2,4,6,8 MOTORWAY

(Tom Robinson from the 70's for those of you wondering)

Anyway, today has been the day of the M5. M6 and M74 until we reached Lockerbie.

I would recommend travelling on a Sunday if you are planning a journey from South to North. There were plenty of people towing caravans that seemed to agree with this but otherwise a fairly fast and uneventful journey. 357 miles in less than five hours actual driving time (just worked it out and we apparently didn't exceed the speed limit either!)

Discovered a connection for the i-pod in the Audi so we could listen to selected tracks when Radio 2 was rubbish. Playlist for the journey included early 10CC and Leonard Cohen.  

So we are now firmly ensconced in Tarras B&B on the main street in Lockerbie and using their wireless connection. Downlead speed approaching 6mbs, which we can only dream of in Willand.

A fine, if early, dinner at the King's Arms a short stroll up the high street and we are set for the night. As we walk back in to the B&B we have to place our order for tomorrow's breakfast - full of dinner and unable to even contemplate the thought of more food, I agree to some toast with a wee bit of bacon. Gary saves the day by going for the full Scottish. This pre-ordering seems to be the norm north of the border.

So, tomorrow we face the delightful prospect of travelling either through or around Glasgow to reach yet another motorway, the M8 which will transport us across the Clyde via the Erskine Bridge - listen out for it on the traffic reports - and into the highlands and the road to the isles. Rumour (well Jacqueline actually) has it that a new link road will be open by the time we return, making this bit unnecessary.

We have accommodation booked close to Spean Bridge for tomorrow night on a working farm complete with highland cattle, plenty of tartan and a fairly basic website. No clear directions but how many farmhouse B&Bs can there be close to the A82 in that particular area? We will see. I will include a photo of the next B&B in tomorrow's blog.

It's still very warm and humid here but forecast for tomorrow is bright, sunny and cooler. I was extremely grateful for the air con in the car today - one more thing I couldn't do without.

I'm off to eat the thoughtfully provided toffees from the hospitality tray as dinner had now been partially digested and I have a small corner to fill.

From a very peaceful Lockerbie, until tomorrow.