We where returning from a few days in Scotland when i took a wrong turn near to Stirling, before i new it we where on a bridge on the outskirts of Edinburgh....

We promptly put in our home postcode into the Satnav and found it wanted to take us down 'A' roads not the motorways as we had planned.....

The mood in the car was deteriating rapidly as we crawled in heavy traffic through each small village at 30mph, after what seemed an age we drove though Jedburgh and on towards Keilder, here we found a layby and had a break to have a stretch and let the dogs out, most of this was done in silence, the satnav seemed stuck on 4hrs to go what a mare .....

It was then i looked up at the sky (through thick fog!) and wished things would take a turn for the better, we loaded the dogs back in the boot and slowly pulled out of the layby

The first thing i noticed was the traffic, there wasn't any, all the lorries, cars & coaches had disapeared it seemed like we where the only car on the road, then the fog just lifted.....

Then Nirvana the A696, a road we had never been on before it was awesome, as if all my prayers had been answered, mile upon mile of sweeping bends, hills, dips, long straights with no traffic, stunning views it had it all the RRS cruised along through the twists of this awesome road.......

The mood inside had changed, the sat nav dropped the ETA to below 3hrs, all my prayers had been answered

Then as quick as it came it was over, Newcastle and back to reality

This was one amazing road, if you are ever in the area then give it a blast  MY10 3.0 TDV6 HSE, Zermatt Silver, 20" Diamond Turned Alloys, Factory Privacy Glass, Premium Leather, Contrast Stiching, Side Steps, Etc

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VW Transporter, 19" Rims, T32 170 BHP, Lowered

Phew.......... reading the first bit I thought something had gone wrong with the car!!

Nothing better than a decent bit of road!

James

Ha! I know exactly where you went wrong Ash - J9 of the M9, you kept going left to Edinburgh instead of keeping to the right and staying on the main carriageway taking you south via the M80 to Glasgow/Carlisle via the M80/M73/M74 it is often and easily done! Sounds like you ended up on the A68 and came south via Jedburgh and through the Border country.
Might have been a blessing in disguise because there have been extremely long delays on the M80 at Denny ( up to 2 hours at peak times every day) where there is a new junction and carriageway widening going on! Glad you made it back eventually! Also there are NO motorways south out of Edinburgh, only west to Stirling and Glasgow, all the roads to England are A roads! Edinburgh must be the least motorway connected Capital city in Europe! Even Glasgow only has the M8, M77 and the M73

BTW better look in the settings of your satnav and see which type of roads are used in the calculation of the route. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Jesus Tim. What are they digging up there now? Its not long since it reopened after they did away with the Auchenkilns roundabout!! Current, M135i in Estoril Blue with more extras than the cast of Ben Hur.

535d m-sport Platinum grey and a few extras.... Gone

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This lot is at the Castle Carry Arches, where the M8 becomes dual carriageway at the Denny turn off. It's single file all the way from there passed Cumbernauld almost until you get to where the Auchenkilns roundabout used to be. It has also got SPECS average speed cameras on it but when I have driven along there recently the traffic doesn't even get to 20mph let alone the 50 limit that is imposed in the roadworks! 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Unbelievable! 1st they dug it up to raise it for the Caledonian Canal, they it was Auchenkilns and now they've howked it up again!

Why can't they do it all at once and get it over with!!  Current, M135i in Estoril Blue with more extras than the cast of Ben Hur.

535d m-sport Platinum grey and a few extras.... Gone

X5 3.0 sd in Space Grey, 20's, Dynamic Pack, Memory Pack, Media Pack, Tow Pack, Rear DVD, Panoramic Sunroof, Steps, 7 Seat Pack, Reversing Camera with moving lines, programmable park heat, etc etc etc - Gone

Range Rover Sport Santorini, privacy, dvd, towpack GONE!!!

That would be too sensible. How's this - there is a new roundabout where the A811 joins Dumbarton Road in Stirling , below the Castle. Work started in June last year and was scheduled to finish the week before Christmas, which it did. Today when I went to town there are temporary traffic lights on the ramp up to the round about and guess what................ Pat and Nick are in with a compressor and digger, digging up the new road to lay a fibre optic cable! While the new roundabout was being built there were delays and one of the things that the contractors were doing was laying a service duct for cables which has easy access and lots of manholes along the length of it, but these fibre optic cable layers don't seem to be aware of this........ 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Yep, totally agree!!

Know that road very well, cos I used to work between Otterburn and Jedburgh. Used to take my Motorbike up there in the summer.....awesome times!!  Why wait till tomorrow, when today is already here!

Gone: MY 10 RRS HSE, MY 12 RRS AB, MY 13 RR Evoque
Coming: MY 17 RRS AB

Yep A696 off of A68 & Goes through Otterburn - Awesome driviing

As for the roadworks at Castle Carry Arches - - Got caught by them
once going to Glasgow from Aberdeen -- Now (and until they are finished) I take the train! So much less hassle  2013 Discovery HSE Luxury - 3.0 SDV6 - Santorini Black
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