Day 3 Green Hammerton to Linlithgow

Our stay at Green Hammerton was deliberate, as yes, we were near to another RAF airfield! This time though, it was a little sentimental as I last visited Linton-on-Ouse back as a young teen back in 1967. Then, it was a Jet Provost trainer base, but now that role is undertaken by Shorts Tucano aircraft, a modification of a successful Brazilian design. They'll be withdrawn fairly soon, so we thought a visit was in order. Six aircraft were out on the flight line and we saw four get airborne before we left, via the local toll bridge, to Northumberland and beyond.

To give Martin a break from driving and at the same time give him a train fix, we left the car at Corbridge and caught he train to Hexham for lunch. Hexham is an attractive and seemingly well-heeled town boasting an artisan bakery next door to a rather quirky photographic studio. Returning to Corbidge and continuing northbound, I was taken in by the remoteness and beauty of the countryside - I have a soft spot for that, but was also surprised that this sparsely populated moorland does get a skeleton bus service. Later, we passed the last cafe in England and had reached the border. 

Once in Scotland, the road began to descend down to greener more fertile land and once in Jedburgh we met up with some typical Scottish architecture not far away from our desired coffee shop. This charming establishment, which also sold a few books, was run by a young  woman from Maryland who had come here to study, but then met a man. We only wanted a coffee, but the menu contained Black Eyed Peas as a nod to her home country. 

Then it was one more leg to Linlithgow with its distinctive building in the main street. Is it a blot on the landscape or simply quirky? You decide.