Woke up this morning nice and snug, fully clothed in my sleeping bag. I was in a tent with 7 other people. This 6 man tent was housing 8 bodies. Where was the 9th?! I was the first to get ready this morning and when I went outside, en route to the shower block, I found the 9th body. Guy was fast asleep outside next to his car. His car had been fixed by the RAC and he returned to camp at 1 a.m (the problem was that a fuse had come loose). Breakfast this morning was not the usual quality - today I had muesli with dodgey milk in a throw-away bowl and plastic spoon.
After we were fed and watered we set off as a group and stopped after just 3 miles. Woo hoo, we were now in Scotland! We took lots of photo's at the welcome to Scotland sign. I was wearing my Irn Bru cycling jersey and Scottish socks today in honour of a lovely Scottish girl - Kirsty MacDonald. I hope she reads this blog. :)
On route to the first stop we passed a gate that had 2 bicycles perched on top, I thought this was pretty neat and the voices in my head interpreted it as a good omen. Again, like everyday thus far, the weather has been awesome and the scenery great. So many great (and sometimes bizarre) things to see.The next stop was equally as awesome. We stopped near a river (and indeed I stopped in the same place during LEJOG 2009). However, this time, I along with the others took a dip in the river. The river was cold, but this was great fun and helped relieve our tired legs. After our dip we ate and set off again.
Scottish roads on the whole, thus far, are horrid. The road surface are uneven and feel like cobble stones. I shook, rattled and rolled for the most part of the day. Some sections had been recently resurfaced and these short sections were speedy and way more comfortable. As well as menace roads, Scotland appears to have a high percentage of menace drivers too! Drivers would toot horns at us for no apparent reason, and 1 driver it would seem had a touch of road rage. I cut this driver up and took photo's of him - he took photo's of Chris and his gesticulations. At some point on these Scottish roads we passed a sign post for Ae, which is the shortest place name in Britain.The last official stop was a welcome break, not a lodging place, just a welcome break. I found a pair of dodgy sun glasses here. I thought they had comedy value, but I think I was alone on this. I sold said glasses to Chris for a £1.
The last push to our destination was hard going. We were all whacked and feeling various aches, pains and sores. Speaking for myself, I had a sore bum, painfull knee and sun burn to the rear of my legs. To make things worse, this section was hilly, or undulating and lumpy if you prefer. Anways, after 1 wrong turn, re-trace and final push we made it to our destination. Our destination was the home of the Dawson-Bowmans. This Dawson-Bowman domicile is huge. Absolutely massive! Marvellous! The conservatory has housed all our bikes and we were treated to an amazing meal with splendid dessert. This house is even equipped with a suit of armour. I plan to write off now and go to bed soon. Have 3 days of cycling left and the next 2 nights will be spent in youth hostels. Oh, Mike leaves us today after his hard slog of supporting us the last few days and helpful Hannah has returned to resume her previous position. Goodnight!
Cycled a distance of 99.92 miles, at an average speed of 13.5 mph and a max speed of 36.9 mph.
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