Saturday was almost a horrid day as you could hope for in February in the Lakes. Perhaps its only redeeming quality was that it wasn't cold, it would have been really serious if it had been. Meanwhile Sunday was just about the exact opposite, more like an April spring day but without the frolicking lambs cos' they are still in their mum's tummies.
No group start we could just bugger off when we pleased. On the way over we'd made the executive decision to skip going over Garburn Pass, forty minutes of pushing a bike up rubble in the rain isn't my idea of fun. So we skirted round via High Borrans and Dubs Tarn to rejoin the route at the foot of Garburn. The clag was really low, no views even in the valleys, it also meant everything was really greasy.
A couple of hours in and we rolled into Ambleside to a food stop at the Alpkit store. We seemed to pick up a stalker here - this lass kept popping up at the side of the route in various places. Then it was on to The Struggle. This was last year's national hill climb route. Fair to say we weren't bothering the Strava top ten
In fact it took us just under an hour to get to the (shut) pub at the top to be met by a still ill Mr Munro. Blast down the other side, getting cold in the process, to a bit of track on the east side of the valley to get round to Glenridding. I'd done a bit before in the opposite direction when doing the Lakeland 200 but most of it was new to me. Road then led alongside Ullswater to the turning up to Dockray. This is one of the "forgot to mention this one" climbs on the Fred Whitton challenge, not steep but seems to go on for a while. Enlivened by a woman leaning out of a car to ask "Is there a car park at the top?" As if a wet bedraggled cyclist breathing out of every orifice is likely to know! The climb didn't end at Dockray as there was more to get up to the Old Coach Road. I'd done this in the other direction on the Lakeland 200 and been in bottom gear all the way because of an horrific headwind. Today it was much easier.
The fun really started when we dropped off the Coach Road and headed south along St Johns in the Vale into a stiff headwind and the arrival of a weather front. Let's just say it was grim. Just as grim was riding along the A591, just how busy is the Lakes on a wet February Saturday? Very! Lots of impatient Fat Men in Bathtubs (points for recognising the band name who performed that) meant we were glad to turn off at Thirlspot. Then we and quite a few before us made a silly mistake and took the wrong forestry road! It did mean that we had an interesting steep singletrack descent though.
Once over Dunmail it was a blast down to Grasmere and a slog up Red Bank. Another executive decision and we headed along the road to the ODG.
After tea and a couple of pints we'd almost warmed up so we headed out to find a bivy spot. We'd figured on the woods by the side of Blea Tarn. In the way was a 25% grade road
At the foot I thought I'd check the barn by the roadside but unless we wanted to spend the night nestled in with some Herdwick tups it wasn't to be.The rain had definitely eased off as we were plodding (not riding) up the road, the moon was out and we could even see some stars. As the angle eased I got back on the bike only to have my bootlace catch on the pedal pins, wrap itself around the pedal axle and then a loop catch in the chainring! I was stuck. It took Cath a couple of minutes with a pair of pliers to pull apart the knot
Comedy moment over we dropped down to the woods and found a good flat pitch. The rain had returned but we were out of the wind. By morning the rain had stopped so a bit more civilised in packing up. The route was steady away to Coniston then a bit of a pull before some hike-a-bike into the Coppermines valley lead to the easy part of Walna Scar road and the nice descent into Torver. Noting on the way that the barn we'd used to bivy on last year's South Lakes ride now lacked a roof!
A second breakfast at Torver in the sunshine
then easy going back to Coniston before a very warm climb up past Tarn Hows and a drop down to Wray and more easy riding back to the food stop at Alpkit in Ambleside.Then more A591 nonsense to get to the bridleway leading back to Troutbeck. A steep drop down and pull up then we were on the last climb. A final executive decision not to do the Three Rivers descent so headed back the way we'd started and down to the Millyard in Staveley. Phew!
A traditional visit to Wilf's and a veg chilli before a drive home, a bath and then in bed by 7:30! I was knackered!
