Double delight

Today’s flower is a Japanese anenome. Mrs Tootlepedal says I could have taken a better picture of it, so perhaps I will try again.

In the morning, I waited in to see if the bike shop would ring up and tell me good news but none come. So after lunch I went out on my borrowed bike up the A7 past the Mosspaul Hotel. It was a pleasant day with a northerly breeze so it was quite hard work pedalling up the hill and into the wind but the reward was a terrific 12 mile pedal back to Langholm downhill and with the wind behind. Mrs Tootlepedal had been out giving herself a treat by visiting a garden centre but when I got back she was just preparing to go for a cycle trip herself.  She kindly allowed me to come with her and we set off in glorious late afternoon sunshine. My new cycling glasses came into their own and I must say that, after some initial reservations about them at first, I find that they work excellently.

We set off in the opposite direction to my earlier ride so we had the wind behind us as we went up to Wauchope Schoolhouse and turned left into the hills. After we had gone 5 miles we turned left again onto a green road back towards Langholm. I was fairly sure we would have to walk and carry the bikes but it turned out very well. As you can see from the picture on the right, the terrain was challenging but nothing deters Mrs Tootlepedal and we soon got to the top of the hill and looked down into the Esk valley.

The road improved and we stopped to take in the view and look at the map and this is where the new glasses really scored because they are bi-focal which means that not only can I see where I am going but I can read the map as well.

The view down to our right across the Solway Plain was magnificent and Mrs Tootlepedal’s camera can’t really do it justice but the picture on the right should give you some idea. In the distance you can see the northern end of the Pennines, south of Brampton.

After passing through the farm at Old Irvine, we plunged down an improved road under the new Auchenrivock Diversion of the A7 and took the cycle path back onto the A7 and at Skipper’s Bridge we went along the left side of the river, along Easton’s Walk and through the park and so home. Apart from the half mile on the A7, we had had a virtually traffic free ride of 10 miles in perfect weather. We think ourselves very fortunate. My thanks go to Dropscone again for the loan of his bike which made such a great day possible.