I had been planning a move to Scotland for nearly 20 years, & having retired from the Civil Service in July '19, I could start looking.
Before then, though, I went to NZ again & then on to Japan for the RWC. There will be blogs about those adventures.
Eventually! ;-p
Anyway, back to the tale in hand . . .
I left home at 1206 on the Thursday & drove the 91 miles to Southwaite services. After a Costa Americano & a Whopper meal, I headed north again at just after 2pm. So far, Storm Dennis hadn't caused any problems, but I was wary of the forecast: it had stated there was a 90% chance of snow in the Borders.
After only a few miles, I passed Carlisle & then arrived in Scotland, so I took a pic to commemorate ;-)
 |
| Taken from the A(M)74 |
It was straightforward to get across the Tay (I'd done the route to Dundee during the birthday trip in 2013~see blog), & reached my digs on Stirling St at 1805 having done nearly 270 miles.
Had I not been stuck in Perth for nearly 2 hours, it would've taken only 4 hours.
The digs were basic, but clean, & the bunk didn't creak too much ;-p Unfortunately there was no lounge for lounging in, so I spent the evening sitting on a hard chair in the kitchen reading a Witcher book & checking Es.
WRT the latter, Fife Properties had sent me details of a house in 'Muchty (where I'd danced in the square during the 2013 folk week~see blog), so I replied asking them to set up a viewing for the next day - I was in the area, so it seemed a 'cunning plan', Mr Blackadder ;-p
Next morning I was up, showered, fed, watered, & on the road just after 0800. I was headed for Brechin (pronounced Breekin ;-p) & a house which was built in 1429 & had been a school. I took this pic of the plaque on the wall before I knocked on the door. The other 2 pics are from the advert.
I really liked it, but there were certain issues which the bloke said he'd try & sort.
I made some notes in the car before leaving Brechin at 20 to 10.
 |
| Sadly, you can only just see the rainbow :-( It's just left of the upright, & looked a lot better in real life |
Montrose less than 20 min later & saw a
rainbow over the lagoon. I grabbed a quick pic on the way over the South Esk bridge to Ferryden, where I discovered that the bungalow I was to view was down an ugly road along the docks & looked out over a ploughed field, so not at all what I was after :-(
The lounge, dining room & kitchen were all in the same room as well, & there was no way to get my lovely maple furniture & the 2 sofas in.
Ah well, win some lose some, & 1 off the shortlist.
I set off south to Fife at 10 past 10 & drove down the A92 which reminded me a lot of my drives north on the SH3 on NI NZ :-D. With hills to my right & the sea on the left, it was lovely in the sunshine.
And there was another rainbow :-)
I had a brief stop at the Arbroath cop-shop to report a shed blown over by the gusts onto the A92 carriageway north, & another for a brew at the Monifieth Dobbies. While I was drinking my tea, the viewing at 'Muchty was confirmed for 1600.
It was pouring & windy by rthe time I got to Dundee, but I pulled over for a rainy pic of the Discovery by the V&A design museum ~ a
 |
| The V&A is on the left |
 |
| 1/2 way across the Tay Bridge |
All morning I had been hearing on TayFM that high sided vehicles had been prohibited from using the Tay Bridge due to the wind, but even the single decker bus in front was having a hard time of it, & I kept well clear as it got blown about!
After the bridge, I was still on the A92, but went left at Glenrothes onto the A911 & Buckhaven (on the Forth estuary), for my next viewing.
Centre, then sat in the car out of the rain & planned the route back home from 'Muchty.
I had a route from Kirkcaldy written down, but that was on the north Forth coast, & 'Muchty was mid-Fife.
I found 3 decent options, the shortest being across the Forth Road Bridge, round the Edinburgh ring road & then on to the M8, but I didn't fancy the traffic on that. The other 2 meant crossing the Forth via either the Kincardine or the Clackmannanshire bridges, & following the M786, the M80 & the M73 ~ which eventually linked to the M74 SE of Glasgow. Given the rain, I decided to stick to the M-ways,
I got back to the house at Upper Greens at 5 to 4, but it was too small, so I was done in under 10 minutes & hit the A91 at 1605.
I ended up going over the Clackmannanshire Bridge, & heard on ClydeFM that the M80 had tailbacks. Fortunately for me, they were in the opposite direction & I had a nice clear run down all the M-ways into England.
I thought to stop at Southwaite then Shap services, but decided to push on to the next one, Killington Lake.
The wind & rain had not stopped for 3 & a 1/4 hours driving, & I was down to 2 bars on the fuel gauge by the time I stopped at Killington Lake for fuel, loo & brew. I was totally gobsmaked at the price of petrol, & £10 did not even take me to 1/2 full as it was £146.9 a litre.
Shish! ! ! :-(
I left at Killington at 1945 & drove straight home arriving at 2040. Bizarrely, the rain stopped as I went past Carnforth, before starting again north of Lancaster. I wondered why!
By the time I got home, I had driven 268 miles since 5 past 8 that morning & the Brechin property was still on the shortlist.
Part 2. Feb 29th 2020: Galashiels & Lilliesleaf
I followed the A7 back south & got out of the car at about 1620 to take this pic of the snowy hills - so different to my drive north 6 hours earlier. I took another from the dry a short while later: It was too wet & windy to get out of the car again.
At the approach to Langholm, I could see they'd just finished a rugby game on the pitch by the side of Ewes Water. It was snowing more heavily now, & the confluence of the Ewes & the Esk was pretty turbulent as I went over the bridge.
A few miles
up the road I was very impressed with the scenery & stopped in the rain for this pic.
A few more miles further on I was in the low cloud & it was all very atmospheric.
I was hooked already.
I was also early: It was only just 1030 & I wasn't due for another 1/2 hour. So I parked up & called Ruth, but I had no mob signal. Bum!
I knocked on the door anyway, & apologised for being early, but they weren't phased & showed me round.
Here are some pics off the advert:
I really liked it, so asked a few questions & left saying I would defo be in touch to have another look.
Back down at Mennock, I went right & saw the station at Sanquhar was only a 15 minute drive away from number 2, so handy for trips to Glasgow & Edinburgh.
Even better :-D
It was 1120, & I was on my way to Ardrossan on the Ayrshire coast. I was supposed to take the A76 most of the way, but it was closed just before Auchinleck, so I went along the A70 to Ayr & north up the A77 & A78 instead.
I arrived at 1225, & saw the views out to Horse Isle & Arran were brilliant, but the house wasn't :-( It was in a small estate of similar styled homes, & I didn't want that, so left at 1240, headed for Strathaven & eventually across the M74 to Carluke.
On the way along the A71 I went through Newmilns & Darvel & was glad I didn't have to stop to view the properties. The views were OK either side, but the towns were a bit grim & not my cup of tea.
I was due at Carluke for 1430-1445, but I put my foot down whenever I could, & ~ finding my way through Carluke OK, I pulled up at the beginning of the unmade road to the cottage before 10 past 2. So, as I had only eaten a couple of pieces of fruit since I left Dumfries ~ nearly 5 hours & 150 miles before, I had my cheese butties & another banana, washed down with the (cold :-/ ) coffee I'd made in Dumfires that morning.
The Estate Agent was supposed to be there, but she didn't show, so after standing around chatting to the owners for >20 minutes, they showed me round themselves.
It was quite nice, but not as nice as Brechin & Wanlockhead. It stayed on the shortlist, though: the other 2 may be sold before I got round to making an offer! That is, if I didn't find somewhere I liked better than these 2.
I left just before 3pm, but ended up on the A72 to Lanark & got stuck in the Saturday shopping jam in town. Using the road map I'd put in the car, I eventually got back to the A721 & A70 at Carstairs & on through to Peebles on the A72. After that I got a call from the Agent, Morag, & confirmed I'd be there shortly after 4pm.
The Walkerburn house had an awesome view of the Tweed flowing 50 yards away across a field, but it was another house in an estate, & - despite the view & it being only about 10 miles west of Galashiels & good rugby, I didn't fancy living there.
I left Walkerburn at 1629 & went down the A72 until the turn off onto the A707 for Selkirk. The 707 took me over the Tweed at Yair, still flowing high & strong. South of Selkirk I got back on the A7, & by 1709 I was at the Morrisons at Hawick again for fuel. This time I avoided the jam doughnuts, but got a Costa to keep me company on the road. I also cleaned the front & back windows & topped up the winsdscreen water. With any luck I wouldn't run out on the way home like I had the week before?!
The A7 was marginally nicer to drive than last week's trip in the sleet, snow & wind, & there was hardly any other cars on it all the way to the M6. I got there before 6pm.
Although I was keeping an eye on the fuel gauge, I kept the speed up, & ~ apart from running out of windscreen water on the M55 again, it was definitely an easier drive home without the wind blowing me all over!
I was back at 171 by 1922, & in time to see the eventual winners of the 2020 The Greatest Dancer competition - a ballroom/Latin couple from Poland (coached by Oti).
I'd done over 365 miles that day, all of it in the rain (even going past Carnforth this time ;-p), plus I'd driven 133 the day before, so another job well done for my little blue Suzuki.
Brechin was hanging in there, but its place on the top slot had been usurped by Wanlockhead.
I'd done 133.2 miles by the time I put my head down in Dumfries, & a circular viewing tour back home of about 365.6 miles. Thus a total of about 3 miles short of 500 miles in a day & a half.
Phew!
Meanwhile . . .
In preparation for the move/downsize, I took all my 'treasures' from the 5 trips to NZ, the Bessie Ellen & Sicily trips in 2017, the Cuba salsa
holiday in 2018, & the Japan RWC trip in 2019, & stuck them on pieces of broken slate I got out out of a skip.
I also did a slate for the small stones in the kitchen. They were from 2 trips to Cyprus & NZ '16.
Meanwhile Part 2
It was defo off the beaten track & not a place to have a breakdown!
I eventually got to Innerleithen & found the A72 into Peebles where I stopped for a Rule 10 & a butty.
It was still before 2pm so I knew there was plenty of time to get to Carnwath for 2.45: It's only 20 miles from Peebles & A roads all the way.
As it happened, I parked on Main St. near the property at 20 past, set my alarm for 20 to, & put the seat back for a kip. I was on the A721, so it was fairly busy & loud, but I was tired enough for 40 winks after doing nearly 250 miles since Blackpool.
1440 arrived & the cat on my mob woke me up with its usual annoyed sounding meow. I got out into the rain to meet the agent who would show me round number 36 ~ which ultimately didn't make the cut either: There was no view, no garden, & its looks were quite unprepossesing. That left the one at Leadhills on today's viewing circuit.
I'd written down the instructions for getting across country from Carnwath & knew I'd cross the Clyde at some point, but was pleased to see a great bridge on Boat Rd at Thankerton,
bridge so I pulled over.
The bridge had great
elliptical
arches, & I took a couple of pics to mark the occasion.
The next stop on the way to Leadhills ~ where the final property of today's viewing trip was, was Abington Services just off the M74. After a rule 10 I drank the rest of the coffee I'd got at the Carnwath Co-Op & ate the rest of my food except for the final banana.
Seeing a conglomeration of cars a little later, I pulled over by a cute bridge & took this of the walkers climbing up to the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall: Defo one for a future visit, & here's a bit from Wiki:
I reached Walkerburn at 1540 & had a drive round to see what the village had to offer. I'd had no time to do that in March, & was pleased to see the place I'd come to look at was directly above the rugby pitch & would have a view of the Tweed. Great :-)
A Ranger kindly let me use the Disabled loo (they weren't generally open due to COVID19), then I took a couple of pics of the Ewes before pressing on to Selkirk up the A7.
It was a flat with view across the Forth & only 50m to the promenade.
Unfortunately, the view from the lounge & a bedroom included oil rigs, & the newly converted flat had a bit of a weird layout. Hence, that got crossed off the shortlist as well.
I left there in a drizzle & headed towards Kirkcaldy & my 1500 appointment.
On the way west, I stopped off for lunch at East Wemyss (pronounced
Weems) & found a nice view at the bottom of East Brae.
I also found a statue to Jimmy Shand, a Fifer famous for playing the accordion. He was from East Wemyss & Auchtermuchty, & there's a statue of him in 'Muchty as well.
Lunch done, I drove to Kirkcaldy & passed Williamson Quay (where the flat was), but I was very early so went to Morrisons at the west end of the promenade to get fuel for me & the car. The car got £20 of petrol & I had a brew while checking out the 'Muchty Single Survey online in the cafe. I also found an Email asking me to call the lady (Josie) I was to meet at 1500. So I did, but because she was out to lunch I got back in the car & pointed it at Williamson Quay. Less than 2 minutes later, Josie rang to say an offer had been made, so I couldn't view the flat. Bum!
Here're a couple from RightMove which show why I'd been interested in having a closer look.
As a result of the cancellation, I took a 'scenic route' to Auchtermuchty, arriving at 1520 for my 1600 viewing.
I left there in a drizzle & headed towards Kirkcaldy & my 1500 appointment.
On the way west, I stopped off for lunch at East Wemyss (pronounced
 |
| The view at lunch |
I also found a statue to Jimmy Shand, a Fifer famous for playing the accordion. He was from East Wemyss & Auchtermuchty, & there's a statue of him in 'Muchty as well.
Lunch done, I drove to Kirkcaldy & passed Williamson Quay (where the flat was), but I was very early so went to Morrisons at the west end of the promenade to get fuel for me & the car. The car got £20 of petrol & I had a brew while checking out the 'Muchty Single Survey online in the cafe. I also found an Email asking me to call the lady (Josie) I was to meet at 1500. So I did, but because she was out to lunch I got back in the car & pointed it at Williamson Quay. Less than 2 minutes later, Josie rang to say an offer had been made, so I couldn't view the flat. Bum!
Here're a couple from RightMove which show why I'd been interested in having a closer look.
 |
| The flat on the Quay I never saw |
There were no public loos to be found so I used the ones in the Health
 |
| What the view would have been |
I had a route from Kirkcaldy written down, but that was on the north Forth coast, & 'Muchty was mid-Fife.
I found 3 decent options, the shortest being across the Forth Road Bridge, round the Edinburgh ring road & then on to the M8, but I didn't fancy the traffic on that. The other 2 meant crossing the Forth via either the Kincardine or the Clackmannanshire bridges, & following the M786, the M80 & the M73 ~ which eventually linked to the M74 SE of Glasgow. Given the rain, I decided to stick to the M-ways,
I got back to the house at Upper Greens at 5 to 4, but it was too small, so I was done in under 10 minutes & hit the A91 at 1605.
I ended up going over the Clackmannanshire Bridge, & heard on ClydeFM that the M80 had tailbacks. Fortunately for me, they were in the opposite direction & I had a nice clear run down all the M-ways into England.
I thought to stop at Southwaite then Shap services, but decided to push on to the next one, Killington Lake.
The wind & rain had not stopped for 3 & a 1/4 hours driving, & I was down to 2 bars on the fuel gauge by the time I stopped at Killington Lake for fuel, loo & brew. I was totally gobsmaked at the price of petrol, & £10 did not even take me to 1/2 full as it was £146.9 a litre.
Shish! ! ! :-(
I left at Killington at 1945 & drove straight home arriving at 2040. Bizarrely, the rain stopped as I went past Carnforth, before starting again north of Lancaster. I wondered why!
By the time I got home, I had driven 268 miles since 5 past 8 that morning & the Brechin property was still on the shortlist.
Part 2. Feb 29th 2020: Galashiels & Lilliesleaf
I left 171 at 0814 & didn't stop until I saw the saltire & took this pic.
It was just before 10am & I'd done 111 miles.
I had a great drive along the A7 in the sunshine -
despite the forecast of rain, wind & snow, & I grabbed another pic of the scenery at about 1/4 past 10.
I arrived at Hawick a little before 11 & went cashmere hunting at the shop where I'd bought 2 polo-necks during my Hogmanay trip in 2013. Then it was time to get back on the A7 to Galashiels.
I was quite keen to live in or near Gala, because Chris Paterson had played for the local rugby club before he went to play for Edinburgh. They are very keen on their rugby in Gala!
Chris is a Borders man, like many on the Scotland team, & rugby is the number 1 sport all over the Borders. Here's the pic I took of him in his seat at Murrayfield in November 2009.
 |
| The border close by the River Esk on the A7 |
It was just before 10am & I'd done 111 miles.
I had a great drive along the A7 in the sunshine -
 |
| The ?? hills somewhere near Langholm - I think |
I was quite keen to live in or near Gala, because Chris Paterson had played for the local rugby club before he went to play for Edinburgh. They are very keen on their rugby in Gala!
Chris is a Borders man, like many on the Scotland team, & rugby is the number 1 sport all over the Borders. Here's the pic I took of him in his seat at Murrayfield in November 2009.
 |
| There's a load more about him in my 'Edinburgh' blog |
It's not far from Hawick to Gala, but I was held up in a huge queue south of Selkirk, so was a bit late arriving at Tea St & didn't get there till 1210.
According to the odometer, I'd done 174 miles by this point.
It was a cute cottage, but the 2nd bedroom was miniscule & a bizarre shape, so that was another off my shortlist.
Time to go to Lilliesleaf.
I asked a postman if there was a 'locals route', but he was all for sending me back down to south of Selkirk & the A699, so I ignored him & did the route I'd planned. According to Gmaps it was 12 miles & I got there at 1250 after a sunny jolly through tiny hamlets like Lindean (2 houses & a farm) & Midlem (5 houses & a farm).
I was a bit early, so I parked up for a butty, whereupon it started to snow, & it was still snowing when I pulled up outside the Old Bakery on the main street at 1 o'clock. Bizarrely, by the time I was looking at the Eildon hills through the lounge window about 10 minutes later, it was sunny again!
Sadly, although this was also a very cute house, the lounge was on the 1st floor & accessed via a dog-leg stairwell. There would be no way the removers would be able to get my furniture up it - even if it would all fit in the rather small lounge with an eaved ceiling. :-(
This meant my trip today did not turn out to be very successful in terms of finding a new home, but I consoled myself in Hawick on the way home from Lilliesleaf & bought myself 2 more cashmere jumpers at the factory shop ;-p
After a walk up & down the High St, a rather large detour into the sticks trying to avoid the one-way system, & then a stop at Morrisons for a top-up of petrol & windscreen water, I left Hawick at 1600 having driven over 200 miles with quite a fair way yet to go. There was a rugby game going on at the Hawick Wanderers ground on my way out of town & I was sorely tempted to stop, but the weather was closing in.
 |
| You can't tell, but it was snowing & blowing |
 |
| A few minutes later - from inside the car! |
A bit further on I was held up behind a spreader as they prepared the A7 for the conditions, but pulled out on a nice long straight & pushed on for England.
When I got there the weather was deteriorating & it looked like it was to be a shite drive home :-(
I reached the M6 at 1650 & turned south. The wind was really strong & gusts were blowing me about a bit.
It got worse!
Driving up to the summit at Shap ~ where it is 320m above sea level, the headwind was so strong, that - with the uphill gradient, my little car was struggling to go much above 40mph :-(
At least it would be kinda downhill all the way home from there ;-p
Weirdly, just like the week before, the sleet & snow eased on the approach to Carnforth, though I still got a bit damp filling up with another tenner's worth at the Truck Haven services.
I finally got home in the rain (it rarely snows in Blackpool) at 1845 & I'd done 475 miles that day.
The car was covered in salt, & I'd run out of windscreen water on the M55, but all was well that ended well (to paraphrase William Shakespeare) & I caught my favourite dancer, Harrison, on The Greatest Dancer semi final followed by the next episode or Ken Follet's Pillar of the Earth, one of my favourite ever TV series.
Brechin was still the only one on the shortlist.
Part 3. March 6th & 7th 2020: Dumfries, Galloway, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire & Borders
It was a clear run to Dumfries along the A75 & then the A780 for a mile before my digs: The Townhouse. £28.49 for an en-suite single room with a telly. Sorted :-)
It got worse!
Driving up to the summit at Shap ~ where it is 320m above sea level, the headwind was so strong, that - with the uphill gradient, my little car was struggling to go much above 40mph :-(
At least it would be kinda downhill all the way home from there ;-p
Weirdly, just like the week before, the sleet & snow eased on the approach to Carnforth, though I still got a bit damp filling up with another tenner's worth at the Truck Haven services.
I finally got home in the rain (it rarely snows in Blackpool) at 1845 & I'd done 475 miles that day.
The car was covered in salt, & I'd run out of windscreen water on the M55, but all was well that ended well (to paraphrase William Shakespeare) & I caught my favourite dancer, Harrison, on The Greatest Dancer semi final followed by the next episode or Ken Follet's Pillar of the Earth, one of my favourite ever TV series.
Brechin was still the only one on the shortlist.
Part 3. March 6th & 7th 2020: Dumfries, Galloway, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire & Borders
I originally had plans to view properties in Leadhills, Wanlockhead, Sanquhar, Ardrossan, Newmilns & Darvel, but on the Tuesday beforehand the agent for the Leadhills one said they couldn't organise a viewing on a Saturday.
Bum.
It had been on my shortlist for ages :-(
Bum.
It had been on my shortlist for ages :-(
Then, I got an E from PurpleBricks to say the lady at Darvel had accepted an offer, so the planned viewing for 1500 was off, & about an hour later I got an E to say the owner of the house at Newmilns was taking it off the market.
Gordon Bennett!
However, I'd seen another one in Walkerburn that morning, so - having read the Home Report & seen it was OK, I asked if I could view that as well.
Phew!
Another long day behind the wheel :-/
Then, on Wednesday the 4th, I saw an ad for a cottage on the outskirts of Carluke, so quickly got in touch with the Estate Agent & arranged to see that in between Ardrossan & Walkerburn.
Then, on Wednesday the 4th, I saw an ad for a cottage on the outskirts of Carluke, so quickly got in touch with the Estate Agent & arranged to see that in between Ardrossan & Walkerburn.
Phew again, & an even longer day behind the wheel!
I was supposed to have a bloke come for a viewing of 171 at 1100, but got a text before 10 to say he'd put in an offer on another property & it had been accepted.
More Bum :-(
So off I went at just before 1300, via ASDA for petrol & Tesco for fruit for the journey.
I remembered to note the Shap Summit sign in the sunshine at 1036 feet, & stopped again at Southwaite Services just before half past one ~ so 90 miles in an hour & a half, & no rain etc :-)
Back on the road & according to Gmaps, I was due to leave the M6 at J22, but that would've been way down south.
Weird!??
However, I knew it was the A75 exit, so no worries, & I grabbed the ubiquitous border pic on the way past Gretna.
 |
| Different day, but almost the same view ;-) |
The manager directed me into town, & I parked by the river &
St Michaels bridge before getting a nice shot of the environs & walking into the town centre along the river. I wanted to do a charity shop check for cashmere (no luck), & get something for tea (M&S yellow labels ;-p)
 |
| Spring seemed to have sprung in Dumfries by the Nith river |
On the way bak to the car I walked over the suspension bridge & took a pick of it through some trees on the west bank. It's just about visible!
According to an Info Board, the 1st suspension bridge was built in 1875.
 |
| The 1985 suspension bridge behind some more trees & crocuses |
Here's a bit about Dumfries from another Info Board:
I stopped at the Aldi across from the hotel for some vino, & back in my room watched telly for a while before opting to listen to ClassicFM & read the book I'd taken - The Sword Of Shannara. I'd never read the books before, but had dipped into the TV series a bit. It was quite good & I read till gone 11.
Next morning I made coffee for the journey & a brew for brekkers after a shower & packing my bags. The coffee went into my Polar Pioneer thermal mug from 2015 :-)
My route was up the A75 for a bit, then onto the A701 & the A76 to Sanquhar for a 10 o'clock viewing on Castle St.
The ride up the A76 was great ~ even in the rain, & I stopped at 1053 to take a pic of the Nith at some point after Carronbridge.
Next morning I made coffee for the journey & a brew for brekkers after a shower & packing my bags. The coffee went into my Polar Pioneer thermal mug from 2015 :-)
My route was up the A75 for a bit, then onto the A701 & the A76 to Sanquhar for a 10 o'clock viewing on Castle St.
 |
| The Nith in full flow |
Sadly, the Castle St property wasn't great: too much needed doing with the decor, & although the views front & back were of hills, the garden was too big (I didn't want to spend my retirement weeding & mowing a lawn!).
Another one crossed off the shortlist (which was getting shorter by the day!).
To get to Wanlockhead I had to go back down the A76 to Mennock & up a B road which gradually climbed into the cloud.
 |
| The B797 south west of Wanlockhead |
A few miles
up the road I was very impressed with the scenery & stopped in the rain for this pic.
A few more miles further on I was in the low cloud & it was all very atmospheric.
I was hooked already.
I was also early: It was only just 1030 & I wasn't due for another 1/2 hour. So I parked up & called Ruth, but I had no mob signal. Bum!
I knocked on the door anyway, & apologised for being early, but they weren't phased & showed me round.
Here are some pics off the advert:
 |
| Number 2 |
 |
| It's along the row of white cottages to the left of the road |
Back down at Mennock, I went right & saw the station at Sanquhar was only a 15 minute drive away from number 2, so handy for trips to Glasgow & Edinburgh.
Even better :-D
It was 1120, & I was on my way to Ardrossan on the Ayrshire coast. I was supposed to take the A76 most of the way, but it was closed just before Auchinleck, so I went along the A70 to Ayr & north up the A77 & A78 instead.
I arrived at 1225, & saw the views out to Horse Isle & Arran were brilliant, but the house wasn't :-( It was in a small estate of similar styled homes, & I didn't want that, so left at 1240, headed for Strathaven & eventually across the M74 to Carluke.
On the way along the A71 I went through Newmilns & Darvel & was glad I didn't have to stop to view the properties. The views were OK either side, but the towns were a bit grim & not my cup of tea.
I was due at Carluke for 1430-1445, but I put my foot down whenever I could, & ~ finding my way through Carluke OK, I pulled up at the beginning of the unmade road to the cottage before 10 past 2. So, as I had only eaten a couple of pieces of fruit since I left Dumfries ~ nearly 5 hours & 150 miles before, I had my cheese butties & another banana, washed down with the (cold :-/ ) coffee I'd made in Dumfires that morning.
The Estate Agent was supposed to be there, but she didn't show, so after standing around chatting to the owners for >20 minutes, they showed me round themselves.
It was quite nice, but not as nice as Brechin & Wanlockhead. It stayed on the shortlist, though: the other 2 may be sold before I got round to making an offer! That is, if I didn't find somewhere I liked better than these 2.
I left just before 3pm, but ended up on the A72 to Lanark & got stuck in the Saturday shopping jam in town. Using the road map I'd put in the car, I eventually got back to the A721 & A70 at Carstairs & on through to Peebles on the A72. After that I got a call from the Agent, Morag, & confirmed I'd be there shortly after 4pm.
The Walkerburn house had an awesome view of the Tweed flowing 50 yards away across a field, but it was another house in an estate, & - despite the view & it being only about 10 miles west of Galashiels & good rugby, I didn't fancy living there.
I left Walkerburn at 1629 & went down the A72 until the turn off onto the A707 for Selkirk. The 707 took me over the Tweed at Yair, still flowing high & strong. South of Selkirk I got back on the A7, & by 1709 I was at the Morrisons at Hawick again for fuel. This time I avoided the jam doughnuts, but got a Costa to keep me company on the road. I also cleaned the front & back windows & topped up the winsdscreen water. With any luck I wouldn't run out on the way home like I had the week before?!
The A7 was marginally nicer to drive than last week's trip in the sleet, snow & wind, & there was hardly any other cars on it all the way to the M6. I got there before 6pm.
Although I was keeping an eye on the fuel gauge, I kept the speed up, & ~ apart from running out of windscreen water on the M55 again, it was definitely an easier drive home without the wind blowing me all over!
I was back at 171 by 1922, & in time to see the eventual winners of the 2020 The Greatest Dancer competition - a ballroom/Latin couple from Poland (coached by Oti).
I'd done over 365 miles that day, all of it in the rain (even going past Carnforth this time ;-p), plus I'd driven 133 the day before, so another job well done for my little blue Suzuki.
Brechin was hanging in there, but its place on the top slot had been usurped by Wanlockhead.
I'd done 133.2 miles by the time I put my head down in Dumfries, & a circular viewing tour back home of about 365.6 miles. Thus a total of about 3 miles short of 500 miles in a day & a half.
Phew!
Meanwhile . . .
In preparation for the move/downsize, I took all my 'treasures' from the 5 trips to NZ, the Bessie Ellen & Sicily trips in 2017, the Cuba salsa
 |
| The Bessie Ellen Hebrides stones awaiting slate(s) & Gorilla Glue! |
It will (hopefully) make everything easier to pack & put back in the cabinet wherever I end up ~
But . . .
I really must stop collecting stones & wood! ;-)
 |
| Top L~Japan '19 slate (plus other Japan stuff from '95,'03,'06,'19). Lower L~my NZ lava ('14,'16.'19) & possum fur, then Whakaari & Paraparaumu wood ('14), pounamu & stones from '14, then Akaroa & Kaikoura shells & stones, & Akaroa & Kaikoura paua~both '16 |
 |
| Top L~14 Hobbit & 9 LoR stones on wood ('16). Taihape wood pen next to Coromandel stuff centre. Cathedral Cove & Gem Beach stones & shells on right: all '19. Lower L~space for the BE stones & wood, then 2 Sicily ones (pumice + stones & lava). Cuba '18 on R |
 |
| I didn't mean it to look like a face! |
I also did a slate for the small stones in the kitchen. They were from 2 trips to Cyprus & NZ '16.
Meanwhile Part 2
I had been working as a lollipop lady, but as it had seriously interfered with my ability to drive up & look at houses, I handed in my notice after the Angus & Fife jolly.
I had to work a month's notice, & it mean that March 20th would be my last day waving a lollipop.
During that 4 weeks, COVID-19 took hold & the government made recommendations about not doing any unnecessary travel, washing hands a lot, & not congregating in groups.
The Coronavirus meant that Italy postponed their 6 Nations home games & the last weekend of the 2020 6 Nations championship ~ AKA Super Saturday, didn't happen either.
That meant I could have travelled up for a look at a few more that weekend, but the games weren't postponed until it was too late make plans.
Initially, I Emailed various estate agents & told them I probably would not be able to drive up until the travel restriction had eased, & asked them to let me know if the houses were sold in the interim.
Then I thought, if I didn't shake hands with anyone, washed my hands before & after a viewing, & didn't touch anything in the house, it might be possible to continue to view, but no-one made any suggestions for a viewing, so that put the kibosh on that idea.
Menawhile during the meanwhile, on the morning of my last day with the lollipop I applied for a job at Tesco, thinking I may as well keep busy while I couldn't house hunt. While shopping in Lidl after my last afternoon Lollipop shift I got a TC from Tesco asking me to go for an interview the next day - the 21st. So off I went, got a job as a 'Picker', & began training straightaway.
Tesco were desperate for pickers & drivers to deliver online shopping & there were 26 of us there that afternoon. During the meeting we had just before we were sent home we were told our 1st shift would begin at 0600 the next morning: Sunday March 22nd.
Sheesh %\
Opal was very dischuffed at being woken and turfed outdoors at silly o'clock, but I got this pic as I parked at Tesco that morning.
During the rest of March & through April, I worked a 5 day week, generally starting at 0700 & finishing at 1100 (ish) unless we were sent home early because there were no more online orders.
It meant I was on my feet for around 4 hours a day, & my triceps got a workout pushing/steering the trolley, so (apart rom the extra money) there were benefits to being a picker. During the afternoons I initially read the 13 books I'd got out of the library before it closed for the lockdown, then did crosswords, sudoku etc in newspapers a neighbour put through my door. I could've re-read all my Pratchetts, Salvatores, Austens etc., but decided to work the brain a little instead.
I also joined Opal, & slept. My excuse was that I had been up early!
This situation continued right through May (when they increased my hours on weekdays to 5 hpd), June & July, but while April & most of May were sunny enough for me to read/puzzle lying in the garden after work/on days off, June was mostly pretty rotten weather.
However, as the lockdown easements happened towards the end of May, I started to get viewers for 171. That meant several hours of cleaning & tidying each time, but only 2 of the 4 booked to view actually turned up :-(
At least the house was clean ;-p
Towards the end of June I heard that the Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, was easing travel restrictions, so ~ with double figures on my viewing shortlist, I made plans for a day trip to the Borders. The rest which were further north would have to wait for B&Bs to open so I could stay overnight up there.
I arranged to see 5 the 1st Friday in July & another viewer came to see 171.
Part 4. July 3rd: Jedburgh, Melrose, Carnwath & Leadhills
I got up at my usual time for work (0635), & set off 55 min later. I was headed to Jedburgh where I had 2 to view at 1030 & 1100.
I stopped for 20 min. at Southwaite services, then pressed on to the border on the A7 which I passed at 0923 - see 2nd saltire pic above. After refuelling at Hawick's Morrisons ~ no doughnuts for sale this early :'-(, I got stuck behind some lorries on the A698. Bum.
Happily, they both went left at the A68 junction so I was able to get to the 1st Jedburgh house dead on 1030.
It wasn't any good :-(
The same agent was to show me both Jedburgh properties, so I followed her through town to the 2nd which was above town with a chance of a good view to the Cheviot Hills to the SE. Sadly, there was a big copper beech right across the view, & rubbish access for furniture removers & any guests I might have, so that got crossed off as well :-/
After the viewings I stopped briefly in the square for a breakfast - 2 persimmons, a banana & some grapes, then set off for Melrose at 1130 having done 158 miles.
Melrose looked like it'd be a nice place to live, with its famous abbey & cute market square, & the rugby club was in walking distance of the house I was due to look at. Brill :-D
Sadly, the house wasn't brill, & had a bigger garden than I fancied looking after, so that was another off the list.
Back on the A68, I passed the outskirts of Galashiels & looked for a Farm Foods where my instructions said I was supposed to turn onto the A72. I didn't see a FF, so carried on up the A7. After 5 min or so there was still no sign & I was in the countryside following the Borders Railway route.
Um :-(
No worries. I had until 1445 to get to Carnwath, so decided to turn off the A7 when I saw a suitable road going left. Unfortunately, that didn't happen for about 15 miles when I saw a sign for Innerleithen down the B709.
The road went SW for @6 miles, which was good, but then bent left to go south - which wasn't so good (Carnwath was almost due W of the
bend), but I was stuck on a remote, but beautiful, road along valleys in the Moorfoot Hills.
I had to work a month's notice, & it mean that March 20th would be my last day waving a lollipop.
During that 4 weeks, COVID-19 took hold & the government made recommendations about not doing any unnecessary travel, washing hands a lot, & not congregating in groups.
The Coronavirus meant that Italy postponed their 6 Nations home games & the last weekend of the 2020 6 Nations championship ~ AKA Super Saturday, didn't happen either.
That meant I could have travelled up for a look at a few more that weekend, but the games weren't postponed until it was too late make plans.
Initially, I Emailed various estate agents & told them I probably would not be able to drive up until the travel restriction had eased, & asked them to let me know if the houses were sold in the interim.
Then I thought, if I didn't shake hands with anyone, washed my hands before & after a viewing, & didn't touch anything in the house, it might be possible to continue to view, but no-one made any suggestions for a viewing, so that put the kibosh on that idea.
Menawhile during the meanwhile, on the morning of my last day with the lollipop I applied for a job at Tesco, thinking I may as well keep busy while I couldn't house hunt. While shopping in Lidl after my last afternoon Lollipop shift I got a TC from Tesco asking me to go for an interview the next day - the 21st. So off I went, got a job as a 'Picker', & began training straightaway.
Tesco were desperate for pickers & drivers to deliver online shopping & there were 26 of us there that afternoon. During the meeting we had just before we were sent home we were told our 1st shift would begin at 0600 the next morning: Sunday March 22nd.
Sheesh %\
Opal was very dischuffed at being woken and turfed outdoors at silly o'clock, but I got this pic as I parked at Tesco that morning.
 |
| Tesco dawn. 5:50am 22 3 20 |
It meant I was on my feet for around 4 hours a day, & my triceps got a workout pushing/steering the trolley, so (apart rom the extra money) there were benefits to being a picker. During the afternoons I initially read the 13 books I'd got out of the library before it closed for the lockdown, then did crosswords, sudoku etc in newspapers a neighbour put through my door. I could've re-read all my Pratchetts, Salvatores, Austens etc., but decided to work the brain a little instead.
I also joined Opal, & slept. My excuse was that I had been up early!
This situation continued right through May (when they increased my hours on weekdays to 5 hpd), June & July, but while April & most of May were sunny enough for me to read/puzzle lying in the garden after work/on days off, June was mostly pretty rotten weather.
However, as the lockdown easements happened towards the end of May, I started to get viewers for 171. That meant several hours of cleaning & tidying each time, but only 2 of the 4 booked to view actually turned up :-(
At least the house was clean ;-p
Towards the end of June I heard that the Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, was easing travel restrictions, so ~ with double figures on my viewing shortlist, I made plans for a day trip to the Borders. The rest which were further north would have to wait for B&Bs to open so I could stay overnight up there.
I arranged to see 5 the 1st Friday in July & another viewer came to see 171.
Part 4. July 3rd: Jedburgh, Melrose, Carnwath & Leadhills
I got up at my usual time for work (0635), & set off 55 min later. I was headed to Jedburgh where I had 2 to view at 1030 & 1100.
I stopped for 20 min. at Southwaite services, then pressed on to the border on the A7 which I passed at 0923 - see 2nd saltire pic above. After refuelling at Hawick's Morrisons ~ no doughnuts for sale this early :'-(, I got stuck behind some lorries on the A698. Bum.
Happily, they both went left at the A68 junction so I was able to get to the 1st Jedburgh house dead on 1030.
It wasn't any good :-(
The same agent was to show me both Jedburgh properties, so I followed her through town to the 2nd which was above town with a chance of a good view to the Cheviot Hills to the SE. Sadly, there was a big copper beech right across the view, & rubbish access for furniture removers & any guests I might have, so that got crossed off as well :-/
After the viewings I stopped briefly in the square for a breakfast - 2 persimmons, a banana & some grapes, then set off for Melrose at 1130 having done 158 miles.
Melrose looked like it'd be a nice place to live, with its famous abbey & cute market square, & the rugby club was in walking distance of the house I was due to look at. Brill :-D
Sadly, the house wasn't brill, & had a bigger garden than I fancied looking after, so that was another off the list.
Back on the A68, I passed the outskirts of Galashiels & looked for a Farm Foods where my instructions said I was supposed to turn onto the A72. I didn't see a FF, so carried on up the A7. After 5 min or so there was still no sign & I was in the countryside following the Borders Railway route.
Um :-(
No worries. I had until 1445 to get to Carnwath, so decided to turn off the A7 when I saw a suitable road going left. Unfortunately, that didn't happen for about 15 miles when I saw a sign for Innerleithen down the B709.
The road went SW for @6 miles, which was good, but then bent left to go south - which wasn't so good (Carnwath was almost due W of the
 |
| The rainy B709 somewhere N of Colquhar |
It was defo off the beaten track & not a place to have a breakdown!
I eventually got to Innerleithen & found the A72 into Peebles where I stopped for a Rule 10 & a butty.
It was still before 2pm so I knew there was plenty of time to get to Carnwath for 2.45: It's only 20 miles from Peebles & A roads all the way.
As it happened, I parked on Main St. near the property at 20 past, set my alarm for 20 to, & put the seat back for a kip. I was on the A721, so it was fairly busy & loud, but I was tired enough for 40 winks after doing nearly 250 miles since Blackpool.
1440 arrived & the cat on my mob woke me up with its usual annoyed sounding meow. I got out into the rain to meet the agent who would show me round number 36 ~ which ultimately didn't make the cut either: There was no view, no garden, & its looks were quite unprepossesing. That left the one at Leadhills on today's viewing circuit.
I'd written down the instructions for getting across country from Carnwath & knew I'd cross the Clyde at some point, but was pleased to see a great bridge on Boat Rd at Thankerton,
 |
| The house on the hill has a great view of the Clyde rolling by |
There were also cute horses in a field by the
 |
| The Bridge On The River Clyde ~ with apologies to David Lean ;-) |
The bridge had great
elliptical
arches, & I took a couple of pics to mark the occasion.
The next stop on the way to Leadhills ~ where the final property of today's viewing trip was, was Abington Services just off the M74. After a rule 10 I drank the rest of the coffee I'd got at the Carnwath Co-Op & ate the rest of my food except for the final banana.
As I pulled up, the car next to me was pulling out with a tern on its roof! It flew off as he set off, but I noticed many of the cars had avian visitors.
On my way back from the loo I took this:~
Back on the road I followed the B797 up into the cloud & got to Ramsay Rd just before 4. The road up was great, & ~ like the one up to Wanlockhead back in March, defo one I wouldn't mind doing regularly :-) ~ except in heavy snow unless I had a more suitable car.
According to the Estate Agent, the vendor would show me round & the front door was open when I got there, so I knocked: No answer.
 |
| Common Terns on the roof of cars at Abington Services! |
According to the Estate Agent, the vendor would show me round & the front door was open when I got there, so I knocked: No answer.
I yelled: Ditto
I went back to the road to see if I could see anyone sitting in a car out of the rain. Nope. So I went back, knocked & yelled again then went indoors for a look round.
The lounge & 'downstairs bedroom' were decent sized, but the headroom in the 2 loft areas either side of the stairwell was not much more than my height. Anyone >5'6" would have to duck!
The bathroom looked newly installed, & it was clear the kitchen was a "work in progress". There was no back door & the kitchen window looked out onto the hill behind. So, it looked like it had been built into the side of the hill ~ much like Bag End, & I'd nearly be a Hobbit if I lived there ;-)
This is the pic of the outside from RightMove: |
| You can't tell from this view, but there is no back door |
After I'd had a sneak peak I went back to the front door to see if there was any sign of the vendor, & saw 2 blokes walking up Ransay Rd. One looked at me standing in the doorway & said "You'd be the lady coming to see the house, then?"
Apparently he'd been working on it & gone down to have a chat to his mate & lost track of the time!
Anyway, we had another look round together, he fed me some info, then we stood in the kitchen for nearly an hour discussing Leadhills village life, the community's COVID efforts to help & feed those in need, & the live music they had at the hotel (which he owned).
He was in praise of everything Leadhills & hadn't got much good to say of the community spirit up the hill in Wanlockhead.
As I had a longish drive home I said I must get off, & he said he'd take my E-address to answer the questions I'd asked & to send me some measurements so I could see if my various bits of furniture would fit. He had no pen or paper & mine was all in the car, so I followd him back to the hotel, The Hopetoun Arms, where we swapped contacts & his wife gave me a takeaway coffee. By this time it was 1720 & I'd done 260 miles.
The route back down to the M74 was another great drive & ended up at Elvanfoot (so almost another reference to Hobbits ;-p) where I crossed under the M-way.
I went up the ramp & south with a plan to fill up at a supermarket in Penrith rather than pay the exorbitant motorway service station prices. An hour & a quarter (& 80-odd miles) later I put another £20 in the tank at Morrisons & followed a Mitsubishi almost all the way home down the M6 (unless he was following me). I overtook it just north of the M55 junction & wondered where he was going: we'd been in convoy for nearly 65 miles!
I pulled into 171's drive at 4 minutes to 8 with a round trip tally of 429 miles, so my longest circuit so far - largely due to longer days & (marginally) better weather. And the unintentional jolly through Innerleithen ;-p
The next trip couldn't happen until Scotland's B&Bs reopened after the enforced COVID19 lockdown. According to news I heard on the radio during my Innerleithen detour, B&Bs were scheduled to reaopen after July 15th, so I had a lot of planning to do before I could view the rest of the properties on my shortlist.
IRO this jolly round the Borders, I noticed one thing: I saw 4 dead deer by the road & they all looked like does?? I only saw one badger this time, which was several less than previous house-hunting trips, so maybe it was something to do with the time of year?? According to the Discovering Wildlife website, in March:
Badgers are more active – reflected by a peak in road kills. Sows often move their cubs if disturbed by amorous males.
So that explains all the badgers.
IRO deer, The Scotsman newspaper wrote:
The Deer Commission for Scotland estimates that up to 10,000 collisions involving deer happen each year.
Gosh!
Part 5. July 16th & 17th: By the Tweed, the Tay & the sea, interspersed with Alyth
knowing the views to come, I stopped for a scenic pic at about 1/4 to 3 in the valley of Moffat Water.
The route back down to the M74 was another great drive & ended up at Elvanfoot (so almost another reference to Hobbits ;-p) where I crossed under the M-way.
I went up the ramp & south with a plan to fill up at a supermarket in Penrith rather than pay the exorbitant motorway service station prices. An hour & a quarter (& 80-odd miles) later I put another £20 in the tank at Morrisons & followed a Mitsubishi almost all the way home down the M6 (unless he was following me). I overtook it just north of the M55 junction & wondered where he was going: we'd been in convoy for nearly 65 miles!
I pulled into 171's drive at 4 minutes to 8 with a round trip tally of 429 miles, so my longest circuit so far - largely due to longer days & (marginally) better weather. And the unintentional jolly through Innerleithen ;-p
The next trip couldn't happen until Scotland's B&Bs reopened after the enforced COVID19 lockdown. According to news I heard on the radio during my Innerleithen detour, B&Bs were scheduled to reaopen after July 15th, so I had a lot of planning to do before I could view the rest of the properties on my shortlist.
IRO this jolly round the Borders, I noticed one thing: I saw 4 dead deer by the road & they all looked like does?? I only saw one badger this time, which was several less than previous house-hunting trips, so maybe it was something to do with the time of year?? According to the Discovering Wildlife website, in March:
Badgers are more active – reflected by a peak in road kills. Sows often move their cubs if disturbed by amorous males.
So that explains all the badgers.
IRO deer, The Scotsman newspaper wrote:
The Deer Commission for Scotland estimates that up to 10,000 collisions involving deer happen each year.
Gosh!
Part 5. July 16th & 17th: By the Tweed, the Tay & the sea, interspersed with Alyth
Thursday
Not being able to get Saturday off, I set off north straight from work on the Thursday, & went up to Walkerburn via Moffat & the A708.
I'd never driven that way before & really enjoyed the drive, but not
Not being able to get Saturday off, I set off north straight from work on the Thursday, & went up to Walkerburn via Moffat & the A708.
I'd never driven that way before & really enjoyed the drive, but not
 |
| Moffat Water valley from the A708 |
Seeing a conglomeration of cars a little later, I pulled over by a cute bridge & took this of the walkers climbing up to the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall: Defo one for a future visit, & here's a bit from Wiki:
 |
| A708 bridge over the Tail Burn & Grey Mare's Tail hikers walking up the dog-leg |
 |
| Day trippers & campers at the Loch of the Lowes, Yarrow valley |
The waterfall, one of the UK’s highest, plunges 60m down into the Moffat Water Valley. This dramatic upland landscape was created by glacial erosion over millions of years and unfolds further up steep slopes past the waterfall to picturesque Loch Skeen. Towering above the loch are the peaks of Lochcraig Head, Mid Craig and the summit of White Coomb (821m), with breathtaking views extending as far as the Lake District and Northumberland to the south.
Back in the car I continued the scenic drive to the little cafe between the Loch of the Lowes & St Mary's Loch & pulled over for a pit-stop.
tbh, I didn't know there were 2 lochs & took both pics thinking they were of St Mary's Loch!
Well, I know now ;-p
 |
| The Loch of the Lowes, looking SW |
I needed to get to Walkerburn by 1630, & knew I had a couple of B roads to drive, so didn't stop for a pic of the more famous loch. No chance of one from the car, either: too much vegetation in the way!
I reached Walkerburn at 1540 & had a drive round to see what the village had to offer. I'd had no time to do that in March, & was pleased to see the place I'd come to look at was directly above the rugby pitch & would have a view of the Tweed. Great :-)
Sadly, the property wasn't great, so I left for Newburgh at 1637.
I went straight over the junction of the A701/A702 (instead of left above Roslin ~ the place where the famous chapel is), but it was fortuitous because I found an ASDA with cheap petrol. Sorted :-)
Full up, I retraced back to the link road for the A702 at Hillend, & negotiated my way round the Edinburgh by-pass & (eventually) over the Forth Road Bridge.
After that, it was straight up the M90 to J9 (by way of a Burger King Whopper meal at the Kinross services alongside Loch Leven: Google Mary Queen of Scots).
I just made it in time for my 1900 viewing appointment, but the flat was too small, & on a corner across the road from a pub, so that went off the list as well.
2 down, 4 to go tomorrow!
I had arranged AirBnB accom at Scone & thought I'd get there after 9pm after stopping for food in Perth, but - having had the BK, I was fed & watered so I actually got there well ahead of schedule, having driven over 280 miles.
I was welcomed by Tim & his wife (& the dog), & given a delicious pod-coffee before I settled down to watch 2 episodes of The Witcher on the Netflix telly in my 'private' lounge. The bedroom was en-suite as well. Awesome.
Although I'd had a long day (up at 0600 & 5 hours of work before I left), I couldn't sleep on the softer bed that I'm used to, & ended up on the floor wrapped up in the duvet!
Even the floor was comfortable ;-p
Friday
My alarm didn't go off (or if it did I was oblivious), but I woke only slightly later than intended. I grabbed a quick shower & an even quicker coffee in the kitchen before setting off for Alyth at 0820. Tim had gone out with the dog, so I didn't get to say my goodbyes.
My 1st viewing was at 0900 & Gmaps had suggested going down B
roads, but I figured it'd be faster along the A94 to Meigle.
My alarm didn't go off (or if it did I was oblivious), but I woke only slightly later than intended. I grabbed a quick shower & an even quicker coffee in the kitchen before setting off for Alyth at 0820. Tim had gone out with the dog, so I didn't get to say my goodbyes.
My 1st viewing was at 0900 & Gmaps had suggested going down B
 |
| The Alyth Burn from the bridge |
It was, & I got there with enough time to spare to take this pic of the Alyth Burn as it passed alongside the market square. It was where I'd paddled after the 4th day of our Cateran Trail walk back in May'13 (See blog).
There was no parking to the house, but I found a space about 100m away & went for a look.
Bizarrely, the property was less than 50m from the B&B I had stayed at with Hazel & John on our 4th night on the Cateran Trail in 2013, & next door but one to the pub where we'd had dinner that evening.
Unfortunately, the Losset Road property was too small, & there was no view out of the upstairs lounge windows.
Another one off the list.
The next house was less than 5 minutes away on Bamff Rd, & was right next to Alyth Burn. I noticed its noise as we walked up the steps & thought ~ I wanted to hear, see or smell water in my new home, & here I can do 2 of the 3 :-)
Inside it was just about big enough, & the niece of the owner gave me a copy of the Alyth Times which showed me that the community here was up & running, & that the village would be a good place to live. Plus, being on the Cateran Trail might provide extra income from walkers.
This one stayed on the shortlist, & because I spent about 1/2 an hour there, I had to put my foot down a bit to get back past Scone & Perth, & back down the M90 & A912 to Newburgh.
However, wanting to see the iron bridge over the River Isla (which I'd missed by going via the A94), I went via the B roads, & snapped this pic as I approached the bridge.
The rest of the trip back down to the Tay was uneventful, & I pulled up outside with 5 minutes to spare, despite the jolly down country lanes looking for interesting bridges ;-)
The floor plan had shown the single bedroom to span the width of the house, & although I wanted 2 bedrooms, I wanted to see if the large room could be converted into 2 smaller ones.
Nope :-(
House 5 of 6 seen, & the next one was in Ayr ~ on the other coast! ! ! !
The Ayr viewing was scheduled for 1530, so there was time to go down to the river for an early lunch & a pic.
Lunch over, I set off south & west at 1130, & everything went swimmingly until I missed a turn at a roundabout in East Kilbride. Oops!
The journey should have taken a couple of hours or so ~ it was supposed to be about 110 miles from Newburgh to the harbour in Ayr where the flat was, but ~ having missed the turning for the A726, I ended up in Rutherglen, way north of where I should have been.
Thank goodness I was still in time to get to Ayr by 1530 (if I could find my way out of Rutherglen!)
I came to some lights & a sign for the A730, so took that road & pulled over to look at the map. The A730 took me back to East Kilbride, so with the map open I got the heck out of suburban Glasgow & found the A726 at the point I should have taken it nearly an hour before.
All's well that ends well, & I eventually got on to the M77 south in the pouring rain & joined the queues on the A77 going into Ayr about 40 minutes later.
In the end I was 1/2 an hour early, so I took a circular tour of Ayr & made my way back to a Tesco on the A77 for fuel & the loo.
Back at South Harbour St., I parked by the river & went for a look at the flat on the 4th floor of a block situated in the corner between the Ayr River estuary & the sea. The flat itself was lovely, but the view was across the river to the docks, & I didn't fancy that for the rest of my life. Plus, I wasn't too keen on the surroundings: it looked a bit rough.
This thought was reinforced when I got back to sea level & saw a police car & van in the street outside, & saw 7 'polis' standing around.
Having a clear conscience (apart from the rather fast speeds I'd been driving at ;-p ), I asked them the best way to get back to England because Gmaps had suggested 2 routes: One along the A70 to the M74 near Douglas (1 side of a triangle between Ayr, the M74 & Carlisle), & one down the A76 via Dumfries (the hypotenuse!). All the policemen said to use the A70 as being the much quicker route, so off I went at 4 o'clock with over 200 miles still left to go.
I paused at Penrith again at 1815. I knew there was cheap petrol at Morrisons, a loo, & there was the added benefit of doughnuts!
I bought a pack of 5 strawberry ones* for 50p, & ate one after talking to Ray (brother) about the trip & what I'd seen. He suggested a few good points I should ask about Bamff Rd, but that was a job for tomorrow after work.
I eventually reached 171 just before the 8 o'clock news on the radio, & having driven over 600 miles since leaving work the day before.
Phew!
And I still hadn't definitely found a new home :-/
* Eating these I discovered I Much prefer raspberrty ones ;-q
It was another pre-0700 start & I drove all the way to Langholm before stopping at about 0845.
There was no parking to the house, but I found a space about 100m away & went for a look.
Bizarrely, the property was less than 50m from the B&B I had stayed at with Hazel & John on our 4th night on the Cateran Trail in 2013, & next door but one to the pub where we'd had dinner that evening.
Unfortunately, the Losset Road property was too small, & there was no view out of the upstairs lounge windows.
Another one off the list.
The next house was less than 5 minutes away on Bamff Rd, & was right next to Alyth Burn. I noticed its noise as we walked up the steps & thought ~ I wanted to hear, see or smell water in my new home, & here I can do 2 of the 3 :-)
Inside it was just about big enough, & the niece of the owner gave me a copy of the Alyth Times which showed me that the community here was up & running, & that the village would be a good place to live. Plus, being on the Cateran Trail might provide extra income from walkers.
This one stayed on the shortlist, & because I spent about 1/2 an hour there, I had to put my foot down a bit to get back past Scone & Perth, & back down the M90 & A912 to Newburgh.
 |
| The Isla River iron bridge |
The floor plan had shown the single bedroom to span the width of the house, & although I wanted 2 bedrooms, I wanted to see if the large room could be converted into 2 smaller ones.
Nope :-(
House 5 of 6 seen, & the next one was in Ayr ~ on the other coast! ! ! !
The Ayr viewing was scheduled for 1530, so there was time to go down to the river for an early lunch & a pic.
 |
| The Tay at Newburgh |
The journey should have taken a couple of hours or so ~ it was supposed to be about 110 miles from Newburgh to the harbour in Ayr where the flat was, but ~ having missed the turning for the A726, I ended up in Rutherglen, way north of where I should have been.
Thank goodness I was still in time to get to Ayr by 1530 (if I could find my way out of Rutherglen!)
I came to some lights & a sign for the A730, so took that road & pulled over to look at the map. The A730 took me back to East Kilbride, so with the map open I got the heck out of suburban Glasgow & found the A726 at the point I should have taken it nearly an hour before.
All's well that ends well, & I eventually got on to the M77 south in the pouring rain & joined the queues on the A77 going into Ayr about 40 minutes later.
In the end I was 1/2 an hour early, so I took a circular tour of Ayr & made my way back to a Tesco on the A77 for fuel & the loo.
Back at South Harbour St., I parked by the river & went for a look at the flat on the 4th floor of a block situated in the corner between the Ayr River estuary & the sea. The flat itself was lovely, but the view was across the river to the docks, & I didn't fancy that for the rest of my life. Plus, I wasn't too keen on the surroundings: it looked a bit rough.
This thought was reinforced when I got back to sea level & saw a police car & van in the street outside, & saw 7 'polis' standing around.
Having a clear conscience (apart from the rather fast speeds I'd been driving at ;-p ), I asked them the best way to get back to England because Gmaps had suggested 2 routes: One along the A70 to the M74 near Douglas (1 side of a triangle between Ayr, the M74 & Carlisle), & one down the A76 via Dumfries (the hypotenuse!). All the policemen said to use the A70 as being the much quicker route, so off I went at 4 o'clock with over 200 miles still left to go.
I paused at Penrith again at 1815. I knew there was cheap petrol at Morrisons, a loo, & there was the added benefit of doughnuts!
I bought a pack of 5 strawberry ones* for 50p, & ate one after talking to Ray (brother) about the trip & what I'd seen. He suggested a few good points I should ask about Bamff Rd, but that was a job for tomorrow after work.
I eventually reached 171 just before the 8 o'clock news on the radio, & having driven over 600 miles since leaving work the day before.
Phew!
And I still hadn't definitely found a new home :-/
* Eating these I discovered I Much prefer raspberrty ones ;-q
Part 6. July 31st: I go in a big circle
 |
| The confluence of Ewes Water & the River Esk |
 |
| Ditto from water level |
I was due for my first viewing at 1030, & I got there ahead of schedule. I parked on Kirk Wynd & had a brief wander round the market square, where I found this Selkirk info-board.
While I looked round, the owner took her dog out (due to COVID19 restrictions), & although this was also quite nice (like the Birkenshaw house), it only had a view of a field. Plus, it was located at the SW extreme of my search parameters, so didn't have enough going for it to remain on my list.
Before I set off south at 1500 (having already done 323 miles), I ate 1 of the butties I'd brought & called Ray to see if he would go online & find a garage in Dumfries which had the right size of tyre, & then call me back with directions.
He wasn't answering (apparently he was walking in the Quantocks with Carol), so I left a message & set off SE towards New Galloway.
The A713 was another of those amazing Scottish driving routes, & another I would like to revisit when I wasn't rushing to get to Dumfries before the tyre shops closed.
I did get stuck behind a horsebox when E of Loch Doon ~ amazing views :-)), but got past it after Carsphairn, & did another 'hypotenuse' drive along the A712 to meet the A75 into Dumfries.
A bloke gave me directions to McConechy's garage when I made a loo stop at a Tesco, & I got there with just enough time to get a new tyre before they closed.
While I waited I ate the 2nd butty & texted Ray to say the 'emergency' was over. He was still walking!
I left Dumfries as the 1700 news was on West FM & got to the M6 south shortly after. So far my circuit had taken 10 hours, I'd driven nearly 380 miles, & wasn't much closer to finding my 'forever home' :-/
Just sort of 2 hours later I got to the M55, & found the eastern carriageway was full of traffic.
It looked like all the sun-seeking, beach bums were all on their way home at the same time!
Sadly, the views advertised on RightMove weren't as good as I'd hoped, so - as it was an upper "maisonette", I said 'thanks but no thanks' to the Agent & went west towards Galston where my next viewing was scheduled for 1330.
I had originally hoped to see another on Carlisle Rd. in Birkenshaw in between Selkirk & Galston, but the Igloo Agent had not got back to arrange, so I had a little while extra which I used to check the outside of a property in Innerleithen (on my way along the A72). I was awaiting the Home Report for this one & didn't want to view until I'd seen it.
The cottage was a short way up the B709 (which I had travelled on July 3rd ~ see above ;-p ), & looked lovely from the outside. Then, on my way back down to the A72 I received a telecall from Igloo asking if I wanted to view Carlisle Rd. I knew I'd be struggling to get there & spend time viewing before getting to Galston for 1330, but said yes, & that I hoped to get there for 1230.
I just made it - no thanks to loads of roadworks, lorries I couldn't get past, & 'Hats' ;-p (Hats being drivers who wear hats & drive slowly!)
The Birkenshaw semi was quite nice, big enough, but only looked out over fields (rather than the moorland/hills/woods I was hoping for), & was on a busy road by junction 8 of the M74. It was a 'possible', though.
As I stood chatting to the lady vendor I noticed I had a flat tyre. Eeek!
I knew there'd be no way I could change it & get to Galston in time, plus I had to try & find somewhere to get another tyre for the trip back down the M-way.
As I was calling the Galston Agent to cancel the viewing, the 'man of the house' arrived home & kindly changed my tyre for me.
What a Gent :-D
It was just before 1 before I was back on the A71 west, & when I stopped at a Sainsbury petrol station in Strathaven I asked a local who gave me directions to a tyre place in Galston.
It was close to the route to my next viewing, but not on the route I'd written down (Blair St., Galston to Viaduct View, Dalrymple), but although the tyre place did not have my size of tyre (& suggested trying Dumfries!), the bloke in Reception kindly printed me out a Gmap route from the garage to Dalrymple.
It was a bit of an overland trip, & although it initally went SW along the A719 then SE down the A76, I then had to take to the B roads after Mauchline & went via Stair & Schaw to the A70 NE of Dalrymple. According to Wiki, the name Dalrymple comes from Gaelic meaning "flat field of the crooked pool or river".
Keeping my pedal to the metal, I made it in time to Viaduct View ~ which actually had no view whatsoever of the viaduct I'd passed under just before I got to the village. Here's a bit from Google about it:
This viaduct carries the railway from Dalrymple Junction to Dalmellington, which now runs only to Chalmerston Opencast mine. The line opened on 7th August 1856, and 152 years later it still carries trains. The line was closed to passengers on 6th April 1964.
 |
| Pic courtesy of Scot-rail |
Before I set off south at 1500 (having already done 323 miles), I ate 1 of the butties I'd brought & called Ray to see if he would go online & find a garage in Dumfries which had the right size of tyre, & then call me back with directions.
He wasn't answering (apparently he was walking in the Quantocks with Carol), so I left a message & set off SE towards New Galloway.
The A713 was another of those amazing Scottish driving routes, & another I would like to revisit when I wasn't rushing to get to Dumfries before the tyre shops closed.
I did get stuck behind a horsebox when E of Loch Doon ~ amazing views :-)), but got past it after Carsphairn, & did another 'hypotenuse' drive along the A712 to meet the A75 into Dumfries.
A bloke gave me directions to McConechy's garage when I made a loo stop at a Tesco, & I got there with just enough time to get a new tyre before they closed.
While I waited I ate the 2nd butty & texted Ray to say the 'emergency' was over. He was still walking!
I left Dumfries as the 1700 news was on West FM & got to the M6 south shortly after. So far my circuit had taken 10 hours, I'd driven nearly 380 miles, & wasn't much closer to finding my 'forever home' :-/
Just sort of 2 hours later I got to the M55, & found the eastern carriageway was full of traffic.
 |
| It had been the hottest day of the summer so far, & this queue was those trying to escape Blackpool on the M55 |
When I got back to 171 I had been out for 12 hours & put another 457 miles on the clock.
I had also noticed that today's 'road-kill' was foxes rather than the badgers & deer I'd seen expired on the road side previously.
My next trip (& blog) is due to start on my birthday. I have plans to go west over the water of the Upper Firth of Clyde to the Cowal Peninsula, & I wonder what I'll see!
Whatever it is, I hope it includes a house where I want to spend the rest of my life.
Meanwhile, here are some pics of 171 from its advert on RightMove.
I must say, I'm quite impressed, but so far no-one else is, & it's still for sale :-(
 |
| The kitchen |
 |
| Ditto from the opposite corner |
 |
| & from the corner by the hall door |
 |
| The lounge from the hall door |
 |
| Ditto from the alcove corner |
 |
| The main bedroom from the landing |
 |
| Ditto from the wardrobe corner |
 |
| The back bedroom |
 |
| The bathroom with its spa bath |
 |
| The loft room - where I currently write my blogs! |
This has been a long blog, & (thanks to COVID19) 5 months in the making.
Also, in case you are wondering, I took Brechin off the list for being too big (more bedrooms than 171), & both the Wanlockhead & Leadhills houses off for being too small & no gas CH/HW.
The Bamff Rd one in Alyth is hanging on in there as of today - 2 8 20!
I don't know how long it will be before I find my home where I "can hear the wind in the trees, see, hear or smell water, & see the hills or mountains", but I'll keep looking until I do.
For now ~
OAO
