Halfway

Day 8 St Johns Town of Dalry to Wetheral

75 miles today, total miles 545, moving average 11.6 mph, overall average 9.4 mph, total time 8 hrs, total climbed 2,833 ft

A really good day today, with pretty flat roads on which I could pick up a bit of speed.

Set off at 7:30am and started climbing almost straightaway (why is it always after breakfast!). But that turned out to be the biggest hill of the day.

By 10:30 I was on Dumfries. Lovely historic Scottish town set on a river. Callled  in at a local bike shop for some oil and disc brake cleaner. Had a chat with the blokes there who told me a few stories about cyclists doing this trip who had limped into their shop with all sorts of mechanical problems and broken bikes. Just what I wanted to hear!

Then onto Gretna Green, a popular tourist attraction. Scottish piper playing and saw a couple who had just got married.

Stopped in Annan (I had never heard of this place before) for lunch, which turned to be a busy Market town. 

Then down towards Carlisle and arrived at my hotel by 3:30pm. Big hotel and another wedding function going on! Must be something in the water?

Cycled through green countryside all day with the sea never far from sight. Farmers everywhere busy collecting the bales of cut hay. Weather was good all day - cloud, sunny intervals, light wind and no rain.

So I am now halfway (is that all?) with 8 more days cycling and about 550 miles to go. I'm going to change the route a bit for day 10 to stay on the main roads a bit more and avoid some the hills.

67 miles tomorrow heading down towards Penrith and the Pennines. Rain forecast so time to get the waterproofs out again.

Gavin