Monday 23 May 2011

Day 10 - Gretna to Crawford

The best laid plans....

Google Maps Link

So this evening we were meant to be staying in Ayr. However, the weather has been against us somewhat, so instead of following our planned route we are now in a small town called Crawford.

The day started early - breakfast at 6am, leaving before 7am. The weather was horrendous! Heavy rain, and already strong winds. Not at all pleasant. Still, we ploughed on, with a planned 85 miles to cover.

However, after most of us had the unpleasant experience of being blown into the middle of the road, it became clear that it was simply too dangerous to continue. So after 25 miles covered, we hunkered down in a Little Chef to come up with a cunning plan!



I must admit that the option of taking a train to Ayr was discussed. But we soon dismissed that thought, and instead found some alternative accommodation a more manageable 35 miles away (as opposed to 60 miles away!)

3.5 hrs (and a Little Chef breakfast, lunch and lots of tea) later, we headed off again to brave the elements. It had finally stopped raining, so we only had the wind to deal with.

As it happened, the route we ended up taking was between two large hills, so we were somewhat sheltered from the worst of the wind. For short stints, we even had it behind us - which was an awesome boost for tired legs! We got to our alternative lodgings at a relatively early 3pm - phew!

We still have some strong winds (and more rain!) forecast for tomorrow, but hopefully we're through the worst of it. And having just seen on BBC News that the winds of up to 100mph here have sadly claimed someones life today, I feel very relieved that we're all heading to bed in one piece this evening.

Location:Carlisle Rd,,United Kingdom

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