Well, that was hard! It had been looking like today would be rough but we didn't quite anticipate just how demanding it would be. For both of us it was the worst conditions we had ever cycled in.

We departed Carlisle with the rain apparently clearing away but with the air noticeably cooler than of late. The wind was strong from the start and was a direct headwind (as it would be for the entire day). The climb was gradual through rolling countryside, but our pace was reigned back to bottom gear territory due to the wind. After a brief feed, it started snowing....little were we to know this would be with us relentlessly for the next 7 hours!

Toiling along avoiding an ever increasing number of logging lorries piloted by lunatics, we happened across the only cafe for miles where we decided to thaw out. It was important to get some calories in as we were working hard and combined with the freezing temperatures, we were burning a lot of energy. We also had a big climb ahead of us and needed to be ready for this.

Stepping outside the cafe, our hopes it had stopped snowing and the temperatures had risen were quickly quashed. It felt colder than ever, so we gritted our teeth and set off.

Soon we were on the long climb over the border hills, with the next habitation 15 miles away....this is properly remote country. As we climbed, it snowed harder and the temperature dropped steadily. Soon I had ice plastered on my helmet and both of our bikes were having mechanical issues from the components freezing up. As we reached the summit, the road itself was snowy too making it even more 'interesting'.

The descent started well but turned out to be a false start, but after one more climb we were finally picking up a little speed. Fortunately at this stage we tested our brakes, which turned out to he completely frozen! Some hard yanking on the brake levers eventually melted the ice from the rims and we continued our descent to Hawick.

The final leg of the day saw us trudging along the main road before reaching the very welcome sight of our B&B at 7:30pm.

What a day! Although the distance wasn't immense, the climbs, weather and headwind made this easily the hardest day of the trip so far.

Let's hope the weather is kinder tomorrow!