Day 2, Northenden to Glenfarg

Up and sorted and on the road before 9am. First stop 32 Bargap Road, Oldham, the Shaw family home, about 30 mins away. Quick photoshoot outside, then on our way to Boundary Park, home of Oldham Athletic. Next stop, about a mile away, Laburnham Avenue, the family home till 1965. I was born there. Another photo shoot, then we hit the road again, heading for the Ribblehead Viaduct. No connection for mum here but as our route was running nearby, we decided we may as well pay a visit. We had an early lunch in the Station Inn. Pork and black pudding pies and pork and chilli jam pies, washed down with a pot of coffee. I can honestly say, these were the best pork pies I have ever eaten. After a walk to the viaduct we headed off in the direction of the M6 and Penrith, for our next fuel stop. Penrith junction was manic, absolutely rammed but fuelled up we headed up the Hartside pass. I had the go-pro fitted, so there'll be some footage to view at some point. The run up the pass was spoilt by the inevitable tin boxes but still enjoyable. This route cross country is great.

 

32 Bargap Road

We took a comfort break at Brunton Turret, part of Hadrians Wall and then a coffee stop as we crossed the border into Scotland. It was gone 3pm and we still had almost 100 miles to go. The going has been slow, due to traffic and speed cameras but we soon hit Edinburgh and the Forth Road Bridge. The rail bridge looks pretty good from this close up.

With a quick blast up M9, before we knew it, we had arrived at the Bein Inn, Glenfarg. We pulled up about 18:30, quite chilly and thoroughly fed up with the ride. 305 miles is just a little too much for one day and we were both glad it was over. At least we didn't need waterproofs today, though we did have a few spots of rain on occasions. Fingers crossed for tomorrow but forecast looks a bit iffy.

Bein Inn, Glenfarg

Fed, watered (read beered), including gratis liqueurs, we are now ready for kip. We have spent almost 10 hours on the road today, so sleep will come quite quickly I should imagine.

Tomorrow is the big day. We have a 95 mile ride to Loch an Eilein and the final farewell for Ma. After that we'll head across to Spean Bridge and the Commando Monument, to Fort William, through Glen Coe and to our bed for the night, on the east bank of Loch Lomond.