The urban walking was nicely interrupted for a short section of the walk between Hallside and Blantyre alongside the A724. As I walked past Spittal Farm to Priory Bridge which took me over Rotten Calder I looked left from the roadside to some fields rich in yellow of Buttercup. It was a nice change from the slate grey of the city and black of the tarmac. Soon after Priory Bridge I came to the crossroads at Bardykes where urban took control once more as I began my journey through Blantyre.

There were some lovely buildings in Blantyre, all compressed into the sprawl which had surrounded the greater examples of aesthetics. One excellent example was David Livingstone Memorial Church with its architectural clock tower. After passing the B7012 Blantyre gave way to Burnbank where more lovely examples of buildings were spread, a fine example being Burnbank Library. These interludes of looking at lovely buildings against the norm of identical terraces and shops with garish displays of enticement kept my faith up as I headed into Hamilton. I passed more buildings and some statues as I walked down to the town centre via the college campus and the museum where a number of unusual modern sculptures adorned the grounds.

After stopping in Hamilton for a light lunch, in which the hardest job was finding Lil who had parked up to meet me for lunch for the last time until I would be back in England, I continued on my way by following the A72 out of Hamilton via Covan Bridge, Avon Bridge, Chatelherault Station, Allanton and then beside the Belvidere Plantation before crossing over the M74 north of Meadowhill. Sometimes I had to duck in off the road and then make short sharp bursts to the next safe spot before waiting for traffic calm and continuing on again. It was never perilous, I just had to be careful. I safely reached Clydesdale, the most rural part of the stage. Across the River Clyde I could clearly see the seven tower blocks of Muirhouse in Motherwell. I was now feeling really good as I knew Glasgow was now behind me. Tomorrow would see me in absolute rural and a good deal of Clyde Walkway walking but first I had two more miles of walking to Dalserf. Thankfully much of it was away from the A72 by a side road running parallel from Skellyton Nurseries to Garrion Bridge. At a roundabout near the bridge I left the course of the A72 to follow the A71 north east to Cardies Bridge.

I stopped at Cardies Bridge and headed back into Glasgow with Lil for a final night together before she returned home. Tomorrow morning she would return me here and then drive home. I will once again be with full backpack and alone but at least the city is behind me. And a special note must now be said about my wife Lil. In the week and a half of her support I have regained the three days I lost though injury sustained on the Cape Wrath Trail and actually made a few miles in advance of the itinerary. Her contribution to my achieving the Great British walk has been invaluable. For that I thank her with all my love.