Scary Times

 There was some intermittent sunshine when I walked down to Wauchope Cottage to have coffee with Tootlepedal this morning. We sat in a nice sheltered corner of the garden while we enjoyed our coffee and some excellent ginger biscuits but a nice warm jacket was still needed. We had a light hearted conversation and it was good to see Mrs Tootlepedal out for a brief stroll round the garden which is still retaining some vivid splashes of colour despite the end of autumn approaching.

My plan for the afternoon what's to get out on the Ebike and pedal round Solwaybank wind farm and see how it was progressing. 

A rather dull set of photographs I'm afraid mostly due to the poor light and the lack of enthusiasm from myself to take this as a challenge and make the most of what was on offer.

I stopped briefly on the way up Callister to take these shots.....

.....and stopped at the top to look over to Chapelcross which is currently being decommissioned. On research Chapelcross was built to produce weapons grade plutonium and electricity for the civilian market. Strange to think that we have come from scary times from the threat of a cold war to face something perhaps even more frightening in the form of a global pandemic, and arguably a safer way to produce electricity in the form of wind turbines.

I didn't take any shots on the return part of the pedal as there was a light threat of rain as I approached Solway Bank, and I thought it was wise to head for home. The rain at that time didn't come to very much and I thought smugly I was home and dry until I started to descend towards Wauchope road and could see the valley was under quite a heavy shower but it wasn't too heavy to spoil my trip and I was soon home and into a nice hot shower.

For those that are interested I did 22 miles on the Ebike and lost 3 bars out of five on the battery which gave approximately 7 miles per bar on the battery. There was a range of 5 miles left on the sport mode and 9 miles left on the tour mode. I didn't check the range before I set off which I will do the next time I'm out.

Varying My Routes

We woke to brilliant sunshine and Sub-zero temperatures this morning with -2° C showing on the thermometer. It seemed to be a good day to get out on the e-bike but I had to wait until the temperature had risen to a more comfortable level before venturing out. I whiled away the time by putting a week into the E&L  database.

When the temperature rose to 8 degrees I got togged up, and fueled myself up with a bowl of hot porridge before setting off up the Wauchope Road. Most of my pedals have been in the Solwaybank area, where there are no demanding hills and the roads are relevantly quiet and there is plenty or route variations which suits me fine and doesn't make too much demand on the bike battery, usually three bars out of five are used up when I get home. 

My route on this occasion took me over Callister and onto the Waterbeck road. At about two miles before Waterbeck I turned off and headed towards Solwaybank, this was a new route for me in that area and it was very pleasant pedaling in the sunshine. I met no traffic on the new section to Solwaybank but I did get a cheery wave from a cyclist going in the opposite direction. 

I stopped for a quick rest at Westwater Cottage before setting off up Callister.

It was very pleasant cycling down this country lane.....

   

...... with the sunshine on the autumn leaves providing a colourful canopy.

This chestnut tree was quite striking to the eye but doesn't quite come over on camera.

The deep red of the haws caught my eye.

The pine needles looked set to come off in the next strong wind, but for the moment they are adding their own contribution to the autumn palet. 

Looking towards the Pennines.

Heading home

When I arrived back on the Wauchope road the first person I met was Tootlepedal who was out for a light pedal after his weekend singing with Carlisle Choir in Glasgow, he said it was a good weekend but very tiring, we chatted for a few moments then I waved goodbye and headed home for a nice hot shower.

Down the Line.

There was a bit of mist hanging over the hilltops when I woke this morning but by the time I went to fill the feeders at the moorland feeder station it had cleared quite a bit. When I arrived I found that someone had already filled them to which I was very grateful. I hung about for a short while but there were no birds of real interest so I headed home for tea and toast for my breakfast. I then spent the rest of the morning reading the local and national newspapers.

The receding mist.

All quiet at the feeders....

.....for a short while.

I need to get to grips with my focusing.

The view from the cattle grid looking up the valley.

While I was there I found the wall was full of very interesting things to photograph. I need to get in touch with Tootlepedal to see if he's interested in exploring along the wall bit further.

After a lunch of homemade cream of parsley and parsnip soup I got togged up to go out on the ebike. It's getting to the time of year when every time I go out I seem to have an extra layer of clothing on, this may seem excessive as when you're wandering about the house before leaving it gets rather warm but once you're out in the open the benefit is very apparent. 

I headed off up the Wauchope Road with the intention of going round my usual route of past the Bloch Farm and back by Tarras, but as I was feeling a bit perky, which is very rare at the moment I had a change of heart and decided to grab the moment and have a little tour around the Solwaybank area. This was an excellent decision as the elements were favourable and the roads were quiet and no big inclines to cope with, but that is maybe where the Ebike comes in.

I had no real intention of making this a photographic trip but when I came upon these unusual sheep I had to stop and take a snapshot. Anyone know what breed they are?

The access road that has been created for the intended wind farm in the area.

On the subject of wind farms I wonder if there was a similar reaction to the electric pylons that now march up and down the countryside when they were constructed? They now seem to be a very much of an accepted part of the environment. Whatever the opinion is it all strives to make a life of accessibility and comfort and hopefully not too much impact on the environment.

Same pylon but fun with Photoshop, I rather like this!

This was a very pleasurable pedal and good to know there is an excellent network for more pleasurable pedals in the future. The Ebike is going well and has added a new dimension to my life so I'm making the most of it before the winter months sets in.  For those that are interested my mileage is now 261 miles and an overall average speed of 9.5 mph. 

On checking the blog It seems to be pylon line dominated but somewhat interesting in my opinion.