My alarm woke me up just before 8 this morning. The easyhotel room didn't have any windows, so I wouldn't have know it was daylight outside! After a bit of breakfast, I got kitted up and set off through Glasgow heading south.
After a few wrong turns in Glasgow's grid style city full of one way roads, I began heading out of town. Once out of the suburbs, I joined the A74 that would run me all the way to Carlisle. The road was ghostly quiet, probably because the majority of traffic uses the M74 that runs alongside my route. The A road was very rough; the surface hadn't been redone in quite a few years. Parts of the road had separate bike paths, which were often better than the road, but for the majority the bike lane was just a faintly marked metre wide bumpy bit at the side of the road.
There weren't nearly as many hills today, which made the riding quick and fairly easy. During one of the gentle climbs, I saw a C130 Hercules doing low flying exercises through the valley, quite a sight. Unfortunately it was too quick to get a photo of.
The A74 took me down to Gretna Green, a border village known for marriages. Apparently one in every six Scottish marriages happen here! Some of the signs on the buildings boast they have performed over 10000 marriages! Its almost a little 'Vegas'.
Just on the edge of the village, I stopped for the obligatory photo with the sign. 'Welcome to England'. I had crossed Scotland, from top to bottom and east to west.
Just a few short miles left and I reached the centre of Carlisle and found my B&B for the night. As I got to my room, a short rain shower had started, I got here in perfect time! Dinner was a cheap Chinese buffet, and a quick walk round the town to help loosen the legs, before getting back to relax in the room.
Scotland done! Tomorrow, I head further south, to Preston.
Miles today: 98.8
Total miles: 384.5
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