Penrith Sanquhar

Getting tired now.
A very pretty ride up the A6 to Carlisle. I've only ever been past Carlisle before, so I stopped for a couple of hours to have a look around.
A large, clean tpwn centre with wide vistas. It's quite attractive and seemed to be flourishing.
The catherdral is in the city centre, with shops running quite close to one edge of teh cathedral precinct. It's an unusual Cathedral. it's made from a very deep pinky/reddish stone, set in beutiful grounds with a small collection of properties nearby that house the church kitchens and some accommodation. The cathedral itself is quite small, but very well maintained with a large collection of religious effigies including (unusually) some in black marble. The ceiling is broken up into a squares that are painted in a deep blue and then embellished in gold stars.
I managed to find the B roads that take you from Gretna to Dumfries along the Galloway Heritage Coast, with panoramic views over teh Solway Firth.
Last year, Dumfries seemed very cold (unfriendly) and unattractive, so I pressed on to Thornhill and Sanquhar over what seemed to be a badly maintained road that must have climbed gradually for something like 20 miles. By the time I arrived I was extremely tired and every little bump in the road felt sore.
Still - only 5 days left and tomorrow is a short one. We're getting there.
Total miles so far: 650.92Total calories: 30,031 (I ought to be stick thin by now - if only)