2015-03-28 Day 25 Sat Thyme Cottage - Falkirk

There’s about 300 miles (approx.. (very) 450km ) to cover today and the weather is awful.

Really a very boring day apart from dodging the snowploughs near Dalwhinnie !! Weather in that part of the world just seems a bit more extreme than elsewhere. Of course it must be something to do with the altitude as from there on I seem to be going forever downhill and the snow eventually disappears.

I have decided to go via Falkirk to see the “Falkirk Wheel” … this is a device to replace series of locks, yes that’s the correct spelling for this device, in a boat canal.

Fortunately there is a break in the weather and I manage to get a few photos.

This thing is like two giant bathtubs in a ferris wheel.

Boats can motor into the upper or the lower section which are then sealed off, temporarily, and places swapped by rotating the whole thing on its longitudinal axis.

It’s quite impressive really although a little smaller than I imagined it to be. Apparently it uses a motor about the same size as motor scooter to do the whole operation.

It’s actually completely silent in operation and all a bit underwhelming.

By now it’s about 2 pm and I still have about 100miles to go so it’s back onto the motorway … for about 10 miles and then there is a diversion due to roadworks. I thought it was never going to end but apparently I was back on main road to my destination, Glaisenock. I’m not sure what the backroads are going to be like but I guess I will find out soon enough.

This time my accommodation is a B&B rather than my own cottage. It is a very strange little place in a row of shops in the main street with accommodation above. This one is a bookshop-café-B&B ???

There are three rooms being let out at the top of another of those non-OHS staircases but at least mine has an en-suite! I’m still trying to figure out when the café is open … about the only thing I have figured out for certain is that breakfast starts at 9am … don’t know how I’ll go at waiting ‘til then!