BowlandBeyondBiketouring

Shimmering Thirlmere Leaving Stonethwaite Campsite at ten past noon, I chatted to a guy from Bolton-le-Sands,  near Carnforth. He asked me if I would be passing through there on my way home to Lancaster. I told him it depended on how late it was when I got to that area. I wasn't sure if this would be the last day of the tour. I had a Grizedale wild-camp in mind. Leaving Derwentwater  I rolled back up Borrowdale past Derwentwater for the last time and stopped for another veggie burger lunch in still-bustling Keswick. Battling up the steep hill to Castlerigg afterwards I pragmatically decided to get off and push. This could turn into a long day, I thought.   The trail re-opened in  December 2020 exactly five years after being devastated by Storm Desmond. A delightful ride through timeless St Johns-in-the-Vale brought me to a short section of gravel track that ended just across from Thirlmere aqueduct. A fresh, brisk wind blew right in my face all the way, but my enjoyment could not b

Langstrath was to be my goal today. I had visited Langstrath once before on a hiking trip over the Stake Pass into The Langdales. That was a very hot day too. At first light a minimalist wild-camper appeared, he had bivvied at a spot he described as "ideal" just in the woods nearby. He set up to make a brew next to me and asked if I had a lighter for his stove, which I duly passed over to him. We chatted for a while and he saw my bike locked to the fence, partially covered by a tarp.  " A gravel bike " he said, presumably having clocked the GRX drivetrain.  His face then all screwed up with faux pain as he declared disapprovingly, "Heavy that". "You wouldn't want to lug all this gear on a light bike" I replied. I don't think he was convinced. It reminded me of the scene in "A Walk in the Woods" when Bill Bryson meets a stranger in a hostel who goes through all is newly bought gear telling him why it's rubbish.  At least I ha

I knew there'd be a lane Magical like this one Leading somewhere Through a gate  a muddy track, up a hill another gate Special Exactly Here                                                                                 Loweswater                                                        It was another day in Paradise as the Seatoller signpost came into view. It was pastures new for me today as I'd never visited this quarter of The Lake District before. In truth I was in for lanes new, waters new and steep mountain passes new before the day was out. Minus the camping gear on the back, I was having a quasi rest day! Honister Pass On a steep incline at Honister Pass two adventurers on whirring electric mountain bikes overtook me. A little further up the hill I saw them along one of the off-road trails leading down and around the mountain back to Derwentwater. Nice idea. Tackling the twenty percent gradients was ameliorated by the thirty six rear sprocket on my Thorn Club Tour, the 

Blencathra sparkling in early morning glory It had been a cold night and I was glad to see the sunrise over the Pennines lighting up Blencathra in morning glory. This field was more highly populated with picnic benches and I enjoyed the luxury of breakfasting on the one that doubled as my bicycle lock-up. Blencathra camp at Gill Head Farm It was another lazy morning, allowing plenty of time to dry the heavy dew from the flysheet. I didn't have far to ride and planned a stop in Keswick for lunch and to stock up on food and fuel. Immediately on leaving Gill Head, I briefly rode with a group of cyclists doing the Coast to Coast route from Tynemouth to Whitehaven. The direct cycle route following the rail trail into Keswick was still not fully repaired at the time (another casualty of the epic floods in 2015). The route has re-opened in it's new extended format since this trip. In any case I wanted to visit Castlerigg, so after passing Threlkeld I crossed the busy A66 and began cli