Five days in the west of Scotland.

Day one: Monday 5 September 2011
I had set off from home at 6-15am to get to Lancaster station in good time for the 7-30 train to Glasgow. Half way there the heavens opened, giving me a good soaking which meant sitting in a damp patch on the train for just over two hours! The forecast was for more rain and gales moving in later in the day. With a similar forecast for the remainder of the week I wasn't sure if I was really looking forward to this little trip!
I couldn't believe it as the train pulled out of Penrith station, the sun made an appearance, with plentiful patches of blue sky; surely this won't last? It did though, and arriving in sunny Glasgow at 9-45  I rode the short but very busy section of road to join the cycle path along the River Clyde. Once on the cycle path (NCR7), it was traffic free all the way down to within spitting distance of the Arran ferry at Ardrossan. I had missed the 12-30 ferry so had to wait around for the 3-30 one - a good excuse for a cafe stop.
At the allotted time I boarded the CalMac 'Caledonian Isles' under threatening grey skies. Had my luck run out already? Not at all! Blue skies and warm sunshine welcomed me to the beautiful island of Arran.

On two feet, instead of two wheels!

On the low-level path to the New Dungeon Gyhll

Yesterday, just for a change, I went walking. OK I do plenty of walking around the Garstang area, but it is a while since I have done any real walking, Lake District walking, on the fells.

I used to go walking or climbing in the Lakes almost once a week, but in recent years I had got out of the habit and not found the time for some superb, high level walks. So, a couple of weeks ago I made the decision that I was getting back to it, at least once a month - and hopefully more.

My first foray up there was to a very familiar area - the Langdale Pikes. Parking at the National Trust car park at the Old Dungeon Gyhll, I headed off along the low-level path that leads to the New Dungeon Gyhll, a gentle warm up for the legs. It was a cool and breezy morning, but the forecast promised some sunshine later. I had started off with waterproof jacket on to keep the cold wind off, but by the time I was heading up alongside Stickle Gyhll the jacket was off. Looking ahead, Pavey Ark was out of sight, hidden by low cloud.

Reaching the tarn, I could see that it was unlikely that the promised sunshine was going to materialise, the tops were an even shade of grey. Not to be deterred, I made good progress around the east side of the tarn and up Bright Beck to the top of Pavey Ark. I had considered going up via Jacks Rake, but not having done much recently, I thought it wise to leave that for another day. The first rain shower hit me at the summit, and it was cold, very cold! No gloves with me, so hands in pockets.

The walk across Harrison Stickle and on to Pike o' Stickle was uneventful, and not much to see but the few feet in front of me. I ate my butties on top of Pike o' Stickle, remembering what the views from the top were on a clear day - one of the best viewpoints in the Lakes! My descent route followed the gaping chasm of Dungeon Gyhll before arriving back at the car, satisfied with my first episode of my "Return to the Lakes"

The weather could have been better, but what the heck, this is the Lake District after all!

'Wind trouble again!'

Loaded up

No, not that kind of wind! Wind wind I mean, the type that the weather forecasters warn us about. The same kind of wind that can make cycling a real pleasure (if it's behind you), or a war of attrition (if it's in your face).

As you can see by the photo, a touring bike loaded up with camping gear is not the most aerodynamic vehicle in the world - it weighs a ton as well, so with a head wind the going is slow - often very slow!

Every year around this time, my dear wife Joanna takes on the onerous task of marking up to 1200 maths test papers (rather her than me!). Sorry, I've just been corrected - make that 1400 papers! This obviously keeps her very busy for some time, which gives me a great excuse to get out of her way - cycling, walking, photographing - whatever. My original plan was to go off on the bike on Monday - a good four or five day camping trip somewhere 'up north'. That day turned out to be a miserable wet affair and the same was forecast for the following day. So, me being the hardened, dedicated, all weather, gung-ho type, I of course put the trip off until the weather improved! Wednesday was better although strong winds were forecast, but what the heck - I was off!

I didn't get on the road until after ten, but there was no rush and, although quite cool, the sun was trying to break through. Up through Scorton and Five Lane Ends, I was getting into my stride nicely. Not too much wind, the going was good through Caton and Halton, and on to Carnforth. A brew stop at Milnthorpe seemed a good place to think about where I was heading (don't sensible people plan these things before setting off?). I could head off to Kirkby Lonsdale and maybe the Dent area, or continue north to the Lakes. A toss of a coin (in my head) and I was soon passing through Levens and Brigsteer towards Kendal. Looks like the Lakes won.

I made a foolish decision to head for a camp site I have used many times in the past, Syke Side Farm at the southern end of Ullswater. Why was it a foolish decision? Because to get there meant either a knee-cracking climb over Kirkstone Pass, or a knee-cracking climb over Shap - there is no easy way! In the end I did both! Shap came first, a long, but not too steep climb which seems to go on forever. It's quite a pleasant climb on a skinny, lightweight road bike, but on a heavily laden touring beast it can only be described as a grind. This is where the wind really decided to get me! At first I thought my luck was in and I would have a nice tail wind to the top, but either the wind changed direction, or I did, as it was now buffeting me from the side doing it's damndest to push me across the road.

All good things come to an end I had got to the top. My reward came for all that hard work though with an exhilarating eight mile descent to Shap village. The following few miles down to Pooley Bridge were pleasant enough, undulating lanes mainly sheltered from the worst of the wind. Past the beautiful lake of Ullswater, the end was in sight - and so were the black clouds! As I passed through Patterdale, the heavens opened and the wind blowing down from Kirkstone Pass almost brought me to a standstill. By the time I reached Syke Side I was wet, cold, and in no mood for putting a tent up - and it was still reasonably early, so what's the best thing to do? Keep going!

I soon warmed up on the climb to the Kirkstone Pass Inn, The rain had stopped and I was laughing to myself as I sped down 'The Struggle' thinking of the irony of the name whilst I enjoyed an effortless descent of 1100 feet in just  two and a half miles! Now I really must find a campsite. I know of a few around that area but I went for one I have never tried before - Park Cliffe, high above Windermere a few miles from Bowness. It's quite a commercialised site with a bar and restaurant - but these were closed as it was not yet high season for them, so I could still say I was roughing it! (Well a little bit).
A tough 93 miles on the clock today.

Camp set up with my 'Old Faithful' 25 year old tent

Thursday was an easier day, doing touristy stuff like a picnic by the lakeshore at Thirlmere, and tea and a scone (with jam and cream of course) sat in the sunshine outside a tea room in Hawkshead. The day was warmer, with some sunshine and little wind, so it was an enjoyable, leisurely day with only about 40 miles cycling. After yesterday I thought I had earned it, after all cycling is supposed to be a pleasurable pastime isn't it?

I woke up early Friday morning with the wind trying it's best to lift the tent off the ground. After breakfast, and just before taking the tent down, the rain came. A wet tent is heavier to carry than a light one, but at least I didn't have food to carry so the bike should weight about the same - still heavy! The rain came and went all the way home - the wind came, and came, and came - it never did 'went'! It came from the south, and I was heading south, which meant a battle all the way. Preferring quiet roads, I opted not to go directly down the A6 but went via Crooklands and Burton before heading through the Kellets and Crook 'o Lune, then the final stretch over Quernmore. It was slow, it was a slog, it was hard work, the hardest 56 miles I have done in a long time, but eventually I was home, unpacked and in a hot bath. Then the wind dropped!

Did I mention it was windy?

My next trip away is in two weeks time - Garstang Cycling Club's Coast to Coast ride. 160 miles from Glasson Dock to Flamborough Head - lots of hills, but that will be a piece of cake! I'm the support driver!

Did I mention it was windy?

It's not all about the bike!

I do have other interests in life off the bike. One is photography, and today I was passing some of that enthusiasm on to others.

Last Friday, the Garstang Walking festival started. A nine day long festival of walking and other outdoor activities based in and around Garstang, it encapsulates all that is good about this area of north Lancashire. Along with general walks in the countryside, the festival provides opportunities for people to try out different things, from dry-stone walling, bushcraft skills, to more technical stuff like geocaching and geology.

Today though, I led a walk aimed at helping people to improve their 'snapshots' with their digital cameras. Not an in-depth photographic course, but just a few fun hours exploring how simple techniques can make a big difference to your pics.

Helped by my friend and fellow photographer Lynn, we started off with an hour or so in the cafe at Cobble Hey Farm doing a bit of 'classroom' stuff - composition, techniques etc. Then it was out into the wilds of Calder Vale to get a bit of hands on practice.

The eight punters that we had were a friendly bunch, with no 'Smart Alecs' amongst them to tell us what we should be doing. They were all very receptive to what we had to pass on to them, and everybody enjoyed a good day of taking beautiful images of people, flowers, countryside and of course, at this time of year, bluebells. There had been just one moderately heavy shower of rain, but by the time we were having our picnic lunch in the stunning bluebell woods, the sun was breaking through adding to the fun of the day.

By the finish, everyone was buzzing with the new things they had learned and posted positive comments on the 'customer satisfaction' forms. Lynn and I were happy to have passed on a bit of our knowledge to people and considered it to have been a worthwhile day.

Windy ways to Wrea Green.

What a day for a club ride! Woke up to gale force winds buffeting everything in the garden, just as forecast on the telly last night. Now, wind is the curse of the cyclist, even more than rain, but my mind was made up - having missed a few club rides recently, I thought it was about time I caught up with a few people - I was going on the Garstang Cycling Club ride today!

At least it was a fairly warm wind blowing as we all gathered at the Royal Oak at 9-30am, and the sun was shining brightly on the fourteen of us as we headed out through Winmarleigh and Stakepool. The wind was behind us and the pace was brisk, heading out over Cartford Bridge and Elswick, Singleton and on to Staining. It was from here on that we were to get a taste of what the return journey had in store for us!

A turn in direction, now heading south east and the strong easterly wind was in our faces (left cheeks), slowing the pace considerably. Wrea Green and Dizzy Duck's cafe was a welcome sight, the food and company was good as we spent half an hour in this cosy little spot. It's a great little cafe run by ex-England rugby union star Wade Dooley and his wife. Wade can often be seen serving in the cafe and blocking the light from the windows, such is his size!

The return was through Kirkham and Broughton and mainly into the wind, ensuring a slower average speed than on the outward journey. We were all back in Garstang by 2-30pm, no punctures or mechanical problems, a bit battered by the wind but having enjoyed a great few hours riding, just under 50 miles in total.

Route on Gmaps Pedometer -
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3314893

Up hill and down Dales

Hasn't this April weather been wonderful? Another warm, sunny day today and I was free to get out on the bike! Time for a long ride - but where? I headed off from home in Garstang up to Chipping with only a vague idea as to where I was going. It was a little bit on the chilly side to start off with, but the climb up over Bleasdale soon warmed things up.

A quick descent to Whalley and my mind was made up - over Pendle via the 'Nick' to Sabden. That idea didn't last long! Riding through Wiswell I had a change of mind and headed off instead through Pendleton and Worston then across the busy A59 to West Bradford and Bolton by Bowland. So far it had been a beautiful morning with great views all around. There was a slight headwind coming from the north east but nothing too bad. I was soon in Settle and time for a cafe stop. After looking at The Old Naked Man cafe I soon opted for getting something from the Co-op and eating on a bench - the cafe was heaving! It was good to see Settle on a lovely spring day ablaze with Union Jacks. They were certainly getting into the spirit of things for the Royal wedding tomorrow!

Leaving Settle I climbed the Horton in Ribblesdale road, through stunning scenery with the bulk of Pen-y-ghent off to the right, to Ribblehead. No steam trains puffing over Ribblehead Viaduct today. Now, which way to turn? Left and I would soon be in Ingleton, with a fast descent. Or right and a bit of a climb before turning off to Dent. Right would involve a few extra miles and some extra climbs, but I was feeling in good form so right it was. The ride down through Dentdale was a sheer delight. Spring lambs in the fields, blossom on the trees, the sun shining, and hardly any traffic - a cyclists heaven. (Apart from the potholes of course!)

After passing through the cobbled street of Dent it was soon time to pay for all the pleasant downhill riding - the climb from Gawthrop into Barbondale. It never gets any easier that climb! Steep right from the bottom, but the reward soon comes in the form of riding along gently undulating singletrack roads all the way to Barbon village.

For the first time on this ride I was now on main roads. Bypassing Kirkby Lonsdale at Devil's Bridge, across the very busy A65, and onto the Lancaster road, I was feeling in need of a little energy boost, so a cafe stop was in order. A favourite of mine was just a few miles up the road, the Post Office and cafe at Hornby. Although busy, I was soon served with scone and a pot of tea to help me over the last 17 miles.

The scone did the trick! On the steady climb from Caton up to Postern Gate, I was flying! That just left the rolling road through Quernmore and down to Bay Horse, before detouring through Scorton and back to Garstang.

A fabulous day's solo riding, clocking up 108 miles in just under 7 hours, averaging 15.5 mph. The roads had been surprisingly quiet all day which was great. Lots of cyclists out enjoying the sunshine - will this lovely spring weather last? Fingers crossed!

Route on Gmaps Pedometer -
www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4466254