With rain promised from this evening till Monday I didn’t need much persuading to go for a ride when Phil phoned. He has had self-confessed lazyitus where bikes are concerned since he came back from his ‘long-weekend’ thrash to Austria and it was good to feel the road beneath our wheels again.
St Mary’s Loch tearoom was our target but we took the ‘long way round’ by Lockerbie and Eskdalemuir. A good choice despite the fact the hill road was officially closed after passing the Yeti’s Temple.
After the Yeti’s Temple it got a bit muddy but no problem really and we just chilled out and enjoyed the ride through the beautiful Border hills. When we came to the road closed section the JCB operator moved his machine off to the side and we were waved through.
The little church in Capercleuch by St Mary’s Loch caught my eye sitting there in full sun so the camera came out again. Turns out it is now a house and the owner came down for a natter over the gate. To my surprise we knew him! He was the previous operator of St Mary’s Loch tearoom which was our next port of call. When my pie and chips were served I was wishing he was still the proprietor. It was poor tucker!
With me muttering into my helmet about the nosh we backtracked to Capercleuch and swung left on to the Meggat Dam single-track road. After a photo sesh at the top of Broad Law we followed it all the way through to Tweedsmuir.
from-a-distance 