Today started in the Scottish country mansion, early! The owner sleeps in the turret and rises at 5-30. He runs the place virtually single handed and you can hear him thundering about on the old creepy floorboards! Breakfast was quite something; he asked us last night if we'd like a nice plate of fruit as a starter and it turns out he prides himself on surprising foreign visitors with a plate of fruit like they've never seen before. The portions are enormous and would easily suffice as a full breakfast. But then he brings what he calls a full Scottish breakfast and, boy it contained most of Scotland! As well as the expected egg, sausage and bacon (lots) there is the flat Scottish sausage, a mountain of mushrooms, tomato and beans. I told him I didn't want black pudding but didn't notice (or it didn't say) there was a huge amount of haggis too! So, yes I've now eaten haggis (if you live there you must have to get used to it as they seem to include a dollop of haggis in all sorts of dishes!)
I was determined to clear my plate to uphold English honour but he was a bit disappointed; his mission is to outface people so he prefers it if you can't eat it all.
So, we wandered down from Edinburgh to Carlisle, down the A7 which is a fabulous old fashioned driving road with light traffic; I didn't think we still had such roads and that it was necessary to go to France to find them. The Insignia hire car is the Sri version and it came alive on those roads.
We stopped in several border towns and had a walk round but no coffee and cake today; too full of breakfast. Two places had M& Co but mum only went in one and didn't buy anything; think she's getting bored with it.
I'd heard that a visit to Carlisle was worth it; it's not, it's downmarket and has nothing of note to look at. Thankfully tonight's b&b is in the country a few miles out of Carlisle. We were still too full of breakfast so had a mars bar for tea (well I had a cheese sandwich as well) but then we discovered Hadrian's Wall. It turns out it's not just a propaganda tale put out by some bloke called Adrian who thinks it sounds posh to pronounce his name with an H; there really is a wall. I'd never seen it before. Not to be too critical though, but it could do with some maintenance. It's falling down in places.