Carlisle to Barnard Castle

Miles today : 62
Miles so far : 343
Today’s ascent : 1355 meters

A dull and misty day with thick cloud on the tops. This was the day I was most nervous about due to distance, height gained and lack of facilities en route.

The first third was undulating and virtually traffic free. Then the climbing began, firstly of Hartside summit - over 600 meters.

Strong winds and damp conditions suggested that there was no time to hang around and I descended quickly to Garrigill where I intended to have a picnic somewhere sheltered. Got talking with local resident Brian, a fellow cycling enthusiast. This secured the use of the church for my picnic and he brought me a cup of tea in an insulated mug. Now I was warming from the inside.

The next climb was even higher to 627 metres. There were plenty of other cyclists around as I was on the C2C route for some time. Some had back up vehicles and a woman snapped her chain going uphill.

The last 40km were mostly descending on smooth roads. Job done.Read more