Annandale Way Day 1.
Distance today: 21.9 miles.
Total distance: 477.8 miles.
Accommodation: campsite.
Happy birthday Sian.
Another pleasant day in the countryside. Not too much to get excited about which is a shame because the Annandale Way definitely wins the award for the best signposted trail I have been on this trip. I did see a hare so that was exciting as I can’t remember ever seeing one before.
There was a lovely moment in the afternoon when I was walking down a country track which threaded its way through some farm land. Someone had fixed in place a couple of plastic moulded chairs to allow anyone passing to take a moment to admire the view. According to the name plate, this was “No No’s Seat”. Protected from the elements inside a wooden box was a visitors book for people to be able to leave a message. It was the least I could do. It reminded me of a place on the Cotswold Way where someone had a tap outside their house with a sign saying help yourself. It’s nice to be nice.
My stopping point for the day was the Kirk Loch Caravan And Camping Site in Lochmaben. Maybe I should have taken heed of the omens just before I arrived. Having been fine for most of the day, it absolutely hammered down as I wandered around Lochmaben trying to find the campsite. Even though it is fairly central, it is tucked away and as the name suggests, situated right next to Kirk Loch. The loch itself is small but pretty enough in spite of being almost entirely surrounded by a golf course. With no one on site, there was a number to ring and I was duly told the key code for the toilet block and where I was supposed to pitch. This is when the alarm bells started ringing. While the caravans and campervans had a fairly well defined perimeter to park within, those of us with tents shared a patch of grass with the local playground. Essentially I was paying £15.50 to wild camp in town without any sense of security whatsoever. Not happy.
With my tent pitched, I went for another wander around town. The high street was not what you might call bustling but I did find a chemist. I’m not sure when it happened but I seemed to have picked up a couple of insect bites on my knee and they were starting to look inflamed. Hopefully the ointments I purchased will keep things contained.
To be fair to the campsite, the showers were very good. Lots of really hot water so I cannot fault them for that. Just everything else. Suitably de-grimed, I headed out to the nearby Crown Hotel hoping to get something to eat. Sorry, the chef’s off. Oh well, just a pint it is then.
Back in my tent, I was busily sorting my things out when I started to hear some noises outside. A group of lads were walking by, inevitably being a bit loud and boisterous. I could hear the sound of a spray can being rattled and the next thing I knew, something had been banged against the side of my tent. “What the fuck!”. I’m not sure they expected anyone to be inside and so when I got out to check what was going on, they were already running off. At the end of the day they were just bored kids messing about but it was still pretty unnerving. I have no doubt my tent was close to getting an artistic makeover. My money would have been on something anatomical or simply the word “wanker”. I was left wondering whether they were done or were they going to come back later?
