The A68

The weather forecast wasn't good and we were heading north into it. After leaving lovely Durham, where my Nana Wyllie's grandfather (James Taylor) was born, we had to decide whether to go to see Hadrian's Wall on the way north or leave it until we came back down south. The distance wasn't great so we (i.e. I) decided to go and have a look. You wouldn't believe the personal discomfort I went through in order to get this photo. The wind was appalling and I couldn't keep raindrops off the camera lens, and my umbrella turned inside out. Phil stayed in the car. If the weather improves we'll probably have another look on the way back down south.

It didn't stop raining all day and as we crossed the border to Scotland we started getting snow. We were quite delighted by it all.

And then the wet snow got heavier and heavier and the roads were flooded, the windows fogged up, rivers were running fast and hard and the roads were very slushy. It wasn't as much fun by then. We'd already arranged to go to a farmstay B&B near Edinburgh and when we got to Gifford, their village, we had to go through floods in their high street. Once we'd settled in we went into the village pub for a meal (our experience of pub meals is very positive by the way) and had to brush snow off our car windows in order to get back our very comfortable and warm B&B.

Everyone we spoke to says this is unseasonally cold. We know why our ancestors left.

PS Most of the photos above were taken through the car window. I wasn't getting out. No way.