Coast to Coast Day One – Workington to Penrith

We were very late arriving in Pica on Thursday night so barely needed to count sheep to go to sleep at the lovely welcoming Laneside Bed and Breakfast.

Mark and Boo enjoyed their breakfasts before we put the bikes on the roof ready to drive the short distance to Workington Lighthouse and the start of their ride.

Once Boo realised that we could see the sea we had to pull over for her to take in the view and for the reality of what she was about to embark on to set in.

 

All too soon we were in Workington,

and, whilst Mark battled the bikes off the roof in the wind, Boo went for a paddle in the sea and to observe the local wildlife.

 

Mark wasn’t allowed to leave without joining Boo for a paddle….

 

….and a rather smiley selfie!

Finally they were ready to leave the Workington C2C start.

 

As anyone who has walked or ridden on the Sustrans cycle paths will know there are many regional sculptures and fingerposts en route. Mark and Boo only managed to photograph a few over the three days.

However these posters are not somethng they have seen before.

To say that Boo was disappointed not to see a red squirrel anywhere near the home of Squirrel Nutkin would be an understatement. We suspect she wasn’t often quiet or still enough for these reclusive creatures to make a appearance. The first miles were dominated by the steady ‘whump whump’ sound of the wind turbines with sheep grazing beneath.

There were plenty of rivers to cross or ride alongside including the Rivers Derwent and Cocker on either side of Cockermouth.

Rivers mean bridges; some were wide road bridges, others made Mark feel like a visitor to the Ewok village on Endor. Boo liked the wooden ones best as they made her voice rumble.

 

The trees above Wythop Mill sheltered the riders as the track would up and down hill.

Boo had a couple of crashes on the shale tracks making the view of the Pencil Museum in Keswick, and our late lunch stop, a welcome sight.

 

Sadly there wasn’t enough time for any of us to explore the museum, although we did manage to refuel with paninis and a quick geocache hunt. It was clear that Keswick is welcoming to cyclists with this splendidly named cafe opposite a vibrant bike shop.

 

Boo’s pedalling was bolstered by pauses to take in the views, after all if you are working hard to climb you want to enjoy the reward, and an occasional energy gel.

By the time the two cyclists reached our overnight stop (a Travelodge conveniently positioned on the route just outside Penrith) even the energy gels weren’t helping her as can be seen in the difference between the morning and evening faces!

 

When you loo at the brief video of the terrain they rode from Workington to Penrith, and consider Boo’s slightly too close encounter with the 100 foot drop over Bassenthwaite Lake, and the resulting grazes, you can see why she was ready for a good nights rest.

 

She certainly seems to be working hard to raise funds for her Scout HQ and appreciates all your support.

Coast to Coast Scout

Boo is back home from Scout Camp where she had an amazing time but she missed her bike “Charlie”.

Mark and Boo built “Charlie” together taking pedals and saddle from her last bike and, until Mark built new wheels, she even had the wheels from his winter training bike. Clearly growing taller and using adult wheels is going to make hunting for spares easier.

She’d barely started her unpacking before she found her way onto Charlie’s saddle whilst demonstrating her ability to salute and to stand-at-ease.

   

She says she is ready for a new challenge and wants to do something to help her scout group. The 2nd Warwick Scout Group has about 200 members aged between 6 and 25 and has been granted planning permission to build a new HQ where they will be able to store the equipment needed for camps and for scout meetings such as sailing, kayaking, canoeing, rowing in addition to traditional scouting activities. Boo loves learning to sail and was delighted to be in the winning team at a very soggy group regatta this summer so we were not surprised when she said she would like to raise funds for the new scout HQ.

Although she is the stoker for “Double Trouble” and has clocked up many cycling miles, she has only ridden a maximum of 35 miles in one day on her own bike so far. Therefore the 140 mile Coast2Coast route across the Lake District and the Pennines will be a real test for her cycling and endurance. Mark is conscious that 50 miles a day is not a difficult mileage for him but he will have the challenge of pacing Boo on the hills, which anyone who has cycled up a hill slower than they wanted is not as easy as it sounds. Even in the hills it should be possible for Boo to average 8 miles/hour making 50 miles a day tough but achievable. It will also help us decide whether to use bikes or tandem for next year’s River Rhine challenge, and how many miles a day will be a realistic target.

Now Boo’s home it is time to sit down with Mark to map out the three day route. This is a popular cycling challenge so there are lots of supporting websites and, thanks to the work of Sustrans and local authorities, there is a route that utilises minor roads, cyclepaths, off road sections and limits the main roads to about 5%. They will check the guidance and then map out a route together. It will be interesting to see if the route planning process will be more challenging than preparing for LEJOG with Boo taking an active part or if they will be able to match their, sometimes clashing, priorities.

Guidance from Sustrans suggests that day one will include a big climb at Whinlatter in a mainly undulating day; day two will be a tough day over very hilly terrain; and day three will be mainly level, or even downhill, to the finish.

Boo is a big fan of Jens Voigt ever since she watched him riding in the Tour de France. She took on board his catchphrase “Shut Up Legs!” during last year’s LEJOG ride and pride of place on Charlie is a purple “Shut Up Legs!” to focus on when struggling up hills. It seems that she will need to channel her inner ‘Jens’ on the middle day of the ride.

Please support Boo on her Coast2Coast challenge and help her raise funds for the 2nd Warwick Scout Hut.