Tuesday June 26th

Breakfast was in the massive dining / living room and I had a plate of fruit ready for me to eat along with all the rest of the usual Breakfast foods.  It was very enjoyable and the owners were asking us about Archaeology while we were eating!  As we left, Tess chased the car on her side of the fence until she couldn't go any further!

Onward to Penrith, our first stop was at Neptune's Staircase, a series of canal locks well known in Scotland.  Funnily enough we seemed to have timed it just right – not only did we see the lowest lock opening, but we also saw the swing bridge open to let the boats through!  What are the chances of that?!

Continuing on, we drove through Glen Coe and stopped off at various places to take photos, including the Visitors Centre.  The weather was very nice, warm, sunny and high cloud so we could see plenty on our trip today, we could see the mountain tops quite clearly.  Mathew said it was the first time he'd seen Glen Coe in the sunshine!  I’m not sure if I’ve ever been there before, but in the sun, it is truly stunning.

Continuing on, we stopped off at a little place on Loch Lomond for lunch before carrying on to Bothwell Castle which is just outside Glasgow.  Bothwell played a key role in Scotland’s Wars of Independence, changed hands many times, has endured several sieges and has been rebuilt many times.  We then powered on down the motorway and before we knew it we were back in England when we saw the “Welcome to Cumbria” sign.  Further down the motorway we came off at Penrith where we found our B&B for the night.  We chilled out by watching the remaining day's tennis at Wimbledon before setting out for our evening meal with Mathew's sister, Amy, who lives and works in the Lake District and suggested we all meet up for dinner.

By the time we got back to England, we had actually managed to change all of our Scottish notes.  I do find it strange how many places in England will not accept Scottish notes.  It is legal tender in the entire UK, and by law everyone should accept them as payment.  But the further south you go in England, the less likely you'll be able to find somewhere which will accept Scottish notes.  I wonder what the Scottish do when they holiday in England – I wonder if they just take some money out after they've crossed the borders?  The odd thing about Scottish notes is that there are 3 different sets – The Royal Bank of Scotland, The Bank of Scotland, and The Clydesdale Bank.  I don't think I have even come across this anywhere else!