Overnight bikepacking stealth camp along Lancaster canal

Single-speed bike-packing overnight stealth camp

The Lune Aqueduct

The Lune Aqueduct in Lancaster always provides a good bookend for a cycle ride. This was my first ever bicycle camping trip. I rode my Charge Plug single-speed bike and used  a DD 3x3 tarp for my shelter. The route took me North up the Lancaster Canal then around the lanes near Tewitfield to my secret camp ground.

From Lancaster to Carnforth the canal is on Sustrans route NCN 6 (National Cycle Network in the UK). Its a gravel track of varying quality and is more rugged in some places than others. There can be a lot of dog walkers, families, joggers and fellow cyclists so its not going to be the fastest route ever especially in and around the towns. After Carnforth the towpath gets more rugged but is easily rideable in dry weather.

Leaving the towpath near Tewitfield I joined the country lane that connects Over Kellett to Tewitfield and continued on up to the junction with the A6070 on the corner with the Longland's Hotel.  These lanes roll gently and I could easily ride them with my lightly-packed single-speed bike running it's 42/17 gear.

The A6070 can be a busy back road through Borwick; it's popular with LEJOG riders looking for a smooth not-too-hilly route that takes you right in close to the heart of Kendal. There can be a lot of trucks and agricultural vehicles using it in working hours but the traffic is much quieter in the evenings.

Heading towards Burton-in-Kendal and I picked my way through some lanes before reaching my secret camping spot. I still had an hour before darkness fully descended so plenty of time to get camp set up.

My secret spot is located in a small field of set-aside land. The general public are invited to enter and use this private nature reserve, although the exact form of the use is not specified explicitly. It looks as if it has had little use ever. In fact there is a second smaller plot of land on the other side of the road which is very overgrown with a rotting wooden bench half-hidden in the bushes. 

The larger field is surrounded by high hedges with a few grown-on newly planted trees in the centre. It enables a stealthy pitch set back from the road. Pitching closer to the road does allow for an earlier glimpse of the sun (and a dry tarp to pack!) on a nice summer morning.

I presume this to be a private nature reserve that has been bequeathed by a previous landowner in their will. This is pure speculation on my part. I stumbled on it accidently having ridden by many times in the past unaware of its existence. I can find no information about it online at all.

The tarp tent format pitched easily enough with the trekking pole. The front wheel of the bicycle was used to lift up and secure the outside rear of the tarp ( I only had the one pole). I had glued tabs to the underside of the tarp to help string up the mosquito net but they came loose straight away (will try again with a more suitable glue). So I strung the bug net up using the handle and loop on the trekking pole. This worked fine and kept the slope of the net lined up with the tarp.

Tarp tent pitch (at a different location); for my bikepacking trip I used the front bike wheel to support the paracord at the back 

I set the pitch up at the back of the rough paddock-like field, next to the metal gate that adjoined to the large grazing area where sheep and cattle roamed. A small brook or drainage ditch ran behind the fenced off area behind the pitch. The mosquito net would be needed on this warm night in July.

The well-grown newly planted trees in my field had chicken wire wrapped around the base to protect them from wild deer, I knew that they were present and had seen Roe deer in the area in the past. Despite the fencing I've no doubt a hungry deer could gain access in the night if it wanted.

I brewed up a cup of my favourite green tea and  munched a cereal bar before turning in. It was a warm night and I was comfortable in my sleeping bag. I slept with my head at the back which meant the mesh of the low end of the bug netting was close to my face. When full darkness fell I became completely unaware of this and drifted off quickly.

At first light I arose to find a heavy dew on the outside of the tarp. The Sun was already cheering up the other end of the field but it would take some time to reach this bottom corner. Not wanting to push my luck I decided to make a brew and then pack up and ride down to the business estate at Tewitfield where I had seen a sign for a coffee shop/cafe.

I made my tea and went and sat away from the immediate area of my camp to soak up some early morning rays using my trusty shower curtain as a seat on the still drying thick grass.

I then dismantled the tent and placed the tarp and any other wet gear on the sunny side of the field. While that was drying off I replaced the wheel and packed the rest of the stuff. I eventually departed at 7.30am, undetected!

At Tewitfield there was no sign of life at the cafe. It was scheduled to open at 8am. I was unsure if it would open at all so made may way to Carnforth retracing my route back over the canal and then on over the River Keer.

Turning into Nether Beck I was keen to find out how far I could get up the steep hill that feeds into the back of Carnforth onto North Road. Quite far really, as it turned out, but I did have to get of and push the last 15m or so of the climb.

At Greggs I got ticked off (quite correctly!) for not wearing a mask but they still served me a veg sausage roll, cheese and onion pasty with a cup of steaming hot coffee. A post box doubled as my breakfast table as I observed blurry-eyed early morning workers heading in for their pick-me-up. Oh happy retirement!

The access point back onto the canal was just across the street so I made my way back and was gazing across the aqueduct again before 9.30am.

Route