Last night I stayed at Glenlair, Emily's parents house and today I'm having a day off because Emily has come down to visit. Yesterday was pretty tough. Initially there was a 40 mile climb all the way from Hamilton to the top of the Dalveen Pass. Then there was a fantastic 5 mile downhill on the otherside of the pass. After that the rain came down and by the time I climbed onto the moor above Dunscore the rain was coming down in sheets and I swear it was bordering on sleet. Anyway I'm glad to be having a day off as the rain is still coming down. Thank you to Henrietta and Duncan for kindly drying me out and feeding me up for the weekend.
A bit about Glenlair. Glenlair is famous as the home of James Clerk Maxwell, one of the greatest scientists who has ever lived and yet he is still relatively unknown. His greatest achievement was his theory of electromagnetism which today forms the foundation of electricity, electronics, television, radar and communications, for which he is rightly acclaimed as the father of modern physics. Einstein said "The special theory of relativity owes its origins to Maxwell's equations of the electromagnetic field." He also made fundamental contributions to mathematics, astronomy, engineering and took the worlds first colour photograph.
Maxwell's home was largely destroyed by fire in 1929, but today "The Maxwell at Glenlair Trust" is in the process of stabilising and preserving as much of the remaining structure to guarantee far as possible its continued existence and by so doing establish a permanent monument to the life of James Clerk Maxwell.
Hamilton to Glenlair
Distance: 74miles
Rolling time: 7hr 36min
Max: 32mph
Av speed: 9.7mph
JOGLE Miles: 418
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