Day 87 - Keswick loop Lake District - 88 kms ! Henley's nemisis returns !

With H feeling up for it and our panniers removed for the first day on tour, we left our hotel in Cleator aiming to pick up the famous C 2 C route Britain's most popular long distance cycle route (230 kms) completed by close to 15,000 cyclists every year !

By tackling day 1 of the route to Keswick as a return loop we hoped to go through sections with reputedly some of the best scenery on a bike in the UK.

We started off in warmish but over cast conditions aware of the forecast for late afternoon showers. Early climbing soon had us in photographic nirvana with great views to the Irish sea on one side and absolutely stunning views of lakes and fells on the other.

The ride took us right along side Loweswater lake glistening in the morning sun, before again climbing back across valleys with a predictable tough 2 km tough climb up to Winlatter forest judging by trails a mecca for mountain bike riders !

At this point all was going famously with Kev not showing too many affects of his illness from the day before.

All of that quickly came undone though when Kev taking a downhill corner at speed losing control and biting the bitumen scarring his Mr Universe body (he told me to write that !)

A full story of the incident is posted on the blog.

Having scraped H's skin off the bitumen and taken the mandatory post incident crime photos we worked our easy into lovely Keswick for a late lunch just in time for the onset of the predicted rain.

This was to be H"s ultimate challenge with so many nightmares of his 2011 trip based around the fickle UK weather !

The journey back (40+ kms) took us on a slightly different route with both of us keen to avoid the steep road that caused Henleys demise. Instead the C 2 C route took us on a length of off road forest trail up steep gradients to the Winlatter pass with rain now becoming pretty steady and H starting to feel cold

Heading back down to the lakes we came across a friendly European couple on their Brompton bikes (foldable 6 gear small wheeled) having just attended a Brompton convention in the UK !

H was now descending at about 5 km /hr after his earlier spectacular dismount giving him more time to feel the effects of the rain and it wasn't long before he stared to complain about freezing toes and fingers even though some locals wed bumped into commented on the warmish nature of the rain !

The scenery was totally different from the morning with the hills and lakes now covered with mist and cloud providing for an eerrily beautiful landscape !

Not far from Cleator we jumped on to a well sealed rail trail a byproduct of extensive iron ore mining in the area and the cause of local subsidence in some parts.

The mining and railways also brought in many Irish workers resulting in much conflict between local protestants and catholics !

By the time we had jumped off the rail trail we were well and truly soaked with H now adding a frozen nose to his growing list of non functioning body parts !

We arrived back at 7.00p.m after an eventful and tiring day but pleased at having been exposed to so much wonderful scenery.

A hot shower and a good dinner with obligatory soup brought H back to life although it was now clear that he was going to have one more nightmare to add to his UK list !

Henley bares his ass while the boys ride naked !

With a headline like that you know we've been in the UK way too long reading Murdoch inspired tabloid newspapers !

No we weren't letting it all hang out, as much as our cycling clothes would in fact relish the breather, but were riding without panniers for the first time on trip giving us both a very unusual although welcome 'naked' feeling !

Knowing our bikes would handle differently though didn't stop the downhill flyer KH from pushing it as we descended on a steep road on todays ride to Keswick.

I'd just stopped following Kev to put on my sunnies when cars going past started braking at a nearby corner ahead giving me the premonition that something was wrong again !

Sure enough on my arrival a couple of concerned walkers were helping Kev and his bike from the road with H apparently loosing control of his rear wheel and crashing to the road when braking in the corner.

Luckily there appeared no major damage although H had a cut knee, torn nicks and an almighty graze on the old hip bone that will have him feeling sore and sorry tomorrow !

When I queried H he used the 'O'Grady' defense (Daryl O'Grady China 2007 torn tendons) saying that he was only doing about 9.5 kms an hour (a bit strange given that his gearing showed he was in the big ring !)

I think the truth was that Kev went fast into the corner not reaising how tight it was and over applied the brakes causing his loss of control with impact being on his hip and knee and luckily not falling in front of traffic !

A detailed forensics investigation determined that H 's speed was closer to 95 km/hr and not the 9.5 as reported !

We rode on to Keswick (another 30 mins away) with Kev only losing a couple of pints of claret, to raid
the local pharmacy so Kev could patch himself up for a return back albeit this time a lot slower !

Bandaged and feeling sore from the various impact points i get the feeling that a wheelchair may be on the cards for tommorrow as the residual bruising makes an appearance !

As for H expect some learning from the experience and some tempered down hill riding when he returns to OZ !

In the meantime Kev is wondering whether anyone is interested in a pair of slightly soiled and slightly torn nicks !!!

Day 86 - Cleator Lake District - Wow !

Well Wordsworth and Coleridge got it right writing eloquently about the stunning beauty of the magical Lake District inspiring us also to use the Australian vernacular to describe the sense of moment - 'Speccy eh' !!

We left quaint Pately Bridge in the Dales after both of us having little sleep the night before, a hot bedroom and a toilet flushing system that sounded like an A 380 jet engine starting up being the main culprits !

H despite a returned appetite wasn't up for riding so we instead took to the Yorkshire Dales driving along narrow lanes hrough beautiful James Herriot like scenery to Hawes and then on to Sedbergh.

The Dales borders on the stunning Lake District so it was one picture perfect moment after another as we then drove on to Kendal and Windermere (millions of tourists out and about) and Keswick (only tens of thousands) taking lunch and walking to take in views of the lovely Derwent Water.

With the plan to do some cycling on the C 2 C route we journeyed on to the west coast looking for a good cycle starting point and reasonable accommodation considering Whitehaven , St.Bees and a dump of a place called Egremont.

In the end we decided on Cleator a quiet village right next to the C.2 C route and close to the magnifent scenery of the lake district.

We settled for a hotel that s a converted school and amazingly the receptionist a former pupil who regaled us in stories of her time at the school including when protestants and catholics were segregated during play time !

A good dinner, a forecast for some reasonable weather and a chance to get back on the bike again - what more could we want ...... well maybe for Australia to last more than 3 days in the 3rd test !!!

Fwd: Day 85 - Pately Bridge Yorkshire - On the road again !

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Day 85 - Pately Bridge Yorkshire - On the road again !
From: michael litchfield <m_litchfield@hotmail.com>
To: litchy1.codey@bloggert.com
CC:


Some morning pleading by Kev was good enough to get the one and only bike shop in town to have a crack at fixing my wheel even though because of business commitments it was likely to be a late in the day effort !

We checked out of our great guest house accommodation (not often you are served breakfast by someone in a Dickie bow !) saying goodbye to our hosts Dave & Dee and setting about to explore the beautiful Peak District for the day after dropping off my bike for repair.

Driving first to Eyam I asked whether H was current with his "plague shots" as Eyam achieved notierity back in the 1660's as a plaque village ! So deadly was its effect that the town quarantined itself by restricting outside access and by burying the dead on the various properties and not in a communal area.

A standing reminder to this today are the cottages where the plague started and a long list of those inside who died. Also a no. of graves are evident on private property.

Probably most poignant of all was a large stone' placed on the border between Eyam parish and the next village. The stone had 6 holes that locals filled with vinegar treated money in exchange for goods brought by the next village down the valley - a self imposed quarantine !

After Eyam we took in some fabulous views of the Hope Valley from high up before driving to peaceful Tiddleswell for lunch a village that H remembers only too well having staggered through here in 2011 on our way cycling to Hope.

Kev was beginning to show signs of not feeling well again, something that has dogged him on and off the trip.

With rain threatening we drove on to Monsal head a beautiful look out across the valley including a magnificent 8 arch former railway bridge that saw service on the London and Manchester train line between 1860-1960 !

Not only were the views sensational but we had a ring side seat for a huge approaching storm complete with rain, thunder& lightning a very eery experience.

We battled our way through water deluged roads (post storm) to Buxton to pick up one repaired bike wheel and rotor (now 100 pounds poorer) and make our way north towards the Yorkshire Dales.

Although only 100-120 kms the journey took a good 2 hours as we drove through Huddersfield, Halifax and Keighley. While the towns had highly compressed houses (Coronation street style) it was interesting to see that all had a visible green belt meaning that access to the countryside was not far away.

H was relishing the more powerful 5 door VW golf although he forgot he wasn't at Sandown doing 10+ mph over the limit causing me to go for the ejector seat on a number of occasions on some of the narrow winding roads.

Kev was starting to go downhill and by the time we reached our destination at Pately Bridge in the Dales he was a fairly sorrowful sight complaining of a combo of headaches and body aches yet again (me thinks a proper check up needed)

We were able to secure accommodation in a guest house in the main street of what looks like a lovely town but the plan for riding in the Dales looks very much in doubt.

Fwd: Day 85 - Pately Bridge Yorkshire - On the road again !

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Day 85 - Pately Bridge Yorkshire - On the road again !
From: michael litchfield <m_litchfield@hotmail.com>
To: litchy1.codey@bloggert.com
CC:


Some morning pleading by Kev was good enough to get the one and only bike shop in town to have a crack at fixing my wheel even though because of business commitments it was likely to be a late in the day effort !

We checked out of our great guest house accommodation (not often you are served breakfast by someone in a Dickie bow !) saying goodbye to our hosts Dave & Dee and setting about to explore the beautiful Peak District for the day after dropping off my bike for repair.

Driving first to Eyam I asked whether H was current with his "plague shots" as Eyam achieved notierity back in the 1660's as a plaque village ! So deadly was its effect that the town quarantined itself by restricting outside access and by burying the dead on the various properties and not in a communal area.

A standing reminder to this today are the cottages where the plague started and a long list of those inside who died. Also a no. of graves are evident on private property.

Probably most poignant of all was a large stone' placed on the border between Eyam parish and the next village. The stone had 6 holes that locals filled with vinegar treated money in exchange for goods brought by the next village down the valley - a self imposed quarantine !

After Eyam we took in some fabulous views of the Hope Valley from high up before driving to peaceful Tiddleswell for lunch a village that H remembers only too well having staggered through here in 2011 on our way cycling to Hope.

Kev was beginning to show signs of not feeling well again, something that has dogged him on and off the trip.

With rain threatening we drove on to Monsal head a beautiful look out across the valley including a magnificent 8 arch former railway bridge that saw service on the London and Manchester train line between 1860-1960 !

Not only were the views sensational but we had a ring side seat for a huge approaching storm complete with rain, thunder& lightning a very eery experience.

We battled our way through water deluged roads (post storm) to Buxton to pick up one repaired bike wheel and rotor (now 100 pounds poorer) and make our way north towards the Yorkshire Dales.

Although only 100-120 kms the journey took a good 2 hours as we drove through Huddersfield, Halifax and Keighley. While the towns had highly compressed houses (Coronation street style) it was interesting to see that all had a visible green belt meaning that access to the countryside was not far away.

H was relishing the more powerful 5 door VW golf although he forgot he wasn't at Sandown doing 10+ mph over the limit causing me to go for the ejector seat on a number of occasions on some of the narrow winding roads.

Kev was starting to go downhill and by the time we reached our destination at Pately Bridge in the Dales he was a fairly sorrowful sight complaining of a combo of headaches and body aches yet again (me thinks a proper check up needed)

We were able to secure accommodation in a guest house in the main street of what looks like a lovely town but the plan for riding in the Dales looks very much in doubt.

Day 84 - Buxton Rest Day - Plan B !

With the the demise of my rear wheel, loss of 2 days and uncertainty of repair / replacement we came up with a 'Pan B' overnight to continue cycling albeit in day formats and with the aid of a hire car.

After an overnight downpour we headed off by train to Manchester Airport only 75 mins away traveling through some lovely scenery on the outskirts of the peak district.

After arrival at the airport we set about trying to print our car rental documents (on our tablet) which was easier said than done given a) time limited wifi with a poor signal and b) the only printer in the airport charging 1 pound a page for printing - we needed 8 pounds in change to feed the bloody thing !

Imagine our frustration after teeing up the change and paying for a 10 min internet session when all we succeeded in doing was printing 8 pages of black paper after the printer malfunctioned !

With no help available we bit the bullet and journeyed the 20 mins to the car hire depot where they fortunately did not require the paperwork (despite the booking info saying it was needed !)

Paperwork signed it was time to let Henley lose on the Manchester ring road - thank god it was Sunday as lane positioning was important in escaping the concrete jungle !

The rain was now pretty consistent (this was the England we remembered !) as we climbed back into the Peak District heading towards Buxton only 50 or so kms from Manchester.

After our days effort we are now (bike repair pending) equipped to move on towards Inverness taking in some of the best areas in the UK to cycle and with the aid of the car maybe doing a little sightseeing as well along the way !

Day 83 - Buxton 54 kms ! Busted in Buxton !

After 4,500 kms of continuous cycling, if you don't count rest days, sick days & can't be bothered days, the Litchfield - Henley juggernaught has hit a brick wall in the shape of the Mtns of the Peak District and a slightly uncooperative Avanti bike !

Leaving Weston with dire forecasts of rain not seen since Noah's time, we cycled warily following our Cheshire trail along busier lanes and roads as we close to populous areas of mid England and alongside the massive M6 that on a Saturday morning had 6 packed lanes of traffic moving Nth/Sth.

I have had a slight wheel wobble for over a week and it was starting to concern me despite an earlier opinion it was just loose cones.

For this reason and the fact that we were about to enter the wilds of the Peak district, after 20 kms at Congleton i sought out a bike shop for a more detailed look.

The diagnosis was not great with the youngish mechanic suggesting it was a broken Axel and there was little that could be done other than wait around in town for 3-4 days for a replacement wheel.

Seeking a 2nd opinion Kev happened upon a fantastic bloke at Halfords (just down the road) a large bike store chain in the UK. The guy (asst Mgr) who has a full engineering degree and yet can only earn about $10 an hour doing 40 paid and 20 unpaid hours a week, worked for a solid hour on the bike indicating that while the Axel and bearings looked OK something was causing the cones to loosen - he tightened them , realigned the brakes and effectively charged us nothing for his time !

Our climb from Congleton into the Peak District was tough to say the least with signposted 10% gradient roads having section at 15% + that meant we were in for a bit of walking with both of us feeling the pinch !

This section of road also highlighted one of the problems of cycling in the UK. The verges were in terrible shape with numerous potholes and uneven sections that meant you were constantly moving off your line. Not ordinarily a big problem but these roads had a reasonable volume of traffic and narrow considerably in places meaning that to be predictable to traffic behind you sometimes have to take the bone jarring option of riding over the hole and take the risk of losing control ! A media report some months highlighted this problem (mainly caused by extremes of weather and rain in the UK and of course volumes of traffic) suggesting it would take 16 years at current rates of repair to fix today's problems !

As we climbed into the fringes of the wild and beautiful peak district it was becoming obvious that my bike's rear wheel was in its death throes. Strangely because of inertia the wheel was much more stable at higher speeds but this was something I was not tempted to do for any extended period !

Now past the point of no return and feeling like I was nursing home over the channel a 4 engine ww2 bomber that only had 1 engine left we cautiously continued though now changing plans from heading outback into the peaks to heading direct to Buxton a further 15 kms away !

With one last cautious long descent we entered Buxton with the wheel now tracking severely. As Murphys law would indicate today was a Saturday and no bike shops would now be open till Monday (3rd time on tour I have had an issue on a Sat) !

With Buxton humming, as the result of some festival we were lucky to score a b&b with just about everything booked out.

Since then we have been muling over a no. Of options. There's a good chance that the bike shops in town even when open on Monday may not stock my wheel size/type. Even with a best case scenario we will lose two days which would mean an almost impossible schedule to meet with only a week left before we are due in Inverness.

Securing a hire car (Manchester airport nearest available) may be our best option even though it brings the continuous nature of the cycle trip to a halt.. A hire car would allow us to source a wheel and also do select day loop rides on our way Nth and still meet our destination on time in Inverness !

The unpredictable nature of cycle touring !

P.s. The rain to end all rain did not eventuate but we did get very solid overnight falls that has brought about with it a drop back to normal UK temps - cool !

If this weather continues there's a good chance that we won't get beaten 5-0 in the cricket as the POMs are suggesting - a washout or two might just save our ass !

Day 82 - Weston 94 kms - Cycling Cheshire !

With the bikes back in working order and our escape route organised we departed Chester traveling about 50 metres on the canal tow path before hitting barrier no.1 literally (see pic)

Having to lift our heavy bikes up steps and a steep grassy slope a couple of council workmen put us right directing us back on to the towpath after a 1/2 km detour through town.

This was a good relaxing easy to exit Chester although trying to avoid walkers and not cycle into the canal itself was a little challenging !

We eventually left the path for terrific cycling meandering through numerous Cheshire villages and down quite country lanes. The route did a small loop back on itself which caused H to grumble even though its aim was to take you past an historic mill .."seen one mill seen them all" said H !

After our mandatory pure lunch ice cream we cycled through Bedton to Malpas a nice enough town where we got chatting to a lovely 85 year old local who has twin daughters in Denby.

More meandering was pleasant in the sunny but welcoming cooler day without too much humidity.

We took afternoon tea, got lost on a couple of occasions and gradually worked our way closer to the Peak District on a circuitous route that went a fair bit south before starting back Nth to avoid some busy places in Central UK.

We settled for accommodation at a nice enough 17c pub in Weston after 94 kms . The ambience of the place quickly spoilt as we waited in a half empty dining room some 30 mins food just to get a menu despite numerous waitresses walking in and out !

I finally cracked it and went to the bar indicating that it was crap having to get our own menu after waiting so long - the Mgr gave the wrong response saying the girls were busy.... sorry but when 3 of them entered the dining room and served other customers that doesn't cut so the power of the internet will prevail when i write a crap review - all the Mgr had to say was sorry !

Our journey into the peak district tomorrow coincides with a forecast of a weather change with rain expected across the UK - not what we wanted with just over one week to go !

Day 81 - Chester rest day !

Yes I know its only been 3 days since our last rest day but this one was needed for a number og reasons 1) to give us time to work out an escape route out of Chester and into the peak district 2) I needed disc pads (non existing brakes) for my rear wheel and Kev needed a mew tyre 3) We were buggered after our late arrival and had no time to look around this beautiful city !

One of the best preserved walled cities in Britain Chester has many restored medieval buildings yet a modern sense of purpose. Nearly 2,000 years old Chester owes its existence to the Romans who set up base here in AD 79 !

After seeking out a bike shop to get a new tyre and brake pads we wandered back through the lovely streets just in time to watch the town crier do his midday thing ! Unfortunately for me i was part of the act getting dragged in to film the crowd as the crier got the crowd to wave towards my camera while filming !

Left to our own devices Kev wandered until he dropped while i took in the city walls for great views of Chester, the Cathedral and the River Dee.

On our agenda also was to find info to assist our way out with the net indicating that the Cheshire cycleway passes through Chester even though the tourist info people knew nothing of it !

Some time was spent in the afternoon working on our bikes I.e when Kev could actually remember where the bikes where in the maze of our hotel !

All done and a bit of relaxing before we wandered back into town for dinner this time Indian - the 2nd time on tour for H !

Having sighted some city cycling maps we have a degree of confidence (about 1%) in getting out of the city without incident !

Hard Work !

When the going gets tough !

When you're so close to the finish line (1,000 kms) you can be excused for taking it a little easy !

I'd thought as much myself so decided to compare our effort with that of our dear friend Marysia who recently successfully completed her 1,000 km plus solo journey from Adelaide to Airerys Inlet.

In talking to her recently we shared our respective trials and tribulations - she indicated getting up at 5 and getting away by 7.00a.m. in an effort to maximize the day, we do similar by stirring about about 7.00 and getting away about 10.00 thus also maximizing our day.

Marysia varied her accommodation between hostels and motels while we just settled for hotels and b&b's an obvious hardship I know given the variable quality of the establishments but since sending back our camping gear we have no other choice !

Marysia only has Porridge for breakfast' - we too would have porridge but after a full English breakfast of cereal, toast, eggs, sausage, bacon' tea, yoghurt there is often little room left !

On the road Marysia's effort included cycling till she just about dropped in the cold conditions - we too have been doing it hard in the heat often taking compulsory ice cream stops to cool our overheated bodies down !

Marysia's effort of 100+ km days is exemplary but our schedule, sometimes,40kms sometimes 50 kms requires nearly as much effort trying to plan in the 7-8 breaks that the fruit bat ' requires !

As you can see the similarities are endless and this eases my mind about our effort of late. With 1,000 kms to go we still have to tackle the climbs of the Peak district and the wilds of the Yorkshire Dales before crossing the border to where the wild men of Scotland are known to run around in skirts and little esle despite the frigid conditions - it will be a tough effort but I'm sure we and our TV support crew can make it !

Day 80 - Chester England - 115 kms ! Its great to be back !

After little sleep from banging doors and 1 too many beers we delayed our departure to allow a solid band of showers to move thru.

The showers though while clearing the ground did nothing for the very high humidity that has persisted the last 1-2 weeks meaning flys and sweat were the go for the first part of our ride !

Again it was straight into climbing this time working our way to ride along impossibly narrow country lanes. Being the type of leader I am i sent Henley up front using my best high school maths to work out the optimum distance / time required for me to be away from Henleys scream if / when he collected something !

As it was neither of us allowed for a cyclist coming the other way at speed that just about had us both crpping our pants as he flew past before we had time to react.

Like a good Dr I kept the bad news to myself. Figuring on a days ride of 70 kms I saw a road sign early on indicating that our destination Chester was still 56 miles away even after after we had done 20 kms - I elected not to panic H just saying that we were in for a big one !

Some good cycling took us to the Welsh shoreline where an ice cream was mandatory. Swinging inland slightly we followed a river up to the beautiful Conwy castle with the nearby smallest house in the UK well captured by Photographer extraordinaire KH.

More climbs and a good descent took us this time to the magnificent coastline from Penryn to Colwyn bay and Rhyll an amazing 30 kms section of shorefront populated by every type of English Imagery possible !

There were those playing in the brown mud called sand, some sun baking on the hot rock pebbles, amusement arcades straight out of the 60's, English men keen on walking around topless to show bleached white torsos and beer guts that a darts player would be proud of. We even spied some orthodox Jews frolicking in the water up to their bloomers (both men and women).

The oldies and the youngies alike were out taking advantage of the seaside breeze and warm conditions and ice cream vendors and tea cafes were doing a roaring business !

It was marvelous on a bike to just sit back for such an extended period and take it in with the two of us looking as out of place with our bike gear and helmet mounted cameras as two Australians could !

Time though was starting to get away from us and we knew what was in store. Leaving the coast we tackled some huge climbs that took us further and further inland eventually for views past the coastal estuaries to Liverpool and beyond - this was real hard work !

Our final descent was equally as hard for me as with only 1 working brake I was incredibly cautious on the 15-20% ERS that took us back down to sea level.

Kev was doing a pretty good go up front not getting lost although one wrong move had me a little amused when he took a direction that saw him cycle straight into a private property - when i queried this with him he indicated that the bike route should have right of way and he planned on telling the owners such as he cycled through their bedroom !

H though did undo his copybook when he entered a busy roundabout not much later slowing down to to read the direction of the cycle route sign ( me following) before stopping in the roundabout covering one of the exits causing the following 4-5 cards to bank up until in true British fashion they just attempted to run us over !

With only 15 kms to go black clouds or earth ending propertions were gathering making us think we would have to swim into Chester.

Luckily the last section was a fast path alongside a canal. H using up life no. 35 on the trip pulled over to take a photo of a barge carrying a wing section of an Airbus 380 on the canal just about the same time as a group of would be / could be Tour de France riders flew past leaving Henley spinning like he'd been through a revolving door !

We just beat the rain into Chester and with our working GPs made it to our beaut hotel accommodation (10 mins from the centre) about 8.00 p..m. after a pretty lengthy and tiring day in the saddle .

It was time for a couple of bees and a lovely 3 course dinner and now all we have to do is work out how the hell to get out of here !