Forget-Me-Not

Dover - Shetland Day 20
Shilbottle (Nr Alnwick) - Berwick-Upon-Tweed (Nr Scotland)!

Distance cycled: today 88.5km, total 1,397.9km
Ascent: today 466m, total 7628m

Highlight: encountering a National Cycle Route Millennium signpost on the (rather rugged) cliff top path approaching today's journey's end, it said "Scotland Border 4 miles". Now that made feel like I am making real progress, although turning west tomorrow into border country means it will be about 12 more miles before I cross back into Scotland.

Lowlight: I am generally fairly fastidious about gathering my personal possessions after a rest stop. For some reason I headed out of a hotel in Embleton believing my phone was in my bag. When I realised it wasn't, 4km down the road, whilst it was very demoralising to turn around to retrieve it, I was also relieved to find it was still gently charging, just where I had left it.

What else? Interesting conversation with my English AirBnB host before I left this morning. I was lauding the area and saying it was about the only part of England I could ever imagine moving to, were we to leave Scotland (not in the plan). She was saying how similar the area is to Scotland in many ways - and was of the 'take us with you' persuasion during last year's Scottish Independence referendum. My destination of Berwick-Upon-Tweed has switched between being located in England and Scotland no less than 9 times!

Photo: a very overcast flat light today meant that scenic shots of some great views and castles weren't done justice. So I thought I'd go close up and share just one of the dozens of flowers present in the hedges and verges at this time of year.