Kirkpatrick C2C

[dimrub]

Thanks @DCLane for the inspiration, me and Daniel are now lounging in the Caledonian sleeper lounge, waiting to board said train which is currently delayed.

Tomorrow we're planning to disembark at Carlisle, take a train to Dumfries, then a bus to Castle Douglas. The good folks of Galloway cycling will pick us up there and bring us - and the bikes we hired from them - to Stranraer. And then it is on. We plan for 5 days of cycling, with stops at Newton Stewart, Castle Douglas, Langholm and Newtown st. Boswells, with the finish at Eyemouth.

 

[Jotheboat]

Brilliant, best of luck.

 

[Brandane]

Been looking at this route, and a variation of it is on my "to do" list (once the rain stops ).
I did a C2C last year from Berwick on Tweed to Largs, which covered part of the eastern section of the Kirkpatrick route.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/11333067520
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/11334796946
(above 2 rides were both day 1, stupid operator error pressed save ride instead of pause in Kelso!)
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/11341834295
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/11350230239

 

[IaninSheffield]

A wonderful and overlooked area for cycling. just back from four days or peaceful, often traffic-free cycling based from Castle Douglas.
Hope you enjoy(ed) yours as much as we did.

 

[dimrub]

I'm now in Langholm, at the end of our third day. Aside from crazy headwind for quite a few hours today, it was a pleasure so far. The traffic is indeed light and the landscapes are spectacular. We hope to be in Newtown St Boswells tomorrow and finish in Eyemouth the day after that. I booked us a train from Edinburgh, so we'll have a few hours to explore there as well.

Esther and Warren of Galloway Cycling were extremely accommodating and friendly, the trip wouldn't have taken place without their assistance.

 

[dimrub]

We're in Eyemouth. I was planning to provide detailed accounts of the journey, photos included, but we were way too tired every evening, physically as well as mentally, for me to attempt any such thing. It was a blast though. The weather played ball for the most part - except getting us soaking wet on the first day and battling us to a standstill with headwind on the third day, in the hills between Lockerbie and Langholm. We've been told we were lucky - it rained cats and dogs for two weeks prior to our arrival.

The route is amazingly well marked - on par with EV6, which says something. It's mostly quiet, though we had our share of busy roads (and I regret to inform that not all drivers were as considerate as I expected them to be after my Lon Las Cymru experience). The people were friendly, the second hand book shops - well stocked, the food (with a single exception of a Chinese take-away in Newton Stewart) very good, the accommodations (with a single exception of a rather strange experience in Crossmichael) excellent, in short, it was an excellent ride.

Tomorrow we have another 13k to ride to Berwick-on-Tweed, where we'll return our bikes and board a train to Edinburgh. The plan is to spend a few hours there, then board a first of 3 trains that will bring us to Luton, and the day after tomorrow we have an early flight home.

 

[Jotheboat]

Well done!

 

[dimrub]

I thought we hardly took any photos. I was wrong. Here are some.

 

[dimrub]

And more

 

[dimrub]

And still more...

 

[dimrub]

And a final installment

 

[tyred]

I recognise a few of those places from my own tour earlier in the year.

 

[Jotheboat]

And a final installment

That little suspension bridge, is that the one just outside Berwick? If so, I crossed it doing a circular trip round there a couple of weeks ago. Nice part of the world. Anyhow, good for you, looks a great trip.

 

[dimrub]

That little suspension bridge, is that the one just outside Berwick? If so, I crossed it doing a circular trip round there a couple of weeks ago. Nice part of the world. Anyhow, good for you, looks a great trip.

Nope. It's this one. We finished our route in Eyemouth, but then on the next morning rode on to Berwick to return our bikes and board our train. That last stretch was a bit unnerving, riding along the A1. Eventually, we never rode in the traffic - first there was some grass on the side of the road, then there was a detour we took, and then a cycling path started.

 

[DCLane]

@dimrub - you've taken a nice set of photos there.

I took the train back from Reston, rather than Berwick. It's a quieter road to the station there as there's a B-road to Coldingham and a back road to Reston which has a nice new station.