Monday 17 September 2007

DAY 6 SOUTHPORT TO PENRITH


After an early morning Chat with Brian I left the hospital and set off in early mist( Thick fog actually) and light ( Heavy actually) rain along the A565. Busy road but made good time.The first 10 miles of every day were getting to be painful, but today I stopped in a cemetery to have a conversation with Jonsi on Radio Cymru( Welsh Language radio station) and felt better afterwards. Still not sure if it was the effect of Jonsi or just the realisation that I was in a cemetery and I was the only one there that was able to walk out the gate.



Its funny what goes through yor mind when you spend up to 8 hours cycling.
Passed a small village called Potatoes and it was twinned with Pommes de Terre!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you breathe out of your nose and mouth at the same time?


In the song, "She'll be coming round the mountain" who is she?


Why do dogs walk around in circles before lying down?


How do flies actually land on a celing?


Up the A59 into Preston and looking for the A 6. O yes I found it no problem.. O yes I was going really well. O yes I WAS LOST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Took the A 6 South... and detoured to Clayton le Wood.( 10 mile detour).Back to Preston and this time headed north Aggghhhh.


It was well worth finding, the A6 was very quite and fairly flat and with Hugh Charles( Makes a mean cup of tea) really settling in to his minder role the day went fairly quickly and fairly struggle free. Stopped outside the Rugby Club in Kendal to prepare for the longest climb so far up Shap.If it was training night we would have had a light run out with the boys!!!!!!!!! not

Leaving Kendal the road(A6) just kept on gping up and up and up. A nice cycle through some very isolated countryside.( Pedal fell off again)


The problem with the lack of pre toilet stop warnings were becoming an issue and when in 2 pairs of lycra cycling shorts and 1 being a bib and brace type affair 5 seconds warning was not enough to a) find a suitable quiet lay bye b) Percy to porcelain point.




Last laybye before the main Shap climb Hugh Charles spotted a camper van for sale and was quite interested but couldnt get him in through the door .. So we left it.



















This memorial should give you some idea of the bleakness of the place.










The day was not done. Cycled down to Penrith and struggled to find a campsite. It was getting dark by the time we found a place just north of Penrith.Wolfed down a massive plate of spaggetti for dinner and slept like a baby to the musical snoring of my "minder"

MILAGE 102 miles mostly up hill

RIDE TIME 8 hrs 15 mins

Average 12.5 mph

PUNCTURES 0

PROBLEMS Pedal kept falling off, Derrier cream was not working( really sore by now but at least it was taking my mind off my hip)

HIGH POINT SHAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No comments: