Kielder is only a few miles south of the border with Scotland so shortly after setting out I reach a sign welcoming me to the land of Haggis, Whiskey and the tossing of the Caber. This means I’ve now cycled the entire length of England :o)

The scenery is amazing but the OS 1:50,000 sheet showing a plethora of closely knit contour lines, which I must now climb in order to reach Edinburgh. I’ve been exceptionally lucky with the weather so far on this trip and would you believe it, the sun’s out again today.

After a couple of steep climbs it’s time to cash in and enjoy a magnificent decent into Hawick, where I load up on chocolate based snacks, before embarking on a long, up-hill slog to Selkirk.

The road east of Selkirk is straight and flat so I’m soon picking up lunch from a bakery in Galashiels and engaging locals in idle chit-chat. On this occasion, a heavily tattooed & pierced gentleman stops me as I lock my bike. He has a thick Scottish accent and more than a passing resemblance to Spud from Trainspotting. I catch about every eighth word he says but think he’s telling me about an old acquaintance, who also cycled to Edinburgh from Galashiels. Turns out he’s never heard of Lands End, which doesn’t entirely surprise me.

I hit the road again for the final stint of the day and after an uneventful ride along the ‘historic’ A7, roll into Edinburgh before 16:00. A predicted cold front arrives in Edinburgh just as I do and it’s now getting a bit parky. Maybe I’ll not have to worry too much about the sun tomorrow, where Pitlochry in the Scottish Highlands is the destination.

Truth be told, I was a bit concerned about the hills today but somehow the reality didn’t live up to the hype – or maybe after 11 days of cycling, I’m finally finding my legs?