I had forgotten how beautiful the scenery is across the North West of England and into Southern Scotland. Even the heavy, dark sky did not take away from the majestic vistas. The journey put me in a great mood for my first working visit to Glasgow. I met with five fantastic companies all looking to build their export markets into Australia. They told me that the retail sector had been hit quite hard by the recession. But they, and many other companies, were seeing great opportunities for export. The weaker pound meant UK exports looked better value in overseas markets and that UKTI could support them to make the most of these opportunities.