This has been our longest day and we complete 61.8 miles. The rain has eased somewhat and we have pleasureable ride up the Eden Valley through Penrith, Carlisle and on towards the Scottish border. Fields of neatly planted corn form a frame for our view of the hills beyond.
We are flanked on either side by the Cumbrian Hills and, in the distance, the Lake District. In Penrith we find a bike shop to look at a squeak that has developed on Humprey's bike. I buy some spare brake pads and we have lunch in a pub. Simon spies a book in their library on travels to a Tibetan Kingdom. Amazingly it is inscribed as being owned by one Norman & Christel Marsh, friends of their parents from the 1930's. Humphrey donates £2 to keep the book. He appears to have an amazing capacity in his panniers!
We stop for some food in Carlisle and Humprhey shows us around the Cathedral and Castle and I book a B&B on my iphone in Annan, just west of Gretna, so we have an end in sight to a long day. We continue up to Longtown and the weather threatens again. Turning west towards Gretna we are met with a fierce north westerly that is now head on. The last 10 miles we could barely manage 7mph and we arrive in Annan at 7pm exhausted. But, we have crossed the border into Scotland, and have now covered over 600 miles.
We eat at the Del Amitri restaurant - about the only place open at 9pm. The best meal so far with a very eclectic menu. Our hostess gives us each a "Fallachan" - a liqueur made from goats cheese originally introduced by the vikings and now resurrected by a local Lanarkshire farmer from Walston. His cheeses were excellent. We cap off a great day's ride with a malt in the The Blue Bell pub dated 1770.
Footnote: I am updating this from Ardrishaig just south of Oban on Loch Gilp. It is Sunday 22nd and we have now completed 730 miles coming across to the Isle of Arran on Friday night. We have holed up in the Grey Gull Inn to escape a storm. This morning has cleared (somewhat) ...we will press on to Oban and then decide whether we take an alternative route via the Isle of Skye or the more busy one up via Loch Ness to Inverness. Do not know when we might get internet coverage...this may be the last post for awhile. This is a big country.
Lets hope there is a sliver lining to all the clouds.......!
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