Friends reunited

My place of welcome last night and today is Lochhouse Farm on the edge of Beattock, at the point where the Southern Upland Way crosses the M74.  It's home to Mary, a friend who Sandy and I first knew when we were all connected with Wimbledon Methodist Church in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  Not my first visit here, as we stayed whilst travelling to a family holiday in Scotland some years ago, but this time with a degree of sadness as it's the first time Mary and I have met since her husband Martin died suddenly last year.  So we've had valuable time to share some memories.

Looking forward, I'm going to be staying with friends, family members and colleagues for much of the rest of the pilgrimage.  After a couple more nights of camping in the next few days, I'm planning to parcel up my tent and a few other backpacking items and send them home.  That will certainly lessen my load!

'Proper hill walking day'

Looking back, I really enjoyed yesterday's walk onwards from Wanlockhead, continuing eastwards on the Southern Upland Way (SUW).  The first few hours of the day were taken up with ascents in the Lowther hills, including some challenging sections, where the walking poles were a real asset.

The 'golf ball' (a radar station) was an early milestone of the day, following the first climb up from Wanlockhead, and was visible for a large part of the walk.  Equally notable was a small 'picnic hut' which I passed, although I only looked in briefly as it was well before lunchtime!

Despite the need to concentrate on the climbs and descents, it really was a day to soak up the views, including those over the Daer Reservoir which I passed in the early afternoon - this view is back towards the golf ball.

The SUW is a significant walking route across Southern Scotland, in effect the equivalent of the well-known Coast-to-Coast route in Northern England, although the SUW is well over twice the distance long.

All-in-all a good walking day, including the sunny weather, complete with cooling breeze.  A safe arrival at Lochhouse, where friends had arranged to meet up for an evening meal.