Day 2: Alston to Keswick

The best thing about spending the night at the highest market town in England (thank you Google) is that one would imagine that today will pass in a downhill manner. For the most part it did and the one thousand or so meters height gain we picked up along the way was not a burden.

It is difficult to write something interesting about cycling. There are hills, some up, some down, some gentle, some steep. There are flat bits in between. There's a headwind, a tailwind or a crosswind, it can be sunny, cloudy or raining. And that's about it. The interesting bits you really don't want to have to write about as they generally start with "I fell off" or "I had mechanical trouble". Suffice to say today's cycle was one of those glorious days on a bike when even your lycra looks splendid. It was warm, sunny and there was a light breeze to cool us. The scenery was outstanding and our food stops were well chosen. Cafe4Eden in Penrith, a local charity dedicated to providing support (and employment) for those with learning difficulties and then Lorraine's Tea Garden in Murgisdale, a pop up tearoom run by Lorraine and her partner/husband (we didn't ask) in her garden on sunny days.

So there were a couple of interesting things to write about - although don't panic, no one fell off. I did however have the most unusual mechanical issue. Having got off the bike to open a gate, I couldn't engage my right foot into the pedal when I got back on. For the non-cyclist, I use pedals which you clip your shoe into by way of a cleat bolted to the sole of your shoe. If you are already convinced all cyclists are mad, and then learned that this type of pedal you clip your shoe into is called a clipless pedal, I am sure that will help reinforce your viewpoint. Anyway, back to my issue. I struggled up the hill for a few hundred metres without success and had to dismount to investigate. One of the 2 bolts that secure the cleat to the shoe had unscrewed itself and fallen out, causing the cleat to twist. Once I worked out the correct angle to re-engage I cycled the remaining 8 miles without daring to unclip, which necessitated sending Ronald into various shops to ask for directions to the bike shop, where I was given a replacement bolt for free.

Interesting issue No. 2. Ronald uses sunglasses that clip onto his prescription lenses. Arriving at our destination he realised he had lost them along the way, probably in Lorraine's garden. The attached picture is a reconstruction of where he found them. So while I was cycling with one shoe permanently attached to the bike, he was cycling with his sunglasses jammed between his helmet and his head. And they let us out unaccompanied for a whole week......Read more