I finally found this lovely little tents only site. After going up and down this stretch of busy road the owner came out to stand by the road and greeted me by name. We are close to Barnard Castle (something keeps drawing me back there) where I’ve picked up meat garlic and Ginger and vegetables for stir fry from the Co-Op.
Somewhere on the A1 in a Diner waiting for my all day breakfast. It’s lunchtime and the sun is still shining but 2 and 1/2 hours of riding have been tiring. As planned I rode through Stamford but had little sense that I was going in a straight line north. It’s funny how mental topology is so easily tampered with.
Tomorrow I’m heading north – as far as I can go. Armed with ‘Cool Campsites Scotland’ and most of the usual paraphernalia I drag around on the bike I’m planning to spend a fortnight riding around and camping it up in the western isles and highlands. My first night will be in Co Durham at the auspiciously named Gallows Hill campsite. The site gets good reviews though nearly all of them mention that it was raining. My second night will be staying with a friend in Ayr. She also casually mentioned ‘I hope it stops raining for you’. Its beautiful sun here in Cambridge but obviously raining in Scotland. So, here’s my first holiday on the bike that hasn’t needed ferries booked, currency changing, phrase book purchasing and meticulous planning.