Scotland makes me smile!

It was a roller coaster of a ride; I’m not talking about 2020 – which is best filed away with the worthless year planners – but about the road from Jedburgh to Melrose. Whenever anyone asks that age-old question, ‘What did the Romans ever do for us?’ just remember their legacy: roads that are as straight and true as an arrow, flying from A to B with nary a thought about the hills in between.

The A68 is such a road, including numerous blind summits that can launch the unwary into orbit and have you reaching for your breakfast. It follows the route of the Roman road built in the second century and travelling upon it is stomach-churning. However, the views more than make up for any discomfort.

‘Freedom!’ the battle cry of William Wallace (Ed – if you’ve never seen Braveheart, this is the leader of the Scots’ resistance against the English occupation at the beginning of the Scottish Wars of Independence) has never been more apt. We had been yearning for it for some time and, being of a certain age, time is a precious commodity, you understand.

We purchased Monty, our motorhome, just prior to lockdown number two and, ever since, he’d sat on the drive in a sulk. We’ve trundled around Scotland many times, mostly on our Harley-Davidson motorbike, yet