RogueRunners '25 - Epilogue

 

RR25 - what did we learn?

This was the most complex trip to date. Ten days, three hotels eleven people, but only five doing the whole trip & one of those didn't make it at all due to car trouble.

There were people who arrived after a couple of days due to personal commitments, there were people that left before the end, so it was an ever changing, swirling mix of people who just get on & like driving inappropriate cars. Did newcomers get left out? Did early leavers get ostracised? Of course not, we all just mucked in & had a good time with whoever was there.

That is the joy of the Rogues.

The Ecclefechan Hotel choice was a bit of a risk, as the owners hadn't owned it long & were refurbishing it, but they were true to their word on what would be ready for us & although we were the largest party they'd had for the longest period, they were more than up to the task, regularly changing the menu & making sure we were comfortable.

The roads were good - Ecclefechan looks to be "off to one side", but in reality it offers good routes to the west coast, north east towards Selkirk, east into Northumberland & south to Cumbria & the Yorkshire moors. Some of the smaller roads were potholey, but most were OK & the scenery made up for it - as long as you didn't hit a pot hole while admiring it.

And then there was the weather. We'd had a good spring, we had fantastic weather in Devon & I kept thinking "this won't last" - "this CAN'T last", but last it certainly did & apart from a very few spots on the windscreen the whole ten days was dry & most of it was wall to wall sunshine.

So, was it a success? I came home thinking it was the best RogueRunners trip yet & they've all been brilliant.