Distance: 20.1 miles
Time: 5 hrs 40 mins
Weather: Rain
Cumulative distance: 358.2 miles
RAIN! Waterproofs on, head down, feet forward. A day of endurance.
I checked out of another friendly hotel and the management kindly made a donation to the cause.
I thought I was going to get off lightly with the promised rain, but after a mile it soon became apparent that this would not be the case.
I knew from my route planning that this was not a particularly inspiring day's walking, so I could let my mind drift and keep stepping closer to my destination, trying to be oblivious to the rain. My companions on the quiet B road for the entire route were the A74(M) motorway and the Glasgow to Carlisle railway line, with occasional exchanges of position as we progressed down the wind turbine lined Clyde Valley.
I noticed that my maps were becoming soggy and, on closer inspection, discovered that my plastic map cover had split. Fortunately, today's routing was straightforward and didn't really require cartographic assistance.
A few people have enquired about my mapping for the journey. With the exception of the long distance footpaths, for which I have dedicated guide maps, my daily routes have been sourced from Ordnance Survey Getamap, an online version of 1:25,000 scale mapping. Each day's route is captured on 6 to 8 A4 sheets, which avoids the need to purchase and carry multiple copies of the original map.
As I walked up the tree-lined driveway of my B&B, Sally the owner and her young daughter Samantha were walking towards me and announced that they'd locked themselves out and were just heading to a neighbour's to collect the spare key. Ten minutes later they returned without key - the neighbour was unexpectedly out. Out came the ladders and, as I supported the base, Sally climbed upstairs in squeezed in through my open bedroom window.
After the drama, it was good to soak in another hot bath and dry my damp clothes.
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