Vagabonds came from a’ the airts: Alan and John rode north from Carlisle, Peter came across country from the Minchmoor, Meg and Eddie - an hour apart - rode the high lonely roads eastwards from Lockerbie, and George came south up from Hawick as the tailpiece to his 150 mile Audax. Only one of us arrived in daylight, the rest stumbling along unfamiliar forest lanes and disused rail lines in an inky blackness, guided for the final yards by the candle in the window.