Back in the swing

Well, after we got home from the Golden Wedding tour , I was really tired. I still had time not working because we had planned 6 weeks off. DH tends not to like being away for too long, hence our carrying on day after day.

However, by the 19th June , I was recovered enough to go out cycling once again. It was one of our usual routes up to Hurworth Burn and then back via Hartlepool on a beautiful sunny day.

Then a couple of days later , we had a lovely trip out to Eppleby for a scone and hot chocolate. Then there were a few other other shorter rides. It was lovely to these swans with cygnets .

fluffy cygnets

Last Sunday, we looked at the weather and saw it was much better further north. A quick phone call to a little campsite about 10 miles saw us then quickly getting our gear together to load up the car early Monday morning.

bikes on a tow ball carrier

We got up to Oakbank farm and got set up and then went for a little pootle of a ride. This took us past this church in Closeburn.

remains of who knows what in church grounds

parish church

not a gargoyle but a scary bird

Then up through Thornhill and back across a gravel path on the golf course that took us into Cample before rejoining the same road back.

Tuesday was beautiful and we set out again to Thornhill to pick up minor roads on the other side of the A76. This took us through to Penpont. Penpont has a free tool point for minor bike adjustments. We didn’t need it . There was a road closed sign but it wasnt so we got through. The hills looked delightful.

River Nith in the background

Then we turned along towards Dunscore and picked up a larger B road into Dumfries. We were lucky in that there was a convoy system through some road works and this allowed us to get onto the A76 and ride into the town without any traffic until we were into town.

We had taken lunch with us , so sat in the sunshine outside a place called the Bridge that had a lot of picnic benches as well as being just across from a shopping centre.

Then we got onto NCN7 and then it took us off to route 10.

sculpture of Macmillan who invented the safety cycle.

The road was a fairly steady climb on virtually empty roads and tracks to Ae forest.

Belted Galloway cattle

It was good to see these cows on ‘home ground’ of Dumfries and Galloway.

near Ae

On the way from the village of Ae , we came across these cyclists. One on a handcycle that he uses offroad as well.

nothing stops this chap on his hand cycle with electric assistance

Then very soon we were flying down the road past Loch Ettrick with plenty of swimmers and paddle boarders.

stunning sunset

We went home on Wednesday in the light drizzle.

On Friday I got a real surprise when DH suggested going out to Pateley Bridge to go up to Coldstone Cut. Its near the top of Greenhow Hill and is Yorkshires Machu Picchu. Well actually, its an art installation that we have ridden past a lot of times , without climbing up. The views were stunning.

quarry behind the installation.

So , these rides have added up to 211 miles plus the 1132 miles of our trip. So that is a total of 3130 miles in total for this year.