Day-27 new month, new country

The rest day obviously did me good as I'm up packed and away by 7.15am, along the still quiet streets of Annan to Tesco, provisions bought and away I go to the solway firth and my first sight of England!
Not only England but Bowness on.Solway as well, this place being special to me as it was the end of my Hadrians wall walk a couple of years ago.
Along the Firth I walk passing huge sections of netting on poles to catch salmon swimming in these waters.the path here is well signed and a pleasure to walk until it turns inland to Eastriggs, not my route I'm giving one last stretch of black dots the opportunity to prove to be the path the map indicates..... Fool! Within half a kilometer I'm scrambling through reed beds and gorse bushes! The best way through its to follow the line of the MOD fence although this has plenty of opportunities to trip you up, eventually rounding Torduff point the path becomes obvious again with many small paw prints, this side of the point is obviously a regular dog walk and the going becomes easy.
At Browhouses I head inland along country lanes turning this way and that until I enter Gretna, pleasant place, I soon reach the old toll house which is now a cafe right on the edge of Scotland as the name suggests. Fish and chips for lunch.... superb! At the back of the toll house is a cairn being erected by pro unionists called hands across the border! I place a stone here.
Then finally and a little emotionally I enter England! Following a B road beside the M6 for a few miles no less than six end to end cyclists pass me, one stops to chat this is his third end to end trip one on foot and now his second by cycle... Wonder if two will be enough for me?.
My round turns south west to Rockcliffe and I start to follow with absolute confidence those wonderful pink dotted or dashed paths marked on English maps. These do not let me down!. Past a place called Cargo and along the river Eden until I find a wild camp for the night just outside Carlisle....perfect for tomorrow's plans.