Day 10: Monday 31st July Langholm to Edinburgh approx. 76 miles

The 'common ride' a horse festival occurs every last Friday in July in Langholm. We had arrived to find some of the locals still winding down in the local pub. It was quite an introduction to Scottish village life. The BnB had been one of the best so far, so we left reluctantly morning after a feast of scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and bacon, and rode on into the now not-the-best-so-far weather. Not far up the road and the mist turned to drizzle, then drizzle to rain. The miles still clocked up easily though, there were some long hills but not as steep as previous. The main problem was the cold and wet which we relieved after 30 miles in a church cafe. The rain was now horizontal, but still we pedalled on. Unable to find a good stop off for lunch we ended up sheltering in a doorway of a derelict pub as the sun which was struggling to come out, eventually gave in to another shower. Eventually it cleared and as we reached the outskirts of Edinburgh things brightened up. We maintained the day's good pace and were soon braving the traffic and a stupid number of traffic lights, and found a pub to house us while Hamish sorted out the accomodation. A friend of his was lending us their luxurious and centrally located flat which has been very much appreciated. In the evening Hamish's dad treated us and his granddad and wife who also joined us, to a seafood meal and we sampled some of the capital's night life. We intend a late start tomorrow as we dart north into the Scottish wilderness, expecting bleak roads and fewer services (pubs). I'm looking forward to it, we are all hoping the rest of the ride will go smoothly. I must mention that Hamish had a minor incident, hitting the verge he propelled himself onto the bank and managed to damage his wheel slightly. He related the event to us in greater detail last night as we put our thoughts about the trip so far down on video. I am glad to see my sponsorship total is rapidly approaching the target almost at a pound a mile so far, I very much hope it continues, and thanks for all the contributions. I am due to go and forage for food shortly so that's all for now.

Route planning


Making the DVD