July 5th – Under way at last …..

Well , Well my fellow Sassenachs’ …… pleased to report that all went well on ‘warm up’ Day 1 – coupled with a teency, tiny amount of schadenfreude that Aged Stamina can still show the young Strider that headlong speed through the Shire – rarely pays ‘orf 😎

Striders feet will require a few medicinal slaps😜 but look good for the ‘morrow 🤣

In the meantime first aid is being administered via an ancient brew 😳

From what is the edge of Glasgow- unrestricted built up cityscape – weirdly you instantly enter green parkland and then countryside – at first dotted with imaginary sculpture …..

Within 2 miles passing almost unnoticed – a memorial to a fire . Unlike every other fire memorial I know – this was not to some disaster , this was / is a fire of hope . The Craigallian campfire burned continuously from 1920 to the eve of the Second World War – giving a welcome and and hope at a time of poverty& economic depression .

Still 10% sunshine and 90% ‘Dreich” …. Swollen rivers and rainforest humidity meant we stayed warm and soaked all day.

It was then that Young Strider Felt quite at home as we passed bizarrely into someone’s hobbit fantasy ??

Considering the nature and climate around here I think it’s someone’s sick joke that the village & traditional first night stop is called ………

Because we certainly weren’t!

We had a great B&B with a lovely courtyard

…….. and dinner was at this fabulous 300-year-old pub restaurant where we sampled some award winning local fayre – “ Cullen Skink followed by Haggis Bonbons anyone?“ – Totally fabulous.

……. tomorrow gets tougher