T-Bird Anni Rides Again

Okay, I’m keeping the journies in a seperate post as otherwise they may well spoil the good feel of the rest of the holiday

All was going (reasonably) well on the way up.  TomTom was being nice, J (who was following me) didn’t get cut up too often so we didn’t get seperated and the weather was dry if a little blowy.  Then we hit the A7 arrond Kingstown (I think) which had signs saying that the A7 was closed at Langholm except for local traffic and pointed you at the diversion.  Now, those of you who are NOT directionally challenged and know the area will know that Kingstown is quite some way from the offending town and would probably thought "hmmm" but, not being from round tehre I was a good little girlie and lead poor J on a 50 mile round trip heading west through Gretna, past Lockerbie and eventually to Peebles where we headed back East to Galashiels on small A and B roads weaving over and arround the A74M which the diversion signs repeatedly pointed you away from just to make sure you couldn’t get a head of steam up and get anywhere fast.  Now, to be fair, we saw some very pretty countryside until it started drizzling here and there and got dark but it didn’t seem to justify adding 60 miles of twisting roads (1 and a half hours worth) onto the journey really.  Especially when half the signs seemed to have been kicked over/moved/"borrowed" by drunks last Saturday night etc.  But we got there and compared notes with other Western side of the Country travelers who had all had similarly entertaining journies except for one who had gone 10 mins down the diversion, thought this couldn’t be right and ASKED SOMEONE.  Smart Alex(ia)    She got the insider info that hte diversion was a load of ***** and so saved herself the trauma altogether.

 My mood on that particular episode wasn’t improved when I saw the signs in Galasheils saying that the diversion was only for HGVs

So, after the week of pleasantness we headed off home safe in teh knowlege that the A7 was only shut for HGVs.  Not that you would know that to look at most of the signs… then I got to the road block and briefly paniced!  Twas okay though, you just smiled sweetly at the bloke in the yellow coat who presumably is there to stop any illiterate HGV drivers, and drive on through some gloriously empty, rather sweeping roads.  Eventually you get to Langholm and take the small (ie 3 streets round the back) diversion round the 10 yards of road that is actually shut for roadworks and off again on more gloriously empty road until you get to the roadblock on the other side.  Was obviously feeling very smug by this point…. until of course I got on the M6 which was closed between 42 and 41 where a tanker full of acid had hit hte central reservation.  TomTom threw a small hissy fit about me exiting the motorway but once it worked out I wasn’t going to "turn around when possible" it routed me down the A6 and back on again after the accident (with some very trusting souls following me )  And so it was that when Duke texted me to warn me about the M6 I was sat gazing over the duck pond at Tebay South slurping hot choc adorned with cream, flakes and mini marshmallows whilst a droopy and very flushed child slumped opposite me making feeble attempts to slurp hers.  She slept all the way home, woke just enough to lurch onto the sofa and slept another 2 hours and is now merely reclining in limp manner waiting for the next dose of Calpol to work.