DAY 24 Contd - Anne & Rob's - Gorebridge nr Edinburgh
Tuesday 27th May
Quickly leaving Pete's after our bike ride with a difference, the late journey to the south of Edinburgh, Gorebridge, was 3 hours, but the majority of it was a journey to remember....via Taynult, Dalmally, Loch Awe, Crianlarich, Loch Earn and eventually passed Stirling. Through dramatic mountain scenery, glens, lochs - they'd been heavy rain...but sun fighting through, with rainbows...the scenery was terrific, very moody!
After Stirling not so brilliant, as I hit the motorway system, with a couple of road closures so detours around Grangemouth, with sightings of the Edinburgh landmarks to the east...but only 25 mins lost, as I arrived at my cousin Anne's place in Gorebridge.
Neither of us could remember the last time we met, possibly my Dad's funeral in 2000, but we were not sure...but so lovely to meet and hug!
After some welcome soup and various cheeses washed with a lovely white wine, we chatted until nearly 1am about all sorts, but obviously a lot of family reminisces which some I recall and others I didn't! Anne's husband Rob too I met for the first time, where it materialised we had a surprising amount in common around (contemporary) music through the years, Rob has been a pro guitarist for over 40 years but also set up in the lounge were a set of synthesisers, as well as a variety of guitars hung up and placed around the music room. I hasten to add, I can talk about it, but not play a thing...possibly except the kazoo!
DAY 25 Gorebridge
Wednesday 28th May
The conversations continued at breakfast, after which Rob gave a demo on the synthesisers on some music he had composed....we then set off to the relatively new Community Center, where Rob and Anne were heavily involved as volunteers...after some brunch, I was shown a tour of the community garden which Rob has mainly completed.
We had a walk around the Gore Valley, learning how this area was the heartbeat of the Scottish coal mining industry, with much of the recreational areas reclaimed brown land....the Scottish coal mining museum was local too, which probably would've been an interesting visit if there had been more time.
In the evening Rob and Anne treated me to a nice meal at the Paper Mill restaurant not far from Gorebridge in Lasswade.
Anne dug out some family photos on our return going back to before 1920 and the wedding of our Grannie and Grandfather, and some of my Dad when he was a baby....also a lovely one of my Mum from the 1940s - Anne recalled how attractive and funny she was...with "lovely hair" - well, that didn't get passed on to me, the hair bit that is, the rest was, obviously 😅
Anne had to be teaching (singing) in Edinburgh very early the following morning, so we hugged before crashing, with more promises (after Pete) not to leave our next reunion not quite as long!
DAY 26 Innerleithen & Lake District
Thursday 29th May
Breakfasting with Rob, my van was ready again for the next step on my adventure...but I had no real plan. I thought of the Northumberland coast, I also picked out the highest hill in the Southern Uplands (but the photos didn't attract, why I wrote hill and not mountain...it's the character not height that I judge that definition)....but decided upon the Lake District but first a minor detour via Innerleithen, where I had mountain biked in ice and snow many years ago!
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A quick check on Kommot and there was a 65km cross country circular gravel ride that included Peebles, so off I went...initially into a westerly strong wind on a quiet tarmac lane, but soon I was on the gravel, small rock, forest fire roads and ascending high over the moorland trails....the wind got so strong, I had to get off and hold my bike down on the very tops....and survived just! This was anything more challenging than I had done in a while...the bike had only been used sparingly on the whole trip, and nothing challenging like this at all....4 hours ride time excluding a pitstop in the very quaint Peebles high street for a welcome Greggs!
I returned with those endorphins swimming around and packed up, with appropriate music banging out as I chose the slightly longer "historic route" to Carlisle through Selkirk (very impressive), Hawick (stopped to load up at Aldi, £37 for a huge bag, such a contrast to the small grocers across the islands), Langholm and eventually the M6 at Carlisle.
Plotting to arrive at Pooley Bridge at the head of Ullswater, for some reason I considered this a quieter part of the Lakes...duh! Well, it's the closest part to the Lakes from the M6....the village was very busy, and about 4 campsites I saw were all rammed with FULL signs, although I was looking for an offgrid spot....
I'd considered a recommended horseshoe hike on the High Street range called Fusedale...but to start the hike was from the small single track road on the east side of Ullswater...I tried to spot an offgrid opportunity but there was nothing obvious except a boat launch space, with NO PARKING signs repeated.
It was late, so I thought no one is going to roll up now, and I'm not leaving the van....I decided though to just pull over a little to make more space if someone wanted to use as a turnaround....doh! I moved towards some grasses, but caught a hidden rock in the undergrowth and took a piece off my blingy plastic bumper...annoyed but could've been much worse....£28 Chinese replacement I later researched!
Anyway, I decided to head over towards Haweswater....and found a spot on the lane driving over....just a few miles from my hike start point up Nan Bield Pass (where Dad and I went the wrong way in thick cloud many years ago), High Street and Kidsty Pike....looking forward, and the forecast for the Lakes was bizarrely the best in the UK !
DAY 27 Lake District
Friday 30th May
I had an awful night! My right lower back was really tender, it was difficult to know how to lie...at 3.30am I took some cocodamel...I managed some sleep. Once up and about it felt easier, I assumed it was only temporary and set off the few miles to the head of Haweswater to grab a spot in the small carpark, the start point for my hike. Driving there I had no doubts about not hiking, however, once I got out of the van and had a walk around, more than a hesitation definitely emerged. Finally deciding it would be a silly risk to attempt the walk, certainly with the amount of climbing not to mention the terrain.
Briefly I considered a chill day and restart tomorrow, but soon I dismissed that and decided to call it a day.
Just one day short of 4 weeks since I started this journey, to complete two favourite hikes in the Lake District would've been a fine finale, but I certainly cannot complain, the experiences have been beyond anything I could've wished for, backed up and aided of course by the amazing weather.
A tremendous 4 weeks, a huge tick on places I've always wanted to visit, in astonishing weather. But also the reigniting of my love for the mountains and hiking, and with the knowledge that I only scratched the surface...it was in affect an intro only, with so much more now to return to and to discover...cannot wait!
Footnote:
[I set off south and after an hour or so I pulled over at a services, after less than walking 30m, I got the most excruciating stabbing through my lower back, I couldn't place any weight on my right side, and needed to get into the van...I called a guy over who had just got out of his car to help me back to the van....Imagine if that had been over 2000ft up!
I then visited a friend Sally in Sale, which was embarrassing, as it continued and I could hardly get into her house!
24 hours later, and there's a big improvement, using ChatGPT it seems to be as a consequence of the stenuous effort on the gravel bike ride, which I'd done nothing like for a very long time, combined with the seating position on the 2 hour drive 🤷♂️]
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