Day 6 Carlisle, Cumbria-Peebles, Borders

After another broken nights sleep, I had breakfast with the B&B owners 2 cocker spaniels looking longingly at my plate. There was a guy from Dundee there too who was a long term guest, doing some security work at a building site. His thick Scottish accent made me realise how far I had come and how much I was looking forward to getting north of the border.

Before leaving, I arranged to meet Mark & Lou in Langholm, 20 miles north before we went our separate ways. Yet again, I managed to arrive in Langholm before Mark & Lou! Passing into Scotland was a big boost for me, it was also a cue for the weather to worsen and I got my overshoes and waterproof out for the first time.

Louise went to buy me some energy drinks whilst I sat in the car with Mark and warmed myself through. After a banana and some photos, we headed off and I continued north on the A7. I was originally planning to take the B709 up through the hills but the clouds were low so I decided to stay in the valley and continue on another smooth, quiet A road.

Although the rain continued on and off all day, I was in good spirits as today was my first slightly easier day, just 74 miles and as it turned out, also one of the most picturesque rides yet.

I stopped for a sandwich in Hawick, a typical bustling border town brimming with tartan and cashmere based shops. From here, there were some long climbs out of Hawick and over the hills before descending into Selkirk, the town with the worst road surfaces in the UK. I got through the town without losing any parts off my bike and joined the A707, which was much better, and the views were lovely – the rain had stopped by this point and the clouds had lifted. 

As I turned west to Innerleithen, I was faced with another stiff headwind that made the day tougher than I was hoping for. I arrived at Craiguart B&B a little earlier than on previous days, allowing me to enjoy a cup of tea looking out south over the Tweed valley.

I met up with an old university friend for tea in Peebles where I sampled my first haggis, neeps and tatties of the journey. I then followed this up with a great sticky toffee pudding and finally a measure of Laphroaig whisky.

74.1 miles, 4 hours 48 minutes, average 15.41 mph, 4672ft of ascent

Day 5 Euxton, Lancashire-Carlisle, Cumbria

I woke up on Sunday to find the sun shining but my legs as sore as they had ever been. Today would see us covering over 100 miles and climbing over Shap and on to Carlisle.

We finally departed at 9.30 after repairing a puncture and getting our bikes ready for another tough day.

After safely making our way through Preston (glad it was Sunday!) we joined the A6 and headed north. We made a couple of quick stops just south of Galgate, the first to buy a new tyre for Richard’s bike and then a refuel stop with Andy. 

Once we reached Lancaster, we left the A6 and headed north east and up into the hills towards Kirkby Lonsdale. We passed into Cumbria just before reaching Kirkby where Andy once again provided us with some sandwiches and drinks. The hills continued as we gradually got closed to Shap but the views were amazing and the minor roads were wonderfully empty as we passed through Beckfoot, Tebay and Orton. We both agreed this one some of the best cycling we had ever done and was worth cycling the length of the country to experience.

 

After some more tough ascents, we finally reached Shap summit, 1070ft above sea level. From here we coasted back down to the A6, meeting Andy for another refuel just south of Penrith. After Penrith, we decided to stay on the A6 rather than cross over to a minor road, as the A6 was quite quiet and well surfaced. Unfortunately, there were some long hills along the way that wasn’t what our already tired legs really needed. If I had looked ahead, I would have seen that we would be passing through High Hasket, followed by Low Hasket, a good indication that hills might be involved!

Just south of Carlisle, I bid farewell to my riding partner and support crew as they headed back to Leeds. It had been great having company over the 2 longest days of the journey and definitely helped me keep my spirits up.

I arrived at my B&B, Langleigh Guesthouse after another 8 miles or so. Like Taunton, some of the streets were cobbled, forcing me onto the pavement to try and give my sore wrists a break.

After 2 long hard days in the saddle, I was sore and tired. I had now cycled over 500 miles in the last 5 days and was just 10 miles short of the Scottish border. I knew however that I was over half way and Mark and Louise would be meeting me for the evening.

True to form, they were running a little late which gave me some time to collapse on my bed and send a couple of emails. I met friends Mark and Louise in town and we decided an Indian was in order so we went to a restaurant recommended to me by the B&B owner. Teza proved to be a fine choice and I felt much better afterwards. On heading home, the rain had returned and we had a soggy walk back, flip flops are not the best footwear in the wet!

102.8 miles, 6 hours 19 minutes, average 16.25 mph, 5191ft of ascent

Day 4 Astley Burf, Worcestershire-Euxton, Lancashire

After another restless nights sleep and a breakfast baguette, the postman arrived with my tool and I cycled into Stourport in the hope a bike shop could help me. Ironically, I think the shop I found (Stourport Specialist Cycles) would have had the right tool anyway and they very kindly tightened it up for me free of charge.

It was here that I met Richard and Andy, my uncle and aunty who would be joining me for the next 2 days, Richard on 2 wheels and Andy as our support crew, feeding us sandwiches and energy drinks for the next 220 miles.

We headed out of Stourport to Bewdley. From here, we faced some tough climbs north and into Shropshire. After Bridgnorth we joined the A458 then skirted east of Shrewsbury, through a street carnival in Wem and on to Whitchurch. Here, we were faced with a road closure but we carried on in the hope that we would be able to push or carry our bikes past whatever obstruction was ahead. The other option was a lengthy detour, extra miles that we didn’t want to add to an already long day. From here, we enjoyed about 4 miles of the A49 without seeing a single car and safely negotiated the roadworks.

On to Cheshire! The A49 continued to provide us with a good surface and tailwind up to Warrington where we met Andy for our final pit stop of the day. After a chocolate bar and can of cola, we continued north, through Wigan where the weather finally broke and gave us a good soaking for the last hour of our journey. We arrived at Gleadhill B&B tired and wet having cycled 117 miles and travelling through 4 different counties.

After a lovely bath and hot chocolate, we walked up to the local pub and enjoyed a plate of steak, Cajun chicken and chips, followed by a chocolate sundae!

117.1 miles, 7 hours 3 minutes, average 16.59 mph, 5262ft of ascent

Day 3 West Huntspill, Somerset-Astley Burf, Worcestershire

We were the only guests eating and once she had served us breakfast, she sat down in a chair next to us and watched us, throwing in comments such as how her homemade bread was the best we would ever have and barked at us when we didn’t immediately try her homemade marmalade.

After breakfast, it goes without saying that we wasted no time in departing but not before they had sponsored me, guess they weren’t all bad!

Toward the end of Thursday, the bottom bracket on my bike (the bearing that spin the pedals) developed a bit of a creak. I had replaced the whole unit before leaving home as it was starting to wear out. This particular model is prone to loosening itself over time but I chose it as it allows me to get the chainline exactly in line. Anyway, for whatever reason, this one had done just that so I headed to Weston Super Mare to find a bike shop that would be able to tighten it up for me. Two bike shops later, I was having no luck so I said goodbye to Tim and carried on my journey, as I had 108 miles to cover today.

After spotting another bike shop in Yatton (again, no luck) I came to the conclusion that the tool required for removing the bottom bracket wasn’t that common. I then made a call to arrange for my tool to be delivered by 9am the following morning to my stop over near Stourport. I then got the pedals turning again and started to get some miles under my wheels. 

After a quick stop at the Black Horse in Clapton in Gordano, I passed over the Avonmouth bridge, up a few big hills and onto the A38. By this point, the energy-sapping headwind had turned into a slight tailwind and I flew up to Gloucester and yet another county sign.

After Gloucester, I began to tire and by Worcester I was feeling pretty spaced out. I made it to a petrol station where I sat on the edge of the forecourt carbo-loading like never before. After this break, I felt ready for the last 10 miles, the last 4 of which I know were quite tough having done the same ride back in August. I got to my destination at about 6pm and was thoroughly exhausted; my host Matthew was house and dog-sitting for his brother so we spent a relaxing evening eating spaghetti Bolognese and consuming a great bottle of Rioja. There was going to be a sticky toffee pudding but due to Matthew’s unfamiliarity with the oven, it was burnt to a crisp.  

108.6 miles, 6 hours 35 minutes, average 16.49 mph, 4009ft of ascent

Day 2 Burnard’s House, Devon-West Huntspill, Somerset

I woke up on Thursday feeling OK but I knew I had done a hard ride on the previous day, my legs felt quite tired, especially when walking down the stairs!

After a good breakfast of cereal and scrambled eggs on toast, I packed up my bag and set off east towards Holsworthy. The first mile to Holsworthy was lovely – a flat section of new, smooth tarmac, a cyclist’s nirvana. Alas, the road out of Holsworthy kicked up to about 15% so that immediately took some of the freshness out of my legs. The road to Hatherleigh was relatively easy, more undulating than hilly. It then climbed again out of the village, another 10%+ gradient and the story continued through Tiverton and on to Taunton as I skirted round the southern edge of Exmoor.

I stopped for lunch in a small village called Halberton at a pub called the Barge. They gave me a great lunch of gammon, egg and chips, which went some way to refuel me. As I would find over the course of my journey, walking into pubs at lunchtime wearing lycra usually gets you some attention. After asking me what I was doing, the staff and locals clubbed together sent me on my journey with some extra sponsorship money.

After negotiating the cobbled streets of Taunton, I was cycling with more enthusiasm, as I knew the rest of the day was going to be wonderfully flat as I passed into Somerset.

I had arranged to meet Tim (a mate from home) just south of Bridgewater where we could then ride the last 8 miles to the B&B we would be staying in. These last miles passed quickly as the roads were flat and it was nice to have some 2-wheeled company finally.

Our B&B, Ilex House in West Huntspill was a lovely old building, run by an equally old and rather strange couple. The husband was pleasant enough, just exceptionally old and I was sure I would have to give him some kind of medical attention at some point during our stay. The wife was not quite as old but she made up for this with her bluntness and negative outlook on everything outside of her own little world. On arrival, we were immediately made to feel like 2 young schoolboys again and this continued through to breakfast on the following morning.

85.7 miles, 5 hours 40 minutes, average 15.1 mph, 4363ft of ascent

Day 1 Land’s End, Cornwall- Burnard’s House, Devon

I slept well considering the very squeaky metal-framed bunk bed. I was the only one in the room so I dare say that sleeping would have been much harder if there were three others in there.

After a breakfast of Weetabix and toast, I packed up my kit and coasted down the road to Land’s End. I realised when I got there that the tailwind that had blown me West was now going to be against me all day! 

I was surprised to have the place to myself apart from one lonely runner who took a photo of me at the start. I had a short wander round but thought I should better get going so at 8:30am I set off. 

Immediately I know the wind was going to be a factor today. It was always going to be a tough day with the constant hills, but the wind just sapped that little bit more energy from my legs.

My first stop was in Cambourne at about 25 miles in and then again in Redruth at 30 miles. By this point I was already pretty tired. The hills had indeed been constant (and steep), even on the gentle descents I had to pedal to keep moving let alone accelerate.

I stopped for lunch just West of Wadebridge on the A39 at the Halfway House pub. I had a big plate of chilli and rice and two pints of Coke. I was over halfway by this point which helped mentally and would be something I would try and do each day.

After Wadebridge, the hills became a little gentler which meant I could enjoy the nice roads and scenery a little more. Although I was on fairly main roads during the afternoon, they were wide and smooth and I didn’t feel threatened by traffic at all.

From Camelford, the hills returned and the last fifteen miles of the day from Poundstock onwards were on much smaller roads and they were really steep. I passed into Devon soon after which gave me a boost but my quads were close to cramping up on those final few ascents. 

I finally arrived at Oak Tree Farm B&B just after 4pm. I was the only guest as the owners were flying to America the following day.

After tea, biscuits and a shower, I walked to the closest pub, which was about a mile away, along the main road. I had steak pie at the Rydon Inn and managed to splash gravy down one of only 2 t-shirts I had!

92 miles, 5 hours 55 minutes, average 15.53 mph, 6358ft of ascent

Day 0 Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire-Penzance-Trevescan, Cornwall

Finished work at 9am then walked to Enterprise to pick the car up. Got a nice blue Focus. Once I got home, I packed it up with the bike and kit and headed west.

The journey was very straightforward down to Penzance where I dropped the car off. The staff very kindly let me use their office so I could change into my cycling kit and pack my normal clothes into my rack bag before taking the first tentative pedal stroke towards Land’s End.

After an hour’s hard cycling, I reached the hostel only to find it locked up. I rang the owner who said she was an hour away so she gave me the required door code over the phone so I could get in and have a shower. The hostel itself has only been open since May and is in a wonderful location about half a mile from Land’s End in the hamlet of Trevescan.

That evening, I met up with an old university friend who happens to live in Truro. We met in the First & Last Pub in Sennen for tea. I ordered chicken curry that appeared as a chicken breast covered in chip shop curry sauce and a very oily poppadum! I suppose if it’s the last pub, diners don’t have a lot of choice!

After tea we drove down to Land’s End and watched a great fireworks display that runs every Tuesday night throughout August. This was a lovely way to start my trip and I treated it as a personal send off just for me!