. The landlady kindly offered me a meal as the cafe by the filling station closes at 6pm. Tuna and cheese bake with cherry pie and ice cream for dessert. Delicious! The woman had taken the business over from her parents who still live there in the 'granny' annex. She came from Hitchin but wouldn't want to move back - too busy and too much noise there. I washed all my clothes and hung them to dry on the piping hot radiator. I laid everything else out to dry as well. It had been a long but mostly enjoyable day. Even the plod through the forestry hadn't been too bad. My legs and feet were holding up - just! The forecast for tomorrow is not good but now I am dry and refreshed I think I will chance the next stage as Tuesday doesn't look much better. My only concern is that two lads camping here may also be headed for the 18mile hut but then there should be room for three! I'm not confident of how the tent will cope with real rain. I caught the sun today despite there not having been any! By 10:00pm I was in bed and slept immediately.