Day 21 – Edinburgh to Norham
So. Now in England, by about 300 metres.
Shored up at a pub in Norham.
Am feeling mega tired, so have decided to take a day off.
The ride down to Newcastle is 80 miles or so.
At current energy levels, I don’t think I could handle it.
I’ve decided to have a day off around Norham, the first village in England.
Yesterday was pretty hard. I had to get up and get my laundry done.
Dalmore Lodge guest house
My host at the guest house had a go at me for leaving my bike in the back garden. I didn’t even know he was the host until he started serving breakfast for me in the morning!
They left the keys out for me in a safe, and then I met someone in the hallway, which turned out to be the host, but never let me know he was the B&B owner or issued any greeting of any sort.
When I got up in the morning, he was serving breakfast!
I went out to get the laundry, when I came back, there was no-one around, as usual. I had to send him a text to let him know I was going to check-out.
When he re-appeared. He gave me my receipt and said he’d already charged me because he thought I’d left.
He knew I hadn’t left because all my stuff was still in my room. I’d left the TV on. And when I got back it had turned itself off.
It was like he was avoiding me the whole way through.
Worst treatment I’ve had at any B&B anywhere, almost as bad as the Hyatt Imperial, Cairo. Stank of sh*t.
Through the borderlands
So, on I went. Through the towns and villages of Scotland, on to the border lands and now in England.
When I turned up at the pub, they told me I had arrived a day early.
This is really not surprising, the wifi at Dalmore Lodge stopped working last night, and I wasn’t able to confirm my bookings.
The Masons Arms
Is where I was supposed to be staying, turns out I was a night early.
I explained I must have got my bookings confused, and what did she think. As luck would have it, I don’t think my body could have taken any more cycling.
A phone call away gave me a local salmon fishermans lodge called Dolmore House.
I’m going to shore up here for a day, rest, get a haircut. Visit Berwick and Lindisfarne.
The inscription on the gate reads, “je pense forward”, which translates to – “I think forward”.
2 thoughts on “Day 21 – Edinburgh to Norham”
Ahhh a bit stressful…but you coped…..nice that the phone call found you somewhere to stay to rest. You sound very tired….a couple of days rest might be even better than just the one 🙂 I’m glad the wind has changed direction and is now blowing from the north. Hope you sleep and chill for the whole day….leave the bike to rest too….a trip to the barber is always restful…followed by a meander at leisure…then a nice meal; watch telly for a bit then bed…and wouldn’t it be lovely to not have a 2nd day to laze and revitalise..then you would probably enjoy the cycle to Newcastle all the more 🙂 Take care …don’t push yourself too hard..enjoy, stay safe 🙂
Hi – I only just looked at your blog – wifi is very slow here and in truth we have avoided the laptop as much as possible except to try to get ourselves sorted. Your journey looks hard work at times, but at least you’re moving – we shall not get out of here until tomorrow earliest. That’s 18 nights in/near to Bordeaux – but NOT as bad as 18 nights inDalmore Lodge, I imagine 🙂 Saga not over yet !!!!!
Well done for all the effort – I will read the blog when less stressed myself, and with a higher connection speed.