It has been dull and cool here recently but, for the sake of
my sanity, I had to get out on the bike. So I wrapped up and headed for
the coldest place I know.
The villages of Leadhills and Wanlockhead are the highest
and (probably) coldest in the country. Surprisingly they aren't in the
Highlands but only 36 miles south of Glasgow in the Southern Uplands. They owe their existence to the gold, silver &
lead, that were mined in this area.
 |
| Leadhills |
 |
| Miners'
cottages |
 |
| As in
other places wind turbines are a contentious issue |
 |
| The
graveyard contains the tomb of John Taylor who allegedly lived to the age of
137 |
 |
| His story,
and I'm sure it's just a story |
 |
| The miners'
library is the oldest subscription library in the country |
 |
| The red
roads of Lanarkshire. The red stone comes from the Cairngryffe quarry near
Biggar. I worked in the local roads department and this stone was known to be
slippery in the wet. So be careful if you find yourself on a red road in the
rain. |
 |
| The roads
in the area were quiet and pleasantly winding |
 |
| You know when
you're on the real back roads when there's a strip of grass up the middle |
 |
| I continued
on to Dumfries and then Glencaple. Here the River Nith is about to enter the
Solway Firth |
 |
| East of
Dumfries I came across the Brow Well. The iron-rich water was once thought to be benificial for various ailments. I wasn't able to put it to the test since the well was dry. |
 |
| On a bend in
a back road near Lockerbie I got a fright when I met this surface dressing.
This is cheap way of resurfacing the road. Stone chips are spread on a coat of
bitumen. It remains slippery until the traffic has compacted it and dispersed
the surplus stone. |
Nice that you manage little traffic on your ride. Your loose rock surface looks like what we call "chip seal" The oil/bitumen is spread and the rock then spread on top until the cars compact it just as it is there.
ReplyDeleteHow has your summer weather been so far? We are on the 44th parallel and it seems to be an odd mix this year but you are about 10˚ further north.
It was very nice here in May, but less so since then. Something to do with the position of the jetstream. Our weather tends to be very changeable. I just keep an eye on the BBC weather website and get out when I can.
DeleteGlad to see you back on the road. You seem to be healing quickly. The rock chips are nasty. I have encountered this way of cheap road sealing in Italy and North America... ride safely, Stuart.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Yes the shoulder is healing nicely, the odd twinge, but mostly ok. Strangely riding the bike doesn't cause it any pain and it is good to get out and about.
Delete