462: Ecclefechan

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Governed by the British Parliament in Westminster with powers devolved to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Every time there is a decision on Covid (de-escalation etc) taken in Westminster the other three countries take a similar decision although often from a different date.

That's how it is that I am in Golspie again, because that nice Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, has allowed travel between Scotland and the constituent parts of the United Kingdom and has also allowed hotels in Scotland to open. This came into force on Monday, and on Tuesday I set out to drive North.   

Once you get to be 'of a certain age' events conspire against you. You need to stop at service stations more often, to buy coffee to stay awake. The coffee goes straight through you and you have to stop at the next service station to let nature take its course. While you're there you buy coffee to help to stay awake and then have to stop at the next service station......  

I stopped in Wilmslow to have a socially distanced lunch with one of my cousins and his wife. He is a tremendously practical hands-on kind of man and has converted his garage into a little bed-sit for his 93-year-old parents (my aunt and uncle). I'm willing to bet everybody reading this would go "yeugh, I wouldn't want to live in a garage" but he's made an amazing job of it. living & sleeping area, cooking area, toilet & shower area. It was great to see them all. 

I continued my journey North. Hotels in England are still closed, apart from for key workers and for those attending funerals, so I had booked a hotel just over the border in Scotland in a one-horse town called Ecclefechan. I found the hotel and car park easily enough but finding the entrance was another story altogether.

Here is the first sign you see. Surely I was being reasonable in thinking I should go around to the front of the building?

 

This is what I saw at the front. The door was firmly locked. Perhaps they were worried about an invasion of corona-virus-riddled Sassenachs?  Back to the car, to sit and ponder what to do next. I found the hotel phone number tucked away somewhere in the booking.com email and rang them. Unfortunately, I could hear them saying that they couldn't hear me. Now what to do? Sleep in the car in the car park?

 

At that moment a van pulled up and parked closer to the hotel than I was. A man got out and 'disappeared'. Further investigation showed another door. Finally I was in.  Things improved dramatically after that. They gave me a nice room and a nice breakfast. wi-fi wasn't up to much but even I don't have to be glued to it 24/7.