I do like to think that I have a good feel for where places are in the UK, without consulting a map. I've been interested in Geography for as long as I can remember; and one advantage of working in the construction industry is that you do get to travel. But there are definite gaps in my knowledge. The Lake District is part of that. I had a bank holiday walking trip there some seven years ago, and a stopover a few years ago on the way to Manchester. But that is pretty much it, although I've passed through on numerous occasions.
And had I grown up in another part of the UK, I might have gone there as I child. But my family always took the view that it was better to head North for the Scottish Highlands than to head South for the Lakes. Periodically, my siblings and I meet up for a weekend cycle trip, and as my brother lives and works in Coventry; it seemed like a good half way house. We booked a Youth Hostel in Arnside, and at 1900 on the Friday evening my sister who also lives in Edinburgh turned up in a hired van. The journey down was brisk, uneventful, dark and swift; except for a stop for fish and chips. When we got to the Youth Hostel my brother had already arrived.
Saturday arrived and the weather was cold, but bright. Good cycling weather. Arnside is on the South side of the mouth of the River Kent, and we were heading North; so the first part of the journey took us East to Milnthorpe, where we crossed the A6 and picked up a Sustrans cycling route. Our plan was to circumnavigate Lake Windermere, which is one of the major Lakes that this part of the world is named after.
Our route took us through rolling countryside with plenty of ascents and descents, but nothing back-breaking. And the views were great. We followed minor back roads towards Kendal, a picturesque Lakes' town. After a few slight navigational mishaps we emerged from Kendal and headed towards Burneside following the Sustrans routes and not straying far from the River Kent.
The route then joins a trunk road, which was the least pleasant part of the ride. But soon we were into Windermere town on the banks of Lake Windermere. Which is where we had lunch. The weather also turned a little and it occurred to us that it might be a wet ride back. The pace after lunch seemed more rapid. That often happens. My sister thinks it's because lunch gives everyone a morale boost; but I'm not so sure.
Having said that there seemed to be lost of cyclists travelling much faster than us that afternoon. Somehow, I just can't let go of the inner teenager that is slightly annoyed when someone else is quicker than I on a bike. And though I say it myself, in general it doesn't happen that often. If you disregard the guys that head out early on Sunday mornings on ultra-light racing bikes, I'm in one of the quicker deciles. Not that day. We were the slow coaches. Not sure why.
On this side of the Lake, the road parts with the water and follows a pleasant and undulating route through native forests. The weather was sunny again and we stopped for a rest and admired the boats on the Lake. But there wasn't too much time to spare; daylight is in short supply during February in this part of the world. Also the penultimate part of our journey would be by train; this saved us cycling for miles in the dark.
Our train would take us over the estuary from the genteel resort of Grange-over-Sands back to Arnside. Soon before Grange we emerged from the woods into a mixture of bucolic and arable vistas. We got to Grange - as I recall - just as the sun was setting and we found a cafe for refreshments.
I enjoyed crossing the sandflats on the train, and it made for an unusual and atmospheric ending to a great day in the saddle.
No comments:
Post a Comment