Day 6
Well it was nice to start the day in a family home with someone offering me a cup of tea and breakfast. Thanks to my cousin Andy and his wife for making me so welcome in their home.
The start of today's ride was delayed by my need to get a new wedge sadle bag. Fortunately there was a bike shop opposite the hotel my parents had stayed in, so we were on the road just after 0900.
BRIEF ENCOUNTER
We rode the short distance from Lancaster to Carnforth and stopped at the railway station which is a living museum and the buffet is as it was in the classic film. After tea and freshly baked scones we set off for our next planned rendezvous with my mother in Kendal.
Well it was nice to start the day in a family home with someone offering me a cup of tea and breakfast. Thanks to my cousin Andy and his wife for making me so welcome in their home.
The start of today's ride was delayed by my need to get a new wedge sadle bag. Fortunately there was a bike shop opposite the hotel my parents had stayed in, so we were on the road just after 0900.
BRIEF ENCOUNTERWe rode the short distance from Lancaster to Carnforth and stopped at the railway station which is a living museum and the buffet is as it was in the classic film. After tea and freshly baked scones we set off for our next planned rendezvous with my mother in Kendal.
With my Mum at Carnforth
With my Dad at Carnforth
THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY
Good progress was made up the A6 until, in a foolish moment I let my father persuade me to avoid the A590/A6 road and take a detour. Foolish mistake that was. It put an extra 5 or so miles on the route. That was bearable, but it included climbing 700 feet in under 3/4 mile. This was harder than riding over Dartmoor. Ariving in Kendal, I resolved not to let old people pick the route again. I was shatered and not conviced I was in any state to get up Shap Fell.
With my Dad at Carnforth
THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY
Good progress was made up the A6 until, in a foolish moment I let my father persuade me to avoid the A590/A6 road and take a detour. Foolish mistake that was. It put an extra 5 or so miles on the route. That was bearable, but it included climbing 700 feet in under 3/4 mile. This was harder than riding over Dartmoor. Ariving in Kendal, I resolved not to let old people pick the route again. I was shatered and not conviced I was in any state to get up Shap Fell.
That is the good and the bad, as for the ugly.....no comment!
A brief coffee break and we set off from Kendal for Shap facing a 15 mile ride and a climb of around 1300 feet from Kendal. Those who know me, will realise my figure does not lend itself to climbing very easily. However, my father came into his own as a former King of the Mountain in the Milk Race (Tour of Britain) and paced me up and over Shap Fell despite my tiredness and our riding into a headwind. We made slow steady progress up to the top, and then down to Shap village where we stopped for lunch at around 1430. We had only done 40 miles by this time and still had another 40 or so to do before the end of the day, oh and I had my first visit from the [p*nct*re]fairy, just as we stopped for lunch.
After leaving Shap at 1500 we headed for Penrith and a bit of descending. Good fortune seemed to be with us as we now had a mainly tailwind. This only lasted for 4 miles as the fairy came back for a second visit. Another repair and we were underway. Good progress ws made through Penrith and on up the A6 riding regularly at 20-25 miles per hour on the flat towards Carlisle and then taking the old A74, now unsignposted and almost deserted. It was great to ride in the sunshine with a tailwind, riding side by side onto the Scottish Border at Gretna. Photos were taken there at the border and at the Marriage Room on the Scottish side of the border.
A brief coffee break and we set off from Kendal for Shap facing a 15 mile ride and a climb of around 1300 feet from Kendal. Those who know me, will realise my figure does not lend itself to climbing very easily. However, my father came into his own as a former King of the Mountain in the Milk Race (Tour of Britain) and paced me up and over Shap Fell despite my tiredness and our riding into a headwind. We made slow steady progress up to the top, and then down to Shap village where we stopped for lunch at around 1430. We had only done 40 miles by this time and still had another 40 or so to do before the end of the day, oh and I had my first visit from the [p*nct*re]fairy, just as we stopped for lunch.
After leaving Shap at 1500 we headed for Penrith and a bit of descending. Good fortune seemed to be with us as we now had a mainly tailwind. This only lasted for 4 miles as the fairy came back for a second visit. Another repair and we were underway. Good progress ws made through Penrith and on up the A6 riding regularly at 20-25 miles per hour on the flat towards Carlisle and then taking the old A74, now unsignposted and almost deserted. It was great to ride in the sunshine with a tailwind, riding side by side onto the Scottish Border at Gretna. Photos were taken there at the border and at the Marriage Room on the Scottish side of the border.
Now, a couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Jo's father suggesting that on my holiday, I could visit Gretna. It seems I may have misunderstood his suggestion. Apparently I was not meant to elope over the Scottish border with my parents leaving my partner in England! It seems that I have got my self a bit mixed up over who should be where. Now Dave, I came to Gretna, but it seems that something went wrong. You never said I had to take Jo with me. I assume I just had to get myself there!
Lodgings tonight in Scotland werein Gretna at the Solway Lodge Hotel. Its a great little hotel that apparently does great wedding functions and is near the Marriage Rooms. Well so my parents told me!
It was of course Billy Idol who sang its a nice day for a white weding!
TODAY'S DATA
Distance Ridden 81.8 miles
Riding Time 06 hrs 15 mins
Av Speed 13.1 mph
Total Climbing 5654 feet
It was of course Billy Idol who sang its a nice day for a white weding!
TODAY'S DATA
Distance Ridden 81.8 miles
Riding Time 06 hrs 15 mins
Av Speed 13.1 mph
Total Climbing 5654 feet
Woo Hoo! You made it to Scotland!! Very odd you made it to Gretna with your parents and I'm hundreds of miles away in Nottingham ... actually I think i like it that way!
ReplyDeleteI'm all packed up and ready for coming to meet you going via Scarborough to drop off the boys and Mapa's. Only one more sleep and I will be there!!!!
All week the weather forecasters have been going wild about the 16 hours of sunshine in Northern Scotland..until today. Rain, wind more rain, cloud, wind, more rain. Mmmmm glad I'm packing my laptop and lots of DVD's.
Be with you soon Peter.
love you
Jo xx
you managed to get the chap at the DVD place to give you the "under the counter" DVDs I ordered then!
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