We left Glasgow with rain suits on - again. Today was supposed to be clear - I guess that information didn't get through to Glasgow. We will return to Glasgow on June 13th, the day after Neil and Isobel leave to go to Australia to stay in our house for a couple of months.

Our destination for the night was Carlisle but we had a short detour to visit a town forever etched in Scottish history. On December 21st 1988 the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 crashed on the town of Lockerbie following a terrorist bomb attack aboard the flight. Eleven residents of the town were killed in one street where the aircraft's wings and fuel tanks landed in a fiery explosion. All 259 people on the flight also died. The victims of the disaster came from 21 different nations remembered in a stained glass window in the Town Hall. We visited the Lockerbie Cemetery where a memorial garden has been established with 270 pansy plants to represents everyone who died. The names of the victims are recorded in a memorial wall and memorial plaques have been placed around the area by relatives of the victims. We rode down the street where the wreckage devastated the buildings and killed the local residents before visiting the Town Hall to see the stained glass window.

Carlisle was only about 60 km from Lockerbie so we arrived early, did some washing and hung it on the clothesline to dry while we had a Greggy Dinner in the garden of our 4 Star B&B. Before heading off, we visited St Mary's Church - just 1 mile down the road. This quaint country church was designed by a local girl after her Grand Tour of Italy. She agreed to pay for the church if she was allowed to control its design - an offer too good to refuse! The church is in the style of many Italian churches with a semicircular altar area and heavy wooden beams. It even had animal gargoyles on the roof!

Again, our destination for the day was not far away so we wandered down country roads, avoiding the Motorways and traffic. Morning tea was at Penrith on the north-eastern edge of The Lake's District. We parked in the middle of the village and could hear a ragtime band playing in front of one of the shops. We spent an hour getting a feel for the town before finding a café for a Devonshire Tea - delicious strawberry jam and clotted cream on fresh scones.

As we had plenty of time, we stopped for a look at Lancaster. We had ridden through Lancaster on the way to the Lakes District last week but did not stop. Then, town was getting ready for a visit from the Queen and the roads were all barricaded. This time there were no flags waving to welcome us but finding a spot to park the bike was much easier. We wandered up the main street enjoying an opera singing busker and admiring a sand sculptor's work.

Back on the bike we headed to Morecambe to meet Craig and Marg who would be joining us for our week on the Isle of Man. Craig worked with Greg at Coomera Police Station and this is his and his partner, Margs, first BIG motorbike adventure. We rode with Craig and Marg to Canberra last September for the Police Wall to Wall ride but this is their first time overseas on their bike. What a great first time adventure - a week on the Isle of Man for the TT! We are very excited about meeting up with them and sharing the next couple of weeks of their adventure.

The following morning we rode off to Heysham (15 minutes down the road) to catch the 11:45 am ferry to Douglas on the Isle of Man. Our travelling companion for the last 2 weeks, Chris Pearson, had to wait until the 2:15 ferry before he could get to Douglas, so we arranged to meet him on his arrival.

To say all of us were excited to be heading to The Isle of Man for the TT Road Races would be a huge understatement!