Friday 19th October 2001

Trip Time & Ave Speed include all stops during day

We travelled over to Whitehaven by car, arriving at 9.30am.  By the time we had prepared the bikes and had our photo taken on the slipway, we set off at 10am.  First stamping point found easily, and away we went.  Our first attempts at following the signs weren't great, as we ended up heading back to the sea.  It was time to place our faith in the GPS and follow the direction arrow.  The locals were very helpful, and volunteered information which helped us get out of the town and onto the cycle path.

Heading East out of Whitehaven, the path was level, but very busy with people walking with dogs.  Obviously, we slowed down in each case, but some owners were not too careful with their pets, leading to heavy braking at times.  We had planned to stop at about hourly intervals to have a short break for a drink, and we took our first near Rowrah.  We could hear the nearby Kart track, but unfortunately never got to see it.  The headwind of about 10mph was doing it's bit to carry the noise (and slow us down).

We were very happy with the performance of the GPS, all of our waypoints being very accurate and helping us keep to the planned route without needing to refer to maps.  The scenery improved as we rode past Loweswater and Crummock, and Keswick approached.  Only the Whinlatter Pass stood in our way.  As we rode over the old road, we looked down at the main road some way down and looking fairly level.  We questioned whether we would have been better on that road even with the increased traffic.

At the top, we decided to call in to the Visitor Centre for something to eat rather than trying to find somewhere in Keswick where we could leave the bikes safely.  We had a nice meal and drink (Leek & potato soup, cheese scone and a sausage roll).  Refreshed, we enjoyed the run downhill into Keswick, and tried to find our next stamping point - 'Open All Hours'.  We made the mistake of asking in a Pizza/Kebab shop and got sent the wrong way.  Eventually we asked a local, found the shop and got our next stamp.

Climbing out of Keswick, we got a little confused at the turn for Castlerigg Stone Circle.  We had planned to stay on the normal route, North of the A66, but could not find the path.  By now, the weather had got worse, and we decided to join the A66 for a short distance until we could re-join the route.  The time was now about 3pm.  The A66 had its pros and cons; it was more level than the cycle route, and we could cycle to the left of the white line, but obviously the traffic and spray led to a not very pleasant ride.  

Our mood was dipping rapidly by this point mainly because of the headwind, the weight of the panniers, the rain, and the seemingly endless climbs.  Small hills which would not have troubled us at the start of the day were looking bigger each time we came to them.  Personally, it was at this point that I seriously questioned why I was doing this - I could be at work instead! 

At times we re-joined the cycleway, but as it seemed to be full of dips & rises, we tended to stay on the A66.  We cut out the Mungrisdale loop which we saw as unnecessary distance, and with the rain getting worse, and time moving on, we were in no mood to be out for longer than necessary.  After stopping to change coats, we stayed on the A66 until about 5pm, finally turning off and heading for our first stop at Greystoke about 3 miles away.  We arrived at the Boot & Shoe Inn at 5.20 very wet and miserable.  We were met by Paul, who made us very welcome, locked the bikes up and showed us our rooms.

After getting the clothes into the drying room, and having a hot bath and meeting in the bar at 6pm, our mood had improved, and the day did not seem so bad.  However, I think that the day had been a bit tougher than we had envisaged due to the conditions.  Prior to the ride, we had seen day 2 as being the killer with the size and number of climbs, and had maybe underestimated the first day.