We found ourselves back in the UK by the 23rd June, several weeks earlier than usual and, having done our democratic duty in the EU Referendum, we headed north where we planned to explore the more northern parts of Scotland. Our journey north took us to the home of Judy and David Barber in the Chilterns and then on to Lancashire to visit our niece, Angela and Jon.
It did not take many hours of driving to reach Scotland although it was a wet journey which rather spoilt the view. We stayed at Kirkcudbright (not pronounced as it is spelt, more like Ker-koo-bree) at an 120 acre campsite overlooking the Solway Firth. There was a golf course adjacent to the camp site and we wandered up to the clubhouse for an evening meal. The blakcboard menu didn’t look very exciting but when we spotted an Asian chef in the kitchen, we decided the chicken curry would be a clever choice. However, when we sat down to eat we could see through the open kitchen door neatly stacked shelves of cash and carry pre-packed sauces. My chicken curry turned out to be cooked chicken served with a jar of mild curry sauce! The poppadum was OK though.
The following morning when visiting the shower block I came across the two ladies responsible for the cleaning. They were both elderly, stick thin, with tightly permed grey hair and large plastic teeth that clicked and clacked as they chatted together. I first saw them sitting outside the building, barely visible through a thick cloud of cigarette smoke – I wish I had taken a photograph. They could have been sisters and I enjoyed listening to their grumbling and gossiping as they sloshed bleachy water everywhere.
Heavy rain was forecast for the next day so we decided to move on, not wanting to further test the skills of the kitchen staff at the golf club!
