Cheers to Matt for making the last 10 miles such a giggle.

I was on my own for the last 10 miles.....

What a geat weekend riding in the Lakes, catching up with friends and meeting others. Left Staveley very late and took it easy on day 1. I was riding with RG and a friend of him and also the guy on a fat bike I met on a bench overlooking a beautiful lake arounrld Ambleside and having a fish&chips!! Day 2 I rushed to Staveley. Missed the last 5km diversion. Thanks Rich and whoever helped you for organizing this ride. It was fantastic!

That fish and chips thing really made for a classic bikepacking moment.

Haha, yes! I'm trying to upload pics to the Jenn's ride fb page but I have a crap connection now. Still owe you a meal Richard

I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities in the future... if I can ever keep up with you.

Glad you all enjoyed , will hopefully host a winter bivvy in the Lakes no fund raising just turn up and ride a preplanned route

postierich wrote:Glad you all enjoyed , will hopefully host a winter bivvy in the Lakes no fund raising just turn up and ride a preplanned route

Hope it falls on my long weekend :D

Richard G wrote:That fish and chips thing really made for a classic bikepacking moment.

It seemed the appropriate spot and tasted all the better shared with friends

Here's a few moments I caught riding with the best

Javi explains by Andy Wright, on Flickr

Javi and RG lead the way by Andy Wright, on Flickr

Nice pics. That history lesson on Rydal cave was pretty cool.

Really enjoyed my first go at bike packing and a multi day ride! Not sure if I met any Bear-boners ( ) along the way but everyone who I did meet was very friendly and happy to have a chinwag for as long as we at the same pace. Great bunch of people.

Managed 71 miles and 8500ft - shaved a few bits off and took a cheeky ferry over Windermere as my legs were pretty cooked by Sunday afternoon - loved every minute of it though! The decent skinful i had from stopping at every pub didn't hurt my mood either :) Riding to the bivi spot in Grizedale after half a dozen at the kings arms was hilarious, that north shore is a lot trickier half drunk on a loaded bike wearing a head torch - as few of us found out

lol, all my shots are awful. Not sure how I managed that.

#sophotogenic

Some brilliant pics in there though.

Yeah, great pics.

My first bike packing/multi-day too - what a great experience! Quite happy with my bike and kit, thanks to several years of stalking/researching/nicking ideas from here and elsewhere - the variable conditions gave good chance to put theory into practice. As I went I filled a small notebook with improvements to the kit/the way it's carried/map and my decision-making. Not so happy with my strength/stamina/speed though! To be fair, the Lakes is a brutal playground for a novice! Managed about 60 miles of the route and was on 'get-me-home' mode by the end. Hawkshead Brewery is a great base - the thought of the Scotch egg kept me moving forward on Sunday! Great camaraderie out on the hill - did see a pair of BBs in the Red Lion, I should have said hello, but I'm a shy newbie! All-in-all it's whetted my appetite for more events. Many thanks to the organisers - superb route and trimmings. Lost a pair of M-frame iridium Oakleys when I head butted an overhanging bush coming down into Hawkshead the wrong way on Sunday morning - let me know if anyone picked them up please (had them over 20 years!).

Neil

Don't feel too bad, even for the more sprightly of us that was a tough route. Those rocky climbs and descents will quickly take it out of you.

Neil - On the map the route looks highly convoluted - and it is if you do the whole lot, but it does mean that you can cut bits out if you are so inclined or don't have time. There's not much easy riding on the route, you have to concentrate all the time. Stamina, speed, etc come with time on the bike. Decision making? If you don't know the Lakes or the trails then you just do the best you can.

Good idea on the notebook (I use a spreadsheet) - find out what works for you, so long as you are comfy and safe and enjoying yourself. There were a wide range of setups on show from ultra light through to "I'm going to be comfy!". It's taken me about two years to go from "That's a lot!" to "Is that all?"

Don't think I was in the Red Lion when you were there, I'd have said hello.

I'm pretty sure that anyone wearing a BB jersey would be friendly enough to be greeted in a pub

Thanks for the comments. On the decision-making (1) - I was swayed last minute to take my 'B' (comfort) list by the hailstones just before the start! Hence I quickly added a 3 season bag on the rack and swapped over some warmer clothes. As it turned out - I needn't have carried them as it was mild (if damp) overnight. Decision-making (2) - sheepishly followed a big group out of Staveley who wound up doing a u-turn. Of course I hadn't checked my position and had my first error on the board within 40 minutes! I noticed several duos making confident/rushed/rash decisions at junctions, forcing me to learn to have the courage of my convictions and trust my reading of the route. I soon realised I should just pretend there is no-one else about - it must be harder when you are riding with others to make clear decisions I guess. Not disputing BBers are friendly - looking forward to a gilet to mark me out as one soon too!

I soon realised I should just pretend there is no-one else about

ye never follow anyone (including me ) they are always lost leading to bonus climbs normally :D

i had a good ride this year did the whole course and in 25 hours... so an hour faster than last year and it was a harder cource.
just took a bivi bag and sleeping bag , hid behind a wall up claife heights for 3 hours and had a good sleep !
road with lots of bear boners , and had a good time ! knees are ok too so bike set up must be a little better

i did say hello and ask if you was Ok on a couple off occasions Mr slightly, and you should be glad you didn't follow me as i got us lost within the first 3 miles

(me = skinny bloke on a fatbike with a wild beard

My ride - http://bobwightman.blogspot.co.uk/2017/ ... trail.html - as indicated, a bit of a last minute training ride and shakedown. We are thinking of bringing the fat bikes next year

Quick ride that. You're obviously in pretty good form at the moment.

Richard G wrote:Quick ride that. You're obviously in pretty good form at the moment.

Hope so

Note that Mike Toyn made last orders