Day 13: May 30

Talkin / Hallbankgate to Cardrona

122 km / 1800 m

One of the most rewarding day's cycling of the trip, over hills, through valleys and forests giving stunning ascents and the bliss of some awesome downhills, before we arrive at our resting place in Cardrona for the night and the following day.

Well, the peacock was well behaved last night and I didn't hear a peep out of him until almost 7.  We were staying at two different hotels in two different towns last night so we were a little bit late getting on the road.  The good news was that it looked like a pretty dry forecast; the bad news was that we would have wind in our faces the whole day.  Winds starting from the NW and switching to the N just about the same time we changed direction.  The forecast called for winds from 20 km/hr gusting to 40 km/hr.  Honestly - when we got up into open terrain in the afternoon I would hazard a guess that they were even higher than that.  So - what on paper was a long ride with a lot of climbing turned into an even more challenging ride with the wind.  Oh well - we all made it in, and we'll all sleep well tonight (we hope).  

Talkin is a very tiny village, but very pretty.  Also - we caught a brief glimpse of Talkin Tarn on the way out of town.

Our first stop was at about 7 miles - a preserved section of Hadrian's Wall.  But first - a few pics along the way.

Hadrian's Wall (also known as the Roman Wall) is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian.  It was a stone wall with large ditches in front and behind, stretching across the whole width of the island.  Soldiers were garrisoned along the line of the wall in large forts, smaller milecastles, and intervening turrets (every 1/3 of a mile).  Its length was 117 km.  It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Almost all the standing masonry of the wall was removed in early modern times and used for local roads and farmhouses.  None of it stands to its original height, but modern work has exposed much of the footings.  Hadrian's Wall marked the boundary between Roman Britannia and unconquered Caledonia to the north.  The wall lies entirely within England and has never formed the Anglo-Scottish border.  Hadrian's Wall Path generally runs close along the wall.  The section we visited is the Banks East Turret, said to be the best preserved turret or observation tower in the western sector of Hadrian's Wall.  The remains of the Pike Hill Signal Tower was once one of a network of signal towers that predated HW.  

From the looks of the profile below, the first half of the ride looks like it might have been the easier section, but it wasn't!  We were on very small roads for the most part and there were tons of sharp ups and downs.  I was thinking that if I was trying to sneak into Scotland undetected, this might be my route of choice.  I was feeling spent after yesterday's ride and this section sure wasn't helping.  We were headed toward the Scottish border at about 22 miles.  Below are a few pics between Hadrian's Wall and the border.

At about mile 22 we crossed the River Liddel and were into Scotland!  Lesley was "home" and broke out her Scottish flag and jersey.  And - at the van stop there we were greeted with Scottish treats.  

And off we rode into Scotland..........

I stopped in the village of Langholm, whose claim to fame apparently is a tenuous connection to Neil Armstrong's family.  

Lovely countryside riding for the next bit (except for that pesky, at times gale force, headwind.  OK, maybe not gale force, but ugh.....) and an amazing amount of clearcut logging going on.  And with that comes the unpleasantness of logging trucks on the roads, especially on the small roads where we had to stop and step off the road for the trucks to pass.  

We stopped for lunch at the Eskdalemuir Community Hub & Old School Cafe.  I had a delicious bowl of soup and a scone.  After all the Scottish treats at the first tea break, I sadly didn't have room for any ice cream.  

Just shortly past lunch was the Samye Ling Buddhist Centre.  Who knew; in the middle of nowhere Scotland?

OK......... back on the bike to face the hills and the winds for the last 40-ish km.  The first pic below is meant to show the wind, but I'm not sure it does it justice.  Also - just the sound of it in your ears all day becomes a bit draining after a while.  But hey, I paid to do this and I'm on vacation, so all is good.....  

Beautiful countryside continues..............

Not sure the name of this place would be a selling feature............

I can only hope that the World Championships were not held on these exact roads.  Way too many potholes..............

Around the top of the last climb I realized what time it was, so I put my camera away and enjoyed 8 miles of downhill.  Whee......  I also passed 4 people, so wasn't last in for a change.  

In the interests of "where were you on the day Trump was found guilty", this is where I was.  Not sure that the conviction will change anything, but time will tell.  

I'm looking forward to the day off the bike tomorrow.  Might try to get out for a little walk, read, and just relax.

Cardrona:

Population:  900

Cardrona is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.  In 1999 local farmer Tom Renwick spent 5M pounds on the development of Cardrona, a small village to be created near the town of Peebles.  Roughly 220 houses were built around the Cardrona area.  A hotel now known as the MacDonald Hotel was built later on, along with a golf course.  

Hotel:  Macdonald Cardrona Hotel   www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/cardrona

The hotel's spectacular location on the banks of the River Tweed makes it the ideal destination for a relaxing getaway and at just 40 minutes from Edinburgh and 90 minutes from Glasgow, it couldn’t be easier to find yourself perfectly placed to unwind, surrounded by the stunning Scottish Border landscape.

However you choose to switch off, it’s all on offer at our Peebles hotel, so why not try your hand at a round of golf on our 18-hole Championship course or enjoy a dip in our pool, followed by an indulgent treatment in our spa and leisure club.

Many guests will be keen to take advantage of our fishing rights on the world-famous River Tweed and the surrounding Scottish Borders offer the perfect environment for mountain biking, horseback riding, wildlife spotting and family walks. There are some wonderful trails through Glentress Forest and you can pick up the Tweed Valley Railway Path right behind our hotel.

Ride Stats:

123.9 km

1781 m (5844 feet)

The Route: