Day 10 - Bolton le Sands to Swindon


Sunday 12/05/2019
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Our final cold night in the tent went well - put to sleep by a warming meal and several ales. We awoke to the sound of the sea and glorious sunshine again. We had a bit of a long doze as we were in no real hurry and the  got up for a top fry-up in a local cafe before packing-up and heading home.
The ride home was rather boring and uneventful with stops for coffee, cake and fuel (and to stretch our legs). In no time at all we were back in Swindon and enjoying the sunshine and warmth in the back garden.
Reviewing some of the photos and video footage reminded us of what a great trip this had been and how much it is possible to cram into 10 days on this island that we call home. Nigh on 2000 miles, but most of those through great countryside with sights to die for. As a route it was almost perfect.
Would I change anything if I did it again? Warmer gloves. Better luggage (or ideally not have a passenger or just stay in B&Bs). That said, without a tent / camper-van, you will never experience the chance to stay in lovely places such as Mellon Udrigle Beach. Spend more time on the West Coast - should have literally just done 100 miles per day there at most as it was stunning and a waste to rush. Whilst we enjoyed Skye, the West Coast was generally even nicer. Durness was cool, but the run from there to John o'Groats was pretty barren in the main. John o'Groats was OK - especially the hike and views at Duncansby Head. Another day would have been handy to do a tour of the sites on Orkney. The East Coast was nice, was not a patch on the West Coast. That said, the roads were faster and it passed very quickly. I suspect that as a walking route it is better with some of the sites being away from the road. Lake District was lovely both times, but it's relatively busy and is probably packed-out completely in Summer. Skip the Hardknott and Wynrose passes unless you are feeling brave. Whilst the views really were amazing, I didn't notice them at the time due to the total concentration demanded by the road!
Brilliant - who would have thought there was such a trip to be had without catching the ferry over to the continent. Hats-off to Scotland - so much better than we could have ever imagined....

Mileage: 1983
Country count: 2 (GB - England, Scotland)
Beers: 56 + 1 Whiskey
Fines: 0
Bribes: 0
Ass pain: 6/10
Mechanical issues: 0.5 (well Dino's sat-nav fell-off and I had to cable tie a water hose to stop it rubbing)
Accidents: 0 (could had been a couple of big ones on the Hardknott Pass)
Wetness: 0/10
Coldness: 1/10
Midges: 1/10







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