Tuesday, 27 August 2024

Going back home

 It was a long day yesterday...showery to start with in Wales, getting warmer by Oswestry..I went across to join my usual North South route on the A49...and when I saw the traffic on the M56, carried on on the A49 through Warrington...still jams for the M56 so I carried on on nice roads , to join the M6 that was fairly full but flowing steadily at 50 mph. 

It was really hot, so a nice salad lunch at a service station...and  a rest...and onwards..

A radio traffic warning of a collision near Shap saw me heading off on the A6 north of Carnforth, back to mainly nice roads and rolling along at 40-50 apart from through villages and Kendal...and who wants to dash through and miss all the interesting bits!!

The only congestion I had was coming into Penrith..I wonder how many others had had the same idea....but the combination of several sets of traffic lights, a narrow bridge then more traffic lights on the bypass A66 was more likely the reason. 

On up the A6 after Penrith...a nice rolling road with little traffic...and back on the motorway at Carlisle for the short hop to Gretna.

A stop there to browse in the outlet shops and have a good leg stretch.

Driving is all very well, but doesn't do the body much good!

Coming back into Scotland, I met damp roads and rain showers again, and warnings of heavy rain....but fortunately only light showers on the old road through Annan and all the villages on the nice road....and back to the A75 to Dumfries then head north on the 76... shopping at the co-op in Thornhill..picking up a few reduced items for a no cook supper..and an hour left to go to home...37 miles...and home by 6.30pm as the heavier rain gradually started!!

It rained hard and the wind blew all night....it eased off a little, but not enough to venture outdoors until after 4pm this afternoon.

This morning's view....



Indoor jobs , tackling paperwork and phone calls.... not my favourites, but good to have them done.

Now for some mending.....

14 comments:

Barbara Rogers said...

Good to hear your choices while driving home. Glad the heavy rain held off till you were safely at home.

Fresca said...

(O)

Tom said...

...but home is a great place to be.

JayCee said...

Good to hear you are back safe and sound. It has been so long since I have driven any distance that journey would have been more than I could handle.

gz said...

JayCee I have been splitting the journey into two days before..but starting early and doing it in one with long enough breaks felt ok. At least I knew that if I wanted to stop over somewhere I could

angela said...

Sounds like you know exactly where you are and how to get home in lots of different ways.
My hubby is like that. Me I tend to stick to the one way and get anxiety when I have to change my route.
Google maps have helped immensely with that. Thankfully

Bovey Belle said...

Gosh, that is a heck of a drive. Not sure if I could manage that far any more. Even going to Malvern and back on Monday was quite enough - just 1 1/2 hours each way. But then lots of concentration at the Fair, which adds to the tiredness levels I suppose. Well done anyway.

Debby said...

I am glad you're safely back home, but how long of a drive was that?

gz said...

We have always checked alternatives as we were going north south so often.. sometimes with road closures the alternatives given are aimed at heavy traffic and take you a long way out of your way...and having our own alternatives made the travelling more interesting!

gz said...

You have to look on it as a day's work...

gz said...

With breaks included, 8am to 6.30 pm...so all daylight driving to be less tiring, and not excessive motorway driving..I like a journey to be interesting!!

Susan said...

Choosing to travel off the highway is always my preference too.
The views are always nicer and the stops are interesting. Luckily, the heavy rain held off until you got home.

Jeanie said...

My favorite rides take me through small towns. I just love that; much more interesting. Glad you are safely home!

Granny Sue said...

A long day, and some wise choices along the way. I bet your own bed felt mighty good.
I stayed in Penrith in 2019, then went up to Hadrian's Wall and dGretna the next day, the only bit of Scotland I have seen. I would just love to be able to see more. Maybe next year. After my new knee.