Hi guys….well it’s the tradition now.
After relaxing and attending to the JOGLE and RV chores we decided that a delivery was the order of the day. Footy was on the RV TV and we settled down for a very quiet evening. Scotty arranged a meal for 4 for the 3 of us and not a morsel was left as Belgium and Portugal kicked off.
The night passed well once again…nobody has any trouble crashing for a minimum 7-8 hours for some reason 😉
Then it was up at 6:00am and the day was kicked off with the chores and prep for the day. Once again Alan was the hero but even he is starting to grimace after 10 days.
And so we set off on the journey almost due south from Penrith to Lancaster. It would be over a distance of 55 miles and the first checkpoint was planned at a village called Shap after 13.4 miles.
It was a very pleasant ride through some great countryside and past a place where we took another one of our special photos.
Come on guys, it can’t be only the lovely Barbara who has figured out what we are doing? 😉
We also found some interesting characters at the side of the road whilst on our way.
Two other guys on a bike going somewhere apparently? 😂
And it was here that we took this photo that shows some amazing views across the countryside.
Scotty was in place at Shap and after refreshments Alan and Thomas set off for Kendal, the fabled midway point on JOGLE and the place of our next checkpoint.
Once again the Garmin gremlins visited us.
En route at pace on the A6 and heading for the Shap Fell and the summit at 1400ft, we got a message to turn off the road and go down a single farm track. We shooed away sheep and enjoyed a long downhill for at least ¾ mile before we got the ‘Off Course’ message.
We were a bit non-plussed when along came a postie in his van. Turns out he was a keen cyclist and immediately he put us on the right track. ‘Turn around lads, you should be on the A6!’
So with more than a few cusses under our breath, we engaged in a climb back up the hill to the A6 and rejoined the climb to the summit.
The climb to the summit was amazing. Long and gradual, it was made to just get into a rhythm and keep pedalling. Alan reached the summit before Thomas and caught him on camera as he crested the hill.
The ride down into Kendal was exhilarating. All downhill free-wheeling and Alan and Thomas thoroughly enjoyed the experience. After a steady climb up the one side, the highest speeds of the day happened on the way down the other.
We arrived in Kendal and Scotty had done his work and prepared some fine food for us. So we all sat down for lunch and a rest thinking that Shap Fell was behind us, we were 31 miles in, and now the rest of the day had to be easy. Didn’t it??😎
And so we took off for the next checkpoint at Yealand Conyers, about 12 miles away. What an hour and a half that was! We had about a dozen sharp climbs that ranged between 5% and 14%.
It was also the hottest part of the day and it was probably ‘Alans Livener’, albeit later in the day.
However, we battled through without any real issues in the end and it was very welcome to get into the RV at Yealand and cool off before the run in to Lancaster.
We were soon back to the real world when we left the checkpoint as literally within 5 metres we began a 13% climb to get out of the village. Today has been an ‘interesting’ day!
We pushed our way on into the outskirts of Lancaster and once again we were forced to change course. The planned route put us on the canal path into the city. However after 3 miles, the surface was so bad we feared for the tyres and the overall rattling of our road bikes. So we took a decision to leave the canal and get onto the nearest road surface. Google Maps was called, and a route was set that had us back on tarmac and with a clear line of sight to our overnight stop at the Boot and Shoe Pub in Lancaster. The only issue…we had to go back yet again close to a mile to get on the right road! 😒
Finally, we tacked our way through Lancaster city centre and found Scotty waiting for us at the pub. We couldn’t resist celebrating the fact that we are 8 legs out of 16 completed. So here goes….
People continue to see the pow21 and the OYF message.
A couple of nights ago in Beattock, we met a lovely couple named Beverley and Tony who very kindly have made a donation yesterday to the cause. And it got even better as Scotty left the campsite and checked in to pay, Susan the owner of Thakka Lea where we staying, waived a big part of our camp fees and asked us to put it into the ‘magic bucket.’ Thanks so much to Beverley, Tony and Susan.
Please spread the word. As at a few moments ago, pow21 had raised £5,806 without Gift Aid!And we have another £98 in the bucket.
We couldn’t do this without you all.
Once again thanks for all your support and donations.
Signing off now. More news tomorrow…
“We were a bit non-plussed when along came a postie in his van”. ….. good old Pat always there to help!