Day 7: Lucky escape (Jan)

Day 7: 105km

Garstang to Penrith, via Lancaster, Carnforth, Kendal, Shap Fell

Very luckily for me Jony realised before we set off this morning that actually Kirkstone Pass is twice as high as Shap, so he didn't drag me off through the Lake District afterall. Shap was perfectly sufficient: we are definitely no longer practising - legs are being well-worked, thankyou Sarah!  I love this scenery. The wildness of the hills and the blasted trees; the tilted bedding planes where the rock is exposed. The wide valleys and looping brooks. And great, sunshine-and-cloud skies. At one point I came round a corner to a brilliantly-green field with two cartoon sheep sitting side-by-side. They watched me as I progressed up the hill, two fluffy heads following me in unison. So funny.

 Early this morning , we had a short respite, having picked up the Lancaster canal, through Bolton-le-Sands to Carnforth. It is a really pretty route, with glimpses of Morecambe Bay and the Lake District to the west/northwest and the Pennines to the east. Strange that I never rode these towpaths when we lived here, but I didn't use a bike much in those days. Had a Honda50 (not much more than a bicycle!) and I don't think I travelled much beyond Carnforth and Morecambe, except for one day when I did a loop through the Lake District, panicking the entire time that I would run out of fuel because the petrol stations were so few and far between. 

We met another cyclist on our way up Shap Fell today. She was riding LEJOG in sections (currently doing Bristol to Glasgow). We have decided we definitely need to join the End-to-End club when we have finished. Jony also wants a reception party (preferably in every town we pass through). So greedy!

We have rolled up at the Wayfarers Independent Hostel in Penrith tonight - really well-appointed and very reasonable. Only opened this year, after a thoughtful conversion. Good kitchen, sitting space, ensuite bunk rooms, drying room - although we only need it for our washing, having again escaped the rain, arriving just ahead of it.

No puns today! Very disappointing.