Up at 4:30am. I had not slept well for no apparent reason apart from dreaming a lot. I ate a quick breakfast and was away by 5:15am. It was misty and damp but not raining. As I climbed higher visibility improved and there was broken cloud above with patches of blue sky. I saw three goats with great big horns but when, a little further on, I saw 2 roe deer I realised they had not been goats but bucks! The mist never cleared completely and at one time there were a few spots of rain. I made excellent progress especially as large sections were flagged. I still found it hard going uphill. I felt my decision to sit out the rain at the first hut had been vindicated. Within sight of the 18mile hut I met a man, of slight build, going the other way. He had a massive load, bigger in dimensions at least than the man himself. He also had two black labradors accompanying him. Whilst we chatted the load sat clearly uncomfortably on his shoulders. He said he was doing the Pennine Way north to south with the dogs and camping but how he would manage I do not know! He informed me that Richard and Hilary (the couple I had met yesterday) had spent the night at the hut and were about an hour ahead of me so I thought I would not see them again. I paused at the hut for a drink and a Mars and read the visitor's book. Richard and Hilary had referred to me as 'the pleasant gentleman'! It had taken them 6 hours to reach the hut after they left me and only arrived at 8:30pm! It had taken me only 4 hours. I continued on and eventually the last major obstacle, The Schil, came into view. One final climb ahead. The view from the top was non existent although at the hut I had seen the sun shining in the valley below. I was still able to make good progress and was now descending down into the greenness of the valley. Such a contrast to the brown of the moorland. This section reminded me of the start of the walk in Edale and yet over 250miles away. I had reckoned on catching a bus at 14:00pm but my progress was so good that I would finish the walk at around midday. I stopped to check the bus times when I reached the road that leads into Kirk Yetholm. I found there was one at 13:00pm. I also noticed that the previous bus had left at 10:00pm which meant that Hilary and Richard would almost certainly be sitting in the pub when I arrived. As the book says the uphill stretch on the road, less than a mile from the end, is 'unwelcome'. However, I persevered and yes there was Kirk Yetholm less than ½mile away below me. When I reached the pub Richard was outside and Hilary inside by the bar where they had been for around ½hour. They were amazed that I had made such good progress. I had assumed there own progress had been slowed by the loads they were carrying, However, although their rucksacks were large, Richard's was I am sure less heavy than mine and Hilary's barely heavier than my Manu. We reminisced and chatted. We had just time for a sandwich and chips before the bus. Or so we thought. The 'sandwich' was so enormous the bus appeared before any of us had finished. We swiftly paid and I ran up to the bus to delay it until Hilary and Richard had boarded. Soon we were bound for Kelso and went our separate ways home.