Day 7 Mon 10th May Carlisle to Kilmarnock 95 miles

I'm not sure why but I hardly slept at all in the night and I got up feeling dizzy and zombie-like. Somehow things that had been on my mind had built up and I couldn't relax. Or maybe it was God telling me that I needed a day off! Whilst I'm not a regular church goer I am a Christian and think the idea of weekly day of rest is a pretty good one, along with the other moral codes that Christianity advocates. Anyway I didn't feel I'd be safe riding a bike in traffic that day and had even considered giving up during the night. I decided that Mike and I should talk things through with Jo, the team leader, who agreed that travelling in one of the vans was the best option and helping with the support team. I felt a bit disappointed that I hadn't cycled the whole trip - but it was better to be safe than sorry.

We travelled into Scotland and through Gretna Green. Apparently Angela was cycling with 18 year old Lewis in Gretna Green and said to him 'fancy it Lewis?' when passing the marriage office. Lewis looked scared then laughed.

Kenny and Andy and I did some shopping at Tescos in Dumfries and then sang along to old 70s songs on the radio 'Afternoon Delight' being a memorable one. That helped lift my spirits and I began to feel human again.

We then drove on to the lunch stop that was on the A76 by a cascading river near Sanquar. I helped set up the site and buffet - similar to the one pictured.
It was a cold day with sleet in the morning and Kenny made some excellent pasta and soup to warm people up. I spent a bit of time meditating by the river until the team arrived and scoffed our lunch - that we had tested for them!
We stayed in a Premier Lodge on the outskirts of town and had a good meal and a drink which knocked me out so I had an early night. The DA team thought it a good idea for me to have a room to myself rather than sharing with brother Mike, which seemed a good idea as I found it easiest to relax on my own. It's also fair to say that a bit of sibling rivalry was surfacing - even though I have great respect for my big brother and his sense of humour! I had a good night's sleep although woke with the dawn chorus refreshed and ready for exercise.