The Final Day

It was another long one! We had rested well on Tuesday night in the comfy B&B and after a good breakfast, we set off in much more variable weather conditions; a mix of hail showers with the odd patch of sun and, thankfully, a lot less wind! The first leg was to cross the hills between Denholm and Melrose, which turned out to be a significant climb and about 15 miles in length. I couldn't help but think about how much harder Tuesday would have been if we had stayed at our original venue in Melrose and had to do the extra distance and climbing!

Arriving in the quaint town of Melrose, we stopped in a cafe where I was served a rather ridiculous contraption which is apparently traditional; a three tier tower with a cake on the top, a scone in the middle and sandwiches at the bottom. While the (rather diminutive) contents were nice, there were practical issues as I couldn't see past the thing to find my tea.

Departing Melrose, there was a pleasantly undulating road to Galashiels before turning up the A7, where we had 'just one more big climb'. The enthusiasm was then damped by a sign kindly informing us it was 30 miles to Edinburgh. Hmmm. The weather also decided to do a Scottish uplands version of an April shower; hard wet snow and strong winds, but fortunately this was short-lived.

A fair amount of toiling later we arrived at the highest point and began the rather gradual descent towards Edinburgh. Our destination was still 16 miles away but the frequent signs showed how quickly we were descending. All was going smoothly until I hit a large depression in the road and managed to liberate the load from the back of the bike. Fortunately I realised this had happened and having strapped it all back on again, we resumed.

As we entered Edinburgh my knees were getting somewhat painful, no doubt exacerbated by the long climb, but we steadily rolled into the city and to the hostel. That night we enjoyed a feast at a superb Indian restaurant, tired but happy the challenge had been completed.

Macclesfield to Edinburgh on a folding bike...who'd have thought it?!

Finished!

We finally made it to Edinburgh this evening! It was another long day so the full blog entry is to follow tomorrow.

The adventure was hard work....but worth it!

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!

After fueling up on a colossal Weatherspoons breakfast (and after managing to escape Kendal's chaotic one way system), we were soon on the long climb to Shap fell on the old A6.

Despite the weather deteriorating as we climbed, we made good time with just a little bit of a twinge from my knees. Our 'northern nemesis', the ongoing headwind, was in fine form so our descent to Shap village was somewhat slower than expected. My knees were starting to get a touch painful, so I dosed up on ibuprofen, tubigrips and jaffa cakes.

At Penrith a cafe stop was in order, partly for refuelling reasons, but also as we reckoned we now had cracked the halfway mark!

The final 18 miles were on a delightfully straight and easy going lane, seeing us arrive in Carlisle just after 6pm.

Tomorrow should prove to be interesting with the snow forecast.....

Today was a pretty tough day.....not especially hilly or especially long, but a combination of factors made it quite hard!

We set out in lovely sunshine towards the Yorkshire Dales (so much so in fact, I managed to find a novel way to dry my just washed cycling trousers on the bike! Photo attached....).

We had set out on a light breakfast intending to eat something more substantial at Settle. We arrived at The Singing Kettle just before midday and enjoyed a much needed second breakfast. Copious amounts of tea to wash it down and it was time to swim through the sea of motorcycles between the cafe and our bikes.

We had noticed a slight headwind en route to Settle but having left after food, it seemed to be strengthening. The next few hours were very tough, like cycling through treacle, but a energy boost liberated by some coconut macaroons kept us rolling. Leaving Bentham behind, the weather changed for the better with a noticeable increase in temperature and the wind also became a little less northerly, allowing a pleasant speed across to Kirkby Lonsdale. Yet more feeding here before the final monster climb of the day, followed by a series if excellent descents eventually landing us in Kendal.

Tomorrow is looking likely to see the dry weather deteriorate, but we are very much heading in the right direction again then.

Our friend Jenny is making a surprise visit for dinner, so now it is time to go and find some food!

The first day of the adventure is now complete. After picking our way out of Manchester (and picking the glass out of our tyres from the street warfare of Friday night), we had a well earned breakfast in Bury.

Restocked and ready for the next section, we headed onwards to Accrington where one of the trademark characteristics of cycle touring once again made itself known; encountering random situations and becoming involved in them! This particular occasion saw me on a temporary climbing wall in the town centre hosted by a Lancashire army regiment who were there on some sort of recruitment drive. I was more than happy to have a play then gave them a donation in return.

Leaving the town saw us start the proper hills and soon we were joined by a road cyclist for a short while, who before parting also made a donation to the cause. He was trying to encourage us to tackle the infamous 'Pendle Nick', but as we could see it, and how ridiculously steep it was, we politely declined and carried on with our planned route.

Up until now, the day had been cool and dull and while not unpleasant, it was a stark contrast to the recent balmy sunshine we have been enjoying. Upon our approach to Barnoldswick the clouds parted, the skies turned blue and smiles were aplenty as the sun warmed our backs for the final part of the day.

Having settled into the quaint hostel, I am now composing thus from an equally quaint pub with a steaming bowl of soup planted in front of me. So, with that in mind, I'm signing off until tomorrow....

After setting out at some unearthly hour this morning, the first 20 miles or so have saw us reach Manchester city centre by 7am. Currently refueling on a much needed coffee before setting off. Next stop - Bury for breakfast!