Talla Reservoir.

I’m seriously behind with posting and comments, though it is obviously a common problem with Blippers at the moment. This Blip is going up several days late and, while there are an awful lot of gaps to fill in, it is at least a start.
 
In a few weeks we are having a celebratory cycle ride to the club hut at Polmood so I was out doing a recce of the route. The weather wasn’t great, but the rain which threatened for most of the day didn’t put in a serious appearance though it did get a wee bit warm in the late afternoon. The ride is due to start from Peebles, 17 miles from home; it’s intended to be a car assisted run which is against my religion, so I will be cycling to the start as I did today. We will be joined by “The Borders Breakaway” group for the day, though whether it will be myself or one of them leading is still open for debate.
 
The spectacular view is of Talla Reservoir, from the high point of the ride (in more ways than one) with the climb up being a little demanding. If you stop on a bike, which is often necessary if you encounter a car, it is nearly impossible to restart; you need a low gear which makes it very difficult to keep your front wheel on the ground; a trike, aka (incorrectly) a “not falling over cycle” is at an advantage and I was able to stop for a few rests on the way up, rests needed because I’m not as fit as I was the last time I rode this route.
 
As always, I stopped at the Crook Inn which closed a dozen years ago; plans for its redevelopment as a community resource, complete with a timetable, have now been pasted on its windows, so progress is being made – albeit slowly. They used to serve excellent coffee and scones there. I hope I’m still able to make the trip once they’re back in business.