RogueRunners '25 - Day Six

 

Route B Brough, Hartside & The Wall.

We headed out of town eastwards on the B7076, crossing over a stream called Ewes Burn – they do if they’re left too long in the oven, we also passed over the A74(M) twice before Gretna Green, where we entered England. Running south alongside the River South Tyne, all the joining streams are either burns or sikes, we passed though Slaggyford & stoped at “The Nook” café / farm shop, before moving on to Raise where we join the B6277 past the ski tows at Yad Moss & the High Force waterfall – we’ve done this road a few times.

Next stop was the wonderful Brough Castle Tea Rooms, once refreshed it was the A66 & a petrol stop, tuning off immediately afterwards for the B6412 to Langwathby, the A686 & Hartside Pass. After that we’ll follow the Valley of the River East Allen.

There was more coffee at the Whitfield Village Pantry before we headed north east on the A686 past the delightful sounding “Carts Bog Inn”. After a while we crossed Hadrian’s Wall & took the B6318 through Roadhead & Cadlowdy, over the Liddel Water & back into Scotland. We crossed the A74(M) again, re-fuelled in ANNAN & headed back to EkkyFekky.

Well.......

That's what was supposed to happen & indeed for most of the Rogues it did, but first thing that morning my Linda's car had gone "wer ...... wer ........ wer" & failed to start. Now I could've made sure she had the number of a recovery truck, said "bye love" & gone out for a pleasant drive, but that's just not me. As the car had been fine up to that point, I wondered if an earth had failed, so I slackened the contacts & waggled them, tightened them back up, she turned the key & it span up & started - excellent, we would catch the Rogues at the first coffee stop. I jumped in the Stylus, but had trouble with the cameras & took a while, during which time Linda turned the Tiger off. I got myself sorted, she turned the key - "wer ....... wer ........ wer" - ARSE!

Having been led astray by the one successful start, we drove to Dumfries to find a motor factors - which took quite some finding - & returned with some copperslip to do all the connections properly, but to no avail.

After some time the Rogues returned & Matt put a jump pack on the Tiger & it fired up straight away, so that was the order of the day from then on. First start needed the jump pack, the rest of the day the Tiger was OK.

Of course as is traditional all the Rogues told us how that route was THE BEST ROUTE EVER - at some length.