RogueRunners '25 - Day Seven

Route F – It’s Just Called Route F, OK?

As you might've guessed I couldn't find an obvious name for this route. 

Today Mark left us to collect his wife from Edinburgh & tour Scotland in the Alpine, Duncan was resting a poorly foot & in Mark's place, Steve was with us from Dunoon in his Elise. 

We left EkkyFekky by crossing over the A74(M) & pointing north east, at Boreland we took a B road that more or less follows the line of the A74(M) before joining the A708 up the valley of Moffat Water, past the Grey Mares Tail waterfall & Wormy Sike, until just after “The Loch of the Lowes” where there was a very scenic coffee stop at St Mary’s Loch.

At one stage we were descending a long straight hill & I decided to pull out & overtake a slow BMW we'd been following for some time. As I got along side it & could see properly, a Land Rover pulled out of a quarry at the bottom of the hill & turned towards me - EEK! I hit the brakes, the BMW hit the brakes - which didn't help me at all - but it soon realised I was out-braking it & went in front so I could nip back in behind & thus avoid the now stationary Land Rover. 

Zoom in & you'll see Elises

In actual fact, everybody missed everybody else with a quarter of a mile to spare, but it was a little worrying for a few seconds. No-one had done anything wrong, the Land Rover couldn't see me when he pulled out, I couldn't see it when I started the overtake, we were all below the speed limit - it was just a little "exciting".

At Cappercleuch we took a minor road across the moors, which passed the Meggit & Talla reservoirs & is known to us as the Devil Sheep road – but still no Devil sheep! At Tweedsmiur we took the A701 south west to meet – but not join the A74(M). After a sharp right, we took the B797 for a few miles & after another very sharp right, up over the moor to Crawford John & the B740 south west.

At Sanquhar there was a fuel stop, but sadly the tea room had closed, we left town the way we came in & the A76 took us all the way to the B741 for Dalmelllington. South on the A713 through Eriff & Drumjohn brought us to Carsphairn where the café we’ve used in the past is also closed. So, we headed along the valley of the Water of Ken to St Johns Town of Dalry & shortly after that, attempted to have coffee at the Kenbridge Hotel as we had on one of the other routes. Today it was equally locked, but apart from someone mending the roof, there was no-one about, so some of us headed off in search of refreshment elsewhere, leaving Linda, Brian & I.

In the boot I had three bottles of water & some cereal bars in case someone broke down & needed a truck I could leave them with some sustenance. So we walked into the hotel back garden, sat at a table overlooking the river & had our snack, used their loos (it was open for the adjoining camp site) & moved on.

We headed to Bogue to find the A702 through Corriedoo to Moniaive where we turned west past “S. Snape Plant & Engineering” – I thought Voldermort killed him - obviously he just changed careers.

Soon after that we got to Dumfries, Lochmaben & Lockerbie for fuel - where a small boy cycled onto the forecourt to as Linda about the cars & finally back to EkkyFekky.