Friday
- Cockermouth -> Greystoke
- 49km 8hrs
Ah, but waking up in a fresh morning field, washing and collecting water from the river was just fantastic. Got the stove going for a very welcome tea and heated the sausage casserole that had been planned for last nights meal to work as breakfast. Despite getting going at 7am it seemed to take ages for us to get moving out of Cockermouth making the road properly by about 11am. The steep descent down to Bassenthwaite Lake allows a bit of a catch up, but not when you don’t slow enough for a corner and enjoy a crash.
TIP: When it says ‘cyclists slow’ it means ‘cyclists DEAD slow’
So a slight buckle on the (new!) front wheel meant the front brakes were inoperable, just what you want on gradients.
Kevin’s crash guide
IF you know you are going to crash, there are only two aims. Don’t try for the corner, you’ll just tumble badly.
- Lose as much energy as possible.
- Maintain as little steering as needed to choose a best route.
Aim 1) means stay upright as long as possible, put your feet down to help. The back wheel will snake like er… an adder in a frying pan. Do your best. Aim 2) means tiny steering to avoid the worst.
Onward
Having demonstrated advanced crash technique and got nothing more than nettle stings (on the inside of my thighs - whats that about?!) the descent continued past the lake onward into Keswick for lunch. Keswick is a nice town, it would make a nice point to ‘hub’ out from. From there its on disused railways and empty b-roads. A mile after Threlkeld it looks tempting to exchange 4 miles of route for a mile along the A66: dont think about it, the A66 is thin and too fast and although the proper route has some steep walkup slopes, its nice. Just be aware of the gates that can suddenly appear at the bottom of a slope!!
Having had a tough previous night we wanted to ensure our campside early, and a B&B at Greystoke looked tempting. Unfortunately the whole of Greystoke was booked for a wedding, but the owner very kindly let us pitch in the back garden, provided milk and a key to get in and use the toilet. An excellent pasta, sauce and bacon done on the increasingly impressive stove and a good nights sleep awaited.