Sunday it must be Stirling

A bit of a lie in today as I was going to catch the 11.12 train out of Lanark. Left the YH a few minutes after deadline but nice man, who obviously has had the training, smiled warmly and wished me a good day.

Nearly into Glasgow, I texted a friend to see if she wanted to meet for lunch but she replied that she was 'down south'. Whether that was the Borders or Brighton, I don't know :-)

Found my way to the bus station and as everyone started to shuffle anxiously towards the M8 to Dundee, I noticed they were all clutching tickets. Hmmmm. Strangely, in my 'I'm a Londoner' sort of way, I was third onto the bus (yes behind the customary senior citizen/cheap ticket couple) and the driver sighed and bid me sit down out of the way until everyone else has boarded. Great, I got my favourite seat at the front and I wasn't thrown off! Plenty of lovely scenery again and one touching incident:

A chap and I presume his son (late teens at a guess) went to get on the bus. Son seemed to have learning difficulties/special needs. He got on first, looked up the vehicle and said something to the effect that he'd catch the next one. Too many people perhaps. The father quietly said there isn't another it's Sunday and apologised to the driver, following son. He'd just got off a bus where the next one was in 2 hours. He showed no anger, frustration or anything. Just talked to son calmly. Some people have to deal with so much, the rest of us should remember how lucky we are.

At Stirling, I was able to check in to YH nice and early, one thing you seem completely unable to do before 5pm in England. So dumped my stuff and climbed the hill to Stirling Castle. Which was fabulous. Spent a great 2-3 hours there, yet again revealing to myself my complete ignorance of a lot of history. I love castles and this was excellent. The views were incredible too, but perhaps that's why it was put there, to spot invaders....

Back at the hostel there seemed to be an awful lot of young people about, say 10-12 yo. After they'd troughed I sneaked into the kitchen for some food and a couple of a certain age were setting up some music thing in the big part of the dining area. This is a large hostel ~130 guests. Then the youngsters trooped back in, all 40 ish of them. Early signs were 'teach folk dancing to yoof'. I left quickly.

Terrible toe hasn't been quite so bad today so, fingers crossed, I shall be plodding again in the morning.

And you'll be back at work :o)

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New Lanark

Ok, so the *plan* was to catch the bus to Biggar (I love that name) and then walk about 13 to New Lanark. Well. I left the b&b in good time and hit the shops. Topped up on some first aid items, posted a few maps back home and bought the Saturday sudoku (disguised as the Times). I was hobbling. Shoes were nice and dry though :-)

I think country buses are run for senior citizens. Hardly anyone is fool enough to pay to use them, they've all got passes except me. And no, that's NOT the birthday that's coming up soon, thank you. They're good though and run to timetables and you expect them to turn up. Fortunately, today was the first time I came across one running late and this meant I caught it.

Yes, while on the first bus my toe and head were having a discussion as to the merits of a 13 mile walk. The toe won. I arrived in Lanark before midday, sought out some food and did walk about a mile and a half to New Lanark where the YH is.

I'd not known anything about the place nor of Robert Owen. He pioneered the idea of work communities, campaigned for better working conditions, against child labour and so on. When he took on ownership of the mills at New Lanark, he also provided the first ever workplace nursery, and a school, 'decent' accommodation; created the first ever co-operative shop; provided a health care service. And so on. His views were not popular amongst employers - those things cost money. The 'village' provided all the employees would need.

All fascinating stuff and the setting on the banks of the Clyde is amazing. There's been a phenomenal restoration job done. The village is now lived in again (at a density lower than 12 people to two rooms) and there's a visitor centre, examples of what it was like, some working machinery and so on. All the usual stuff. But to me, it felt light on content. Too much fluffiness with high tech bells and whistles. Why do I need to sit in a little two person ride to go through a 'story' when I could walk through at my own pace? As a parent with two children I didn't think it was well thought through.

When I was in Oz (stop yawning at the back) I felt sometimes overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information on offer at museums etc. I think I prefer it that way. For example, today I couldn't seem to find the answer to the simple question of how the raw cotton reached the mill. I knew where it came from but not how it travelled to New Lanark, Scotland, hiding in a steep valley.

I went for a stroll upstream in the evening which had turned out beautiful. Wearing my thongs to help soothe my toes. Yet again, my hopes of exciting wildlife were dashed. The massive black slug really doesn't count. The creature surfacing occasionally and randomly on the far side of the river might have met my need if only I could tell what it was. There was a sign saying you're never more than 200 metres from a badger around these parts. Oh yes? So why was he avoiding me? I did my bit of covering the odd 200m so how about meeting me half way?

The toe that looked angry yesterday is now behaving extremely badly. So I've had to give up any thought of walking tomorrow either. So, I shall be re-acquainting myself with Glasgow (sometime city of culture) on my way to Stirling. Let's hope the YH receptionist there has been on the smiling at guests course.

This probably sounds like a whinge day but I would say the setting of New Lanark is absolutely glorious.

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Is there something I don't know about tea bags after all these years??

Animals

Animals

They are funny at times. I mentioned the sheep in the heat. Today in the rain was even more hilarious. A field of sheep all standing still, not eating just standing. All facing in the same direction, including the lambs. Was like a scene from a surreal film!

Along the road, the cows were defying all those stories of sitting down in the rain. They were getting on with eating.

I'd got excited at roadsigns showing deer. I know we have them in south west London but, hey these would be wild. The only one I saw was very dead and now I know what my feet smell like - decaying deer. Aren't you glad I mentioned that?

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Wet Wet Wet

After a little chat with the landlady about the joys of renovating a listed building (two years to get plans approved etc), I was on my way again. Nowhere near as hot as it ended yesterday but sun early on. Feet seemed good, in fact better than 24 hours earlier, and I was into a good pace.

Now I'm sensible but not paranoid about personal safety (don't suppose I'd be walking on own otherwise), so after an hour's plodding, when a 4wd type vehicle pulled in just ahead I kept an eye but continued walking towards it. It pulled out slowly and then alongside. The lady driver said "Do you want an ice lolly? You need it." And waved a Sombrero ice cream at me!!!! I spluttered "Thank you so much" and she smiled and drove off! Laughing as I unwrapped my lolly, the mind boggled as to why she had one in the car etc etc. I was smiling for hours.

I went through Lockerbie. It's odd how you know so much of the horrors the people went through but probably didn't previously have a clue as to where it was. I didn't see any signs to a memorial - I had thought I would make a detour. There was one for a Ukrainian POW thing though!

Onwards. I was learning that much of this bit of Scotland is either small or closed or both. Johnstonebridge was my lunch target, the name seemed to be in a reasonable font size... But, toe #4 on the right, the troublesome one from yesterday was whingeing. And I was getting bored with the lack of signs for J'bridge. I made for lunch at a truck stop. Good idea. If you want proper grub in good helping sizes, these are the places. And they provided a bag of ice :-) 11.46 miles done.

Troublesome toe was screaming at me. I re-dressed it and took painkillers (currently on co-codamol) but I felt like crying. About five minutes after hinting to Mike of the hurt, the drugs must have kicked in and I could walk. Even better (I thought), it was raining.

Johnstonebridge was only a mile and a half down the road and seemed to be not much more than a row of houses. Close call there.

It kept raining, place names passed and I was starting to think about where to spend the night. I know, pause at Beattock and ask about buses in a northerly direction. Nobody was in, the hotel on the map was closed and up for sale. Toe was hurting. It was still BLOODY RAINING. I followed a sign for a b&b in the hope of finding life. Nice man confessed he didn't have the new bus timetable but offered to drive me to Moffatt where there would be buses and information. Only a mile and a half he said but a wet mile and a half. I didn't refuse.
The Glasgow bus in just over an hour might do the job but I had to check in the Post Office if it stopped in my target town. (Abington for whatever reason). Just as well I did, it doesn't. Plan B? Sit and look at map. The name Biggar appeared and I'd seen it in the bus book so back I went. Nothing today, but one tomorrow at 09.55 and from there it's about 13 miles to the YH at New Lanark. Done.

So now I'm Moffatt looking for accommodation. Finally got someone 'to let me have' a twin for single occupation. I was dripping and offered to take my shoes off before entering. Accepted and then the man said he'd take them away and try to get them dry. Either that or he mistakenly thought I might do a runner! Not an en-suite room but it has a nice towelling dressing gown to wear :-)

So, my feet ache a little and my toe hurts slightly more. Hence, the short day planned for tomorrow. Goodness knows what the weather will bring.

Today's total a sometimes hurty 20.38 miles.

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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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Nearly in Scotland

Finally, I've moved on from the home comforts of Kendal. Only to find I have a stalker! A young man, reminiscent of Wurzel Gummidge after a wash, tried to chug me for the RSPCA in Kendal the other day. Today, I get to Carlisle and he's here again still chugging. Thing is he spots me, stops to chat! I told him to stop following me :-)

I caught the bus by the scenic route. Well, why not? I even went upstairs (which is a big deal for me) to make the most of the views and it was worth it. Today has been hazy and I thought we were supposed to get stormed on but the only rain has been while I was in the pub having my dinner (mushroom, sweet potato & spinach stroganoff with rice and garlic bread). It was wonderful, seeing the lakes in their glory, the fells all craggy and green and unpredictable. I'm afraid I can't tell you which ones unless I look at the map. Who cares, it was beautiful.

I saw a big bird of prey, might have been a buzzard but could have been anything. The tv says there are nesting ospreys but I don't suppose it was one of them. I was amused to see the sheep lolling about in the heat, seeking shade by a wall or under a tree. Why do some of them still have their woolly jumpers on? Even the cows looked hot and I've seen them surviving in the Outback!

Stone walls, the place is full of them. Snaking about, up ridiculous slopes, winding along, who made them, when? They are a true feat of engineering and effort. Sheep, or the land, must have been highly prized to want to build miles and miles of stone wall by hand.

I was supposed to be staying at the YH but the Tourist Info lady in Kendal didn't know the nugget that the Carlisle one did - it's in university accommodation and doesn't open until Monday. Oops. So I'm in a very plush b&b with sky tv, en suite and everything.

Tomorrow I plan to hit the road again. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

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