DAY 19 - CROSS COUNTRY CHALLENGES

EDINBURGH TO LAUDER

Headed out of Edinburgh this morning on another drizzly morning and began with a mile and half walk just to get to the bus stop to get the number 52 bus directly to Lauder Cross.

We arrived at our B & B Lornebank directly in the High Street by 10.30 where we had already pre-arranged to leave the bags for the day so we could walk freely unhindered! Margot our delightful hostess was so accommodating and was all ready and waiting for us and even had an Ordnance Survey map and circular walk maps at the ready for us to use on our day out!  There was even a beautiful stained glass window in the hallway!

We chose a circulare 13 mile walk beginning near Thirlestane Castle which turned out to be nearer to 17 once we had done a few detours but it was beautiful out in the (wet!) fresh air and the whole route map turned into a bit of a treasure hunt following the instructions and wondering if we had taken the right turns!! It was most rewarding though to get to each landmark and know that whilst we had been wondering for the last 20 minutes if we had made the right choice, that yes we actually had!  The lovely stiles were all built into the wall most conveniently and made it easy getting over the high stone walls which otherwise may have been tricky.

We met a couple of Bill and Ben walkers who actually confused us over our route by telling us all the mistakes they had made on their walk and what directions NOT to go in! After hearing their muddled version of the right way to walk, we really did feel thoroughly confused so just returned back to our liitle map book and went on our merry way!!

Immanuel did note that after 4 hours in the country, it did all look a little 'samey' with green hill and field after another (!) but it was a lovely route and we even managed a bit of running down some of the hills to keep our joints moving!  I have a feeling that we may be paying for such a challenging walk today but we will see!  Some of the hills really were so steep and it was definitely the hardest day to date, as far as difficulty levels were concerned!  (Yes, sorry Megs, they were even harder hills than yours on Saturday!!)

We arrived back by 4pm, only fit for baths and a lie down after such a strenuous day!!!  Margot very kindly put on a big load of washing for us and we went out for a bite to eat at the local Black Bull.  Unfortunately the service was lacking and whilst the food was of a good standard, we had everything served in drips and drabs so decided not to bother staying for dessert.

Complimentary night caps were a lovely finishing touch to the day at our B & B, so one port and whisky later, it was time for an early night and some crossed fingers that our muscles wont be too sore for a repeat day tomorrow!