Ive arrived in Whitehaven on time after an uneventful but rainy train journey. The west side of the country looks a bit bleak here, Maryport Aspatria and Workington to name a few towns that seem to have suffered most in the loss of industries over the decades. It was quite nice to see the Irish Sea as we travelled right on the shoreline for some time. I thought I could see Isle of Man through the mist, certainly it was land out at sea, don't think it could have been the other side of the Solway Firth as we were too far down Cumbria. Out for some green salad and then Pasta tonight in Casa Roma. Billy no mates on a table for one! Must eat.
Its been a lovely morning, a little cool at times but at least its dry. A tough morning on the bike covering 45 miles so far. Numerous climbs, some quite lengthy. It was quite a struggle through the Whinlatter Pass as the route takes you through the Forestry Commission land and the surface was very difficult, big lumps of loose stone making balance tricky. Just stopped for some lunch and sitting next to me is Sir Chris Bonnington Mountaineer, Writer and all round adventurer. I reminded him that I had interviewed him in 1983 about his then book release "Kongur". Lovely chap. Some pics from today to follow
I like the back up on having a postcard on the handlebars with all the villages/towns I need to look out for on the way. Its incredibly useful when your map is in your rucksack and you just want a quick confirmation that you're heading in the right direction. So tonight was a chance for a quick refresher on the route, this website is great for that .... http://www.c2c-guide.co.uk/the-route/ and a quick look at the road layout in certain busier stretches. An hour later, hey presto, the entire route reduced to villages I must aim for with accumulated miles from the start in Whitehaven in brackets to check against the on board Garmin that all is in order. So for anyone else attempting this, here is my village checker.... Day 01 Whitehaven - Rugby Club – Corkickle – Mirehouse – Moor Row – Cleator Moor [5] – Frizington – Rowrah – Lamplugh – Loweswater [17] – Thackthwaite – High Lorton – Whinlatter – Braithwaite [27] – Portinscale – Keswick [31] – ...
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