Got up made coffee and cooked porridge (specifically that order for every meal with only one pot), and was away by 8:30. My first target was a cycle shop in Carlisle to get a new Klick-fix bracket for my handle bar bag. The new bike has a bigger diameter bar, and you get both size fittings in a bracket. The shop opened at 9:30 but there was a motor factors / cycle shop a few doors along, and I beat a quick retreat when I was offered a basket! Palace Cycles were putting their bikes out the front and I pointed to my bar bag, I was waved in bike and all. By the time I got to the counter, a new one was there and I was out the door – easy. As a note the guy on the campsite has an Ortlieb version, which was exactly the same. Carlisle was a bustling place with lots of traffic, and some grand stone buildings. I followed my nose to get out of town, and ended up with a conundrum of how to get through some barriers. 

My route quickly took me into the picturesque back lanes, after a few miles I found a nice bench and fitted the bracket, it was nice to get the bag off my back. Next stop was Penrith, which had a really good feel to it, it’s clearly old and had lots of character – including a lane were sign suggested that you quietly hum to yourself (at least one person coming the other way was doing it). This was alongside a church with some very old stones.

Back on the road, the very quiet lanes continued, including getting stuck behind some sheep. I’m pretty sure the sheepdog wanted to include me, he was definitely rounding up the cars.

On a number occasions the cycle route got close to the A6, where my route diverged. Initially I was concerned with the A6, but this proved unfounded. A wide road, with little traffic, and most of the time a cyclelane painted on both sides, progress was faster. The was still evidence of the recent floods, with one bridge closed dur to being unsafe, and I had to walk around – down the side of a dual carriageway.

The roads were generally rising, quite undulating but clearly rising. I was heading to Shap Fell, a quick stop in Shap for supplies and I headed up.

Honestly, it wasn’t too bad. There were a few steep climbs, when you thought you were descending, but ultimately the descent into Kendal was a dream.

Down one lovely valley for something like 7 miles.

Kendal was a massive disappointment, and I have been there before. It seemed that every road surface had been planed off ready for surfacing, and the town was gridlocked. It was as if they had just hired the machine for a few days and then had gone mad. I pushed on into the Southern lake district, lots of cyclists out – I suspect training after work. I started to get some navigation problems (always at the end of the day) but I did fine some excellent lanes, however it was taking a lot of time.

In the end I got into the A6 and blasted into Carnforth. Stopped at a Booths supermarket (a northern version of Waitrose) and bought dinner, pasta and salad – again! I had a route to the campsite I was heading for, but it seemed to be a long way round – following rivers. I made a rash decision to head direct, and there were some big climbs – should of followed the route. Rode through Halton which looked like a very nice village, with lots of mixed housing and plenty of community thing advertised. Found the site, it was about 8:30 so cooked and ate before pitching the tent. Pitched in the empty tent field £8, but I got 40p back for the shower.