The M6 motorway runs through some very pretty parts of the country. The scenery in the Lake District is quite spectacular and very bucolic. Green hills and wide valleys crossed with dry stone dykes (walls made from local stone and built without using mortar or cement) that fence in the sheep and cattle.
British motorways have service centers attached or very close to the motorway every 20 miles or so. The service centers contain a gas station and a central service area with two or three shops, a cafeteria or two and a coffee shop. They are convenient and quick but generally the food is unspectacular to say the least. Consequently we elected to turn off the motorway and find a local inn so we followed the signs to the village of Tebay, not more than a mile off the motorway.
Tebay appeared to only have one street and at the end of that street on the outskirts of the village we found the Cross Keys Inn where we ate lunch of Cumberland sausage, mashed potatoes and garden vegetables washed down with a pint of Timothy Taylor “Landlord” 4.2% ABV biter. Delicious. The Inn was quite old and every doorway in the inn had a small sign “Duck or Grouse”. It only took two occasions passing through doorways when I did not duck and did grouse before I realized the importance of the signs.
After eating we continued on our way up the M6 to Penrith where we took a slight diversion to find a café or store with WiFi so we could make a Skype call to the USA. We drove around Penrith through narrow streets in and around the center of town with the computer searching for an open WiFi connection without success. Then, as we were leaving town we spied a McDonalds and knowing that US McDonalds have WiFi we took the chance and went into the car park. The computer lit up, we had found an Internet source. One phone call using Skype and two very bad coffees later we were on our way once more on the M6 heading north. Memo to self: McDonalds has WiFi but don’t drink the coffee.
With some fanfare we crossed the border into Scotland, and gave Patricia a little history about the significance of Gretna Green, the first town across the border from England. Forr many years the age at which it was required for one to get consent to marry from parents was 18 in England but only 16 in Scotland and Gretna Green was the first village in Scotland across the border from England. The local blacksmith performed marriages over his anvil and many teenage runaways returned home to distraught parents in England with a perfectly valid marriage license.
Three junctions after crossing the border we turned off the M74 to Moffat and easily found the Moffat House hotel where we are to spend the night.
After checking in, the extended Stone family gathered in the bar to meet, greet and catch up. Besides Patricia, Mum and I there were Derek and Dawn, Andrea, Christine and Rob, Pat and Colin, Mandy and Sandy, and two friends of Rob’s from the Mini Cooper club –Malcolm and Shevon-. Andy had been called out on a job and was expected to join us around 8 pm. Once everybody except Andy had arrived and had a drink we moved to a private room in the hotel for a boisterous dinner where lots of red wine was consumed both before and after Andy joined the party.
We stopped at Tebay for lunch and also to admire the gorgeous scenery in the Lake District
Lunch in the Cross Keys Inn at Tebay was excellent. We ate Cumberland sausage ans mashed potatoes with gravy and vegetables
The sign Welcoming us to Scotland as we crossed the border
Rob obtained my Kilt for me, now i just have to hope that it fits.
The Stone family gathered in the bar before dinner to swap stories
Dinner was arranged in a private room at the hotel, The wine flowed this night and a great time was had by all.
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