Ride 047.

Date:  12th May 2005             Distance: 15 miles

So, here we are at the Lakes again for our distinctly under attended TTB annual road trip. In fact only us hardcore cyclists, the others all having prior engagements; Simon training to be a professional gambler in Las Vegas by donating his disposable income to various Las Vegas casino croupiers; Chris trying on his bridesmaid dress or something in readiness for the forthcoming wedding of the century; everyone else afraid the purity of the Lakeland air may have some adverse effect on their smog-addled lungs. In other words, only me and Oz made the journey across the A66 to Ludgate Towers. 

Around two and a half hours from leaving Teesside, we were panting up the road past the Blencathra Centre on the outskirts of Threlkeld, bright sunshine forcing unaccustomed sweat from underused pores. The undulating track along the side of Blease Fell, above Glenderattera Beck levels out before becoming a welcome downhill, spoilt only by a couple of intransigent ramblers who seemed to think they required the full three metre width of track to stand and admire the view. Saying they let us pass grudgingly would be the biggest understatement since Osama Bin Laden said he wasn’t too keen on Americans. We crossed the beck at the bridge and doubled back on ourselves on the opposite side of the valley, pausing to chat with a local rider who did our route “most days before he picked the kids up from school”. Lucky him. The technical section above Lonscale Crags came and went with rather less dabs than last year then it’s practically downhill all the way to Keswick. We were lucky on the splendid Latrigg downhill and barely encountered any walkers to impede our naturally cautious and restrained descent. 

We initially bypassed the metropolis of Keswick in favour of the café at Portinscale, where we refuelled before heading back into town. Keswick was hosting a jazz festival and we couldn’t move for blokes in bowler hats playing trumpets and calling each other ‘Daddy’o’. Thoughtfully the council had provided green warning signs outside the jazz pubs so we could avoid them in the evening. A quick glance in Keswick Mountain Bikes turned to an acute attack of shiny bike syndrome for Oz but I managed to get him out with his credit card intact. 

By way of a detour from the usual railway track cycle-path return to Threlkeld, we took the minor road up to Castlerigg Stone Circle and savoured the 360 degree view before returning to the apartment via the new cycle-path under the A66. A pleasantly undemanding precursor to an evening of Jennings beer in the Horse And Farrier.

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