Una continued to look after us well at 16 Charles Street, although porridge was not on the menu again! Why does a country that is thinking of independence not better promote one of their great national dishes! So no Porridge report nor Nature Watch today, looks like it could be a short update!
We left Largs before 9am which was good and for the first 35 miles we made great time. It was dry, relatively flat and not that windy. Also we stayed longer on the A78 than planned. It was a dual carriageway, which was interesting at intersections, but luckily there were only a few cars and a slow moving haggis on the road and so we could keep up a good speed! At rush hour it would have been a different proposition.
We did so well we decided to stop for lunch later than planned and so had another 20 miles to go before then. Sadly as we turned south west the roads got hilly but worse than that the surface was awful. This slowed us down and made it hard work. Add in the rain that arrived and any fun factor disappeared, it was all about getting those 20 miles done. Just before we arrived at the cafe it absolutely poured down, i guess that was so we continued to have that lovely feeling of having lunch in wet clothes!
After that a couple of things improved. The road surface and the the road itself. We had to navigate a long winding climb but once at the top we could see the road sweeping down again for miles through a series of twists and turns. So instead of taking pictures from the top we couldn't stop ourselves from heading off down at full speed! Very exhilarating and after something like that you forget about the climb up the hill!
Soon we arrived at the pub where we were saying, a 4 pm finish which was very welcome. The pub looked absolutely perfect but as is often the way it failed to live up to those expectations!
Now for the facts:
Stats of the day - 82 miles covered at an average speed of 14.7 mph, our fastest yet. Feet climbed was 3,300.
Ale and Arse report - despite the shortcomings of the pub two ales have been tried tonight, Belhaven Best and that fine Scottish beer Greene King, brewed in Bury St Edmunds!! Sadly the Greene King wins! As for the other matter that slightly bruised peach is now approaching it's sell by date and so double cycling shorts are going to be worn tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if this helps!
Forecast for tomorrow - it's a big day tomorrow in a number of ways. We leave Scotland which is a big milestone. We have had a great time in Scotland, the land of my father of course, and the people have generally been wonderful whilst the scenery has been fantastic. There have been a few times though when I wished Alex Salmond had the courage of his convictions and had declared independence. If that was the case we would be well on the way to finishing the Across England ride!! We will also pass the half way mark tomorrow! But it's our longest day with over 100 miles to be covered, many down through the Lake District. So it's going to be tough and the weather could well be damp to wet! However we are meeting a friend of mine Roota, or Chris as his wife Mandy calls him, at his house in Carlisle. Mandy's baps are famous in Cumbria and so hopefully we will be able to sample them before we leave for the remaining 60 miles! Roota and a couple of his friends are joining us for this part of the ride which will make it more fun, especially if there is a headwind as they can ride up front and give us shelter! So a big day to look forward to!
No pictures today as none were taken!
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