Hot hot hot

I've managed to pick the two hottest days of the year to walk this week. Not the best idea.

Despite reports that it was going to be 29C in Carlisle, it was pretty hazy and not bad to start this morning. I left the b&b a little before 9am. Having ended up there by chance, it was really very good. Lovely room, all newly refurbished, swish en suite shower room and breakfast was excellent. I don't do cooked food in the morning but there was still cereal, grapefruit segments and yoghurt to go at. Along with toast (no marmite though) I was offered croissants too! If you're going to Carlisle I can let you have the details.

Where was I? Ah yes, best foot forward and all that, I was listening to every twinge and tweak from the feet region. As a result I had two stops early on to faff with my shoes, the cushions and goodness knows what else. I can now almost walk properly, right foot has given in to my demands to behave while left is still resisting too much heel strike. While it wasn't too hot I kept going. Trouble is, when I started seeking a lunch stop I was in this place called Longtown which I didn't like the look of. Finding it had an MOD place attached did help to explain.

So I headed on to Gretna and ate there. So it was that I ended up doing 12.76 before lunch. Feet were hot but otherwise seemed ok. I ordered my customary food, pint of lime and soda and lots of ice (in plastic bags not the soda). One toe was threatening to blister so I wrapped it but otherwise just concentrated on cooling my feet and shoes.

I had hoped to get past Kirkpatrick Fleming, my original destination for today, and that was no problem. Plodding on, I missed the first turning for Kirtlebridge where I was going to take a tea break and review my desire to reach Ecclefechan (birthplace of Thomas Carlyle - you knew that didn't you). I made it to Kirtlebridge (yellow roads, orange roads they all look the same to me) to then confirm today's discovery that, although the Scots have a reputation of liking a drink, some of their pubs don't open until the early evening!! Got some tap water from a local and sat in the shade outside the pub. Good news was that she said Ecclefechan was only 2.5-3 miles away. For some reason, I had it in my head that it was 6, so yippee!

I staggered into the Hotel Ecclefechan and enquired after their rooms, food and beer. I was in a lovely, cool, newly refurbished room within minutes. Simple modern look with an exposed brick wall. And in the bar not long after. The place looks a tip on the outside but there's work ongoing and the results so far are good. Dinner was macaroni cheese and chips washed down with a pint. I was invited to 'mix in with that lot, they don't bite'! A very convivial time :-)

I did a total of 22.22. There's a new toe blister but generally I'm encouraged. Fingers crossed for tomorrow (especially that I find somewhere to stay).

Oh, the B7076 is a really quiet road with a sadly disproportionately high amount of litter. Nul points, Ecosse.

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