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April 19th - 20th 2008 |
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Cost: |
£525 per car |
This is a new tour taking in an area in the northern Lake District which we don’t normally visit and a similarly 'new' area around the Solway Firth and south west Scotland.
We start from our usual 'base' south of Kendal, where accommodation can be arranged for the night before if required, and head north, by-passing Kendal with dramatic views of the Lakes mountains ahead and the Howgill Fells to the east. We then continue straight over the famous Kirkstone Pass and along the shores of beautiful Ullswater. There will be a stop for coffee at Aira Force where there will be time for the short walk around the waterfalls. We then follow the lakeside a little further north before turning west to the quiet valley of Matterdale . Heading north again we cross the A66 trunk road near the Sportsman's Inn near Greystoke, a traditional checkpoint of RAC rallies of old. The route then takes us further north along the flanks of Blencathra to the isolated villages of Heskett Newmarket and Caldbeck. The climb over Caldbeck Fell gives us our first panoramic view of the Solway Plain and the Firth with the Scottish hills as a back drop. We descend onto the plain and by-pass Carlisle via a brief run along the motorway. Once over the border into Scotland we stop for lunch at Gretna Green, the famous wedding venue.
The afternoon run then takes us on more quiet back roads along the coast to Caerlaverack Castle before we skirt Dumfries and head west to our hotel for the weekend.
Our first port of call as we head further west is the David Coulthard Museum in the tiny village of Twynholm where the Grand Prix driver's family come from. We then head north along the coast of Wigtown Bay before turning north into the vast Glentrool Forest. We pass through the forest to lunch at the 'Rabbie Burns Visitor Centre' just south of Ay . On our return run we follow the coast south (the Irish Sea this time) where, weather permitting, we should see the dramatic spectacle of Ailsa Craig (a rocky outcrop out in the ocean) before arriving at the amazing 'Electric brae', where you can experience ‘free wheeling' up hill! The route then continues south east via Loch Doon, New Galloway, Loch Ken and Thrieve Castle back to our hotel for the night.
There will be an optional route for Monday morning taking in Drumlanrigg Castle and the lead mining centre at Wanlockhead, for those not in a hurry to get home.
