Well, I was a little worried about being so close to the railway line last night and my fears were well founded. I felt the rumble, heard the roar, and felt the ground shake too late to be bothered moving. The trains stopped around 11pm so it wasn’t too bad.
In the end I actually slept quite well but awoke to a heavy frost. I always try to pitch my tent so that it catches the early morning sun but it still takes a long time to defrost. This morning my patience ran out so I packed it away wet and stowed it on the outside of my pack so as not to risk getting my bedding damp.
It was a short three miles or so in to Moffat where I had a huge breakfast and purchased some gas. Moffat is a town with loads of quaint independent shops and I loved mooching around but I had a trail to return to so I semi-reluctantly headed off on the next leg of my journey.
The weather was being kind so when I was presented with the choice of the high route or the low route (a very Scottish choice) I took the high route. It was fantastic but extremely hard work (my feet and legs haven’t forgiven me yet). Despite the gruelling terrain I highly (see what I did there) recommend this high route.
I was hoping to see golden eagles today as, apparently, they hang out here – but no luck today.
After my experience last Saturday with drunken revellers enjoying the bothy and having to move on I nervously approached my next target, Over Phawhope bothy. As it is, once again, a Saturday night I thought I might be met with the same problem but I couldn’t see any cars or any smoke rising from the chimney.
What luck! This gorgeous little cottage is all mine – for tonight anyway. There’s a woodburner so I collected and sawed up firewood for some welcome warmth and draped my wet tent over the wood stove to dry out.
This is such a cosy spot with an amazing view out the window – and there is even a composting toilet!
Graham's Long Walk 
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