J-Day 7

Ayr to Dumfries (60 miles) - 420 miles covered so far

Last nights B&B in Ayr was by far the best accommodation stop so far, excellent rooms, food and hosts.
Today was probably the best weather we've had. It was sunny without being too hot, with very little wind. The ride out of Ayr wasn't much fun due to the volume of traffic. This quickly dispersed and once we turned onto a 'B' road at Carsphairn the traffic virtually disappeared. The ride today included two 1000ft summits but in both cases it was a gentle plod to the top with plenty of freewheeling on the way down.We had lunch in a vegetarian cafe in Moniaive. All the cyclists had soup which included Sweet Potato and Lemongrass and Potato and Pepper. As the soups were only £3 we decided to have desserts. Fred and Keith had Passion Fruit and Lemon Eton Mess. We reckon there were as many calories in that one dessert as we expend in a day's cycling. Bob had the Summer Fruits Mousse (which was delicious).
Tomorrow is a shortest day (34 miles). We cross the border into England (hurrah!). We all agree that we made the correct choice to cycle north to south. The thought of having cycling for 10 days and only then reaching Scotland would have been demoralising.
Here are a few photos from today:
- Inside Wetherspoons in Ayr (a former church)
- Sitting on the seawall in Ayr at the start of the day (Isle of Arran in the background)
- A refreshment stop on a fine stone bridge
- An example of  the terrain we covered today
- A street in Moniaive where we had lunch