Day 17, to Abington

There was a huge cooked breakfast waiting for us in Amanda’s Kitchen (at Broadlea of Rob Gill bed and breakfast, where I stayed last night.) It was an amazing spread, including the usual bacon and eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes etc., but haggis and black pudding were also on offer for the more adventurous diner. There was no square sausage.

After breakfast I reluctantly left the warm kitchen, climbed on the bike and pedalled into a day forecast for intermittent heavy rain and strong winds. The first part of the day was sunny and the wind pushed us from behind. We stopped off at a truckers cafe, which serviced the nearby motorway, and then continued down a scenic cycle lane (you can see Paul riding ahead in the photo). The day seemed pretty well perfect.

Later we stopped for lunch near a footpath which went under the motorway – it was slightly less than picturesque and might not count as everyones ideal picnic location.

Now the weather steadily deteriorated until the wind was strong and head on. What a slog, especially as the road surface was extremely rough and smooth stretches of tarmac were few and far between. It really was a welcome relief to arrive at the Days Inn in Abington.

Other than the B&B this morning, the truckers cafe and our accommodation for the night, today was a day when I met nobody.

Everything is shut today, so we’ll open a few cans of tuna and tomatoes and eat them with mayonnaise for our supper tonight.

Stats

43.9 miles (583.21 miles total), 1,725ft ascent, 1,200ft descent