We left the Cumbrian countryside via a lattice of Roman roads and soon found ourselves at the 'Welcome to Scotland' sign. Stopping to take a picture we came across another pair of End to Enders, going in the same direction as us, and taking the same number of days. We took each other's pictures and exchanged a few words, discovering that they were also spending the night at the same town as us. However, this pair was camping and loaded down with so much kit, we felt quite sorry for them when we saw them struggle up the hill after the sign, and were certain to see them again. They must have hated us. Not only did we pass them soon after, we were then leaving lunch just as they were sitting down, and when they got to Innerleithen and were wondering aimlessly looking for their campsite, we were heading out for a pre-dinner pint of the local Traquair Ale. We wished them well on their journey.

Touring isn't competitive like cycling and you don't spend your time chasing people up climbs like Box Hill. 40km to go isn't one hours ride, it's closer to two. Staring at your bike computer doesn't show heart rate, speed and power, it shows you a map and a purple line. It's about completing the journey, rather than how fast you get there. Engage "granny gear" and wait patiently until you reach the top.

We stopped for lunch in Langholm for no reason other than the knowledge that this was going to be the last civilisation we would see until Innerleithen. After that, we joined the B709 which Andy has declared the 'Best Road in Britain'.

Our journey through the Lake District was amazing, and just when we thought it couldn't get any better - it just did. The Lake District was full of people and we unfortunately had a constant stream of BMW Z4's on some sort of Jeremy Clarkson day out. Our journey to the Scottish Boarders was quite the opposite. We saw one car in the first 10km after leaving the B&B. When we joined the B709, we saw about 3 cars… over 50km.

It wasn't just the cars. The scenery was stunning. Buttercups, daisies and poppies lined the road, and fields of foxgloves emerged between the pine forests. At one point we took a deep breath in and the air smelt of honey. The road worked its way up and down the valley and below we could see the river Esk carving its way through the landscape. Sheep and cows grazed around us. Andy turned to me and said 'can you hear anything?' Silence. We couldn't hear anything but the gentle whir of our wheels and our breath. It was so peaceful, that we passed a man sitting in a deckchair next to his car reading the paper. I wondered whether he had a talkative wife.

We sat on the bank overlooking the valley to have an afternoon snack and Andy mused over how the Shepherds herd their sheep that were scattered for miles around us. We found out later that all you need is a dog, a whistle, and a quad bike!

Best restaurant in Innerleithen is the local curry so off we go again for Britain's favourite.

Todays Statistics:

Distance: 117km

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/197497122