Allithwaite or bust

With a few days to recover after the Garburn ride I was feeling fresh enough to ride to Allithwaite to meet up with Andy, Sioelan and Craig for a guided tour of the local lanes and bridleways. I aimed to set off nice and early so I could bumble along but had faffage issues which meant I set off a little later than planned. The distance was around 14 miles taking a route to miss out the main roads, it didn’t take as long as expected and I arrived with lots of time to spare.

The route was all new to me having never ridden that area before, without a GPS (still away for repair) I have no idea the exact route we took. A few place names were familiar but I would struggle to ride it again alone. A noise from my rear wheel up the first off-road climb sounded like I had a twig stuck somewhere, stopping at the top it turned out that I had snapped two spokes Twisting them out of harms way I opted to carry on regardless, I checked the others a few times throughout the ride but all seemed well. A few stiff little climbs gave way to frozen cow trampled fields which were sapping to ride, one little descent saw me (I think Andy found the same line) stuck in a rut which shock the fillings loose but the wheel stood up to it OK. More lanes and bridleways looped us round, I stopped trying to work out where I was and went with the flow.

Sioelan’s batteries died as we approached Cartmel race course, not really a problem as we were just left with a road section back from here so light was shared. A quick wash of the bikes once back saw us then retiring into the warmth for a hot drink and a slice or three of home made cake as a reward for the nights work. A little biking natter as befits a mid week night ride saw the time creeping on and with a few miles back home I decided to head back. I opted to head back the way I had come, missing out the main roads and riding through Meathop. At Levens I decided to limit the dual carriageway and head up through Brigsteer and down Whetstone Lane. The climb wasn’t as bad as I had expected after a long night in the saddle and I was soon on the final run in home, getting back just after midnight. With a few cold symptoms and feeling a bit tired a rest tonight is in order I think.

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