We arrived at St Bees (Matt, Mark, Brian and myself) , delivered by the Packhorse bus, and there followed a prolonged period of faffing about with bikes in the unseasonably cold wind. St Bees is not a particularly attractive town, but does have a beach and photogenic cliffs, and most importantly is the start of our epic coast to coast ride.
We followed a road version of Wainwright's coast to coast walk, devised by Packhorse, the company that very efficiently arranged our accommodation, transport and luggage transfer. The route was about 180 miles over four days, with an extraordinary amount of climbing. The route through the Lake District was been chosen by our expedition leader (me), and is the most difficult possible - over Hardnott Pass and Wrynose pass on day one, and over Kirkstone Pass on day two.
Bikes were parked for photographic purposes, and then it's in to the cafe for a cup of tea before the off. Keen eyed readers may notice a fair amount of celeste in these pictures - Mark, being a cyclist of taste, is a fellow Bianchi owner. Matt borrowed his Dad's Ribble bike for the trip (as well as his car and bike rack to get us here!) and Brian was on his rather heavier Specialized. Mine is the only bike without a triple, so I had my cassette changed to a"dinner plate" 11-32 to give me extra gearing for the hills - a very wise move as things would turn out.
After a delayed start from the cafe,we're off. As usual Mark spent an extraordinary amount of time in the gents. Mark's bodily functions can be best described as "very regular", and waiting for him to emerge from toilets is to be a feature of the trip.
Safely navigated out of St Bees, we headed south over undulating minor roads, when it became apparent that young Matt was cycling unusually slowly - he's playing his usual game of "how long can I freewheel along the flat/downhill bits without pedalling". The answer is a very long way (in the region of 1.5 miles).
We then turned inland towards Eskdale, after climbing our first proper steep bit - the road over Irton Fell. Brian, as befitting the senior team member riding the heaviest bike, opted for the walking option up this one, and then it was down to Boot for a lunch stop at the miniature steam railway cafe, sitting out the only rain shower of the trip.
It was then on to the hardest climb in the country, ascended from the hardest direction. However you look at it, Hardknott is extraordinarily steep - 30% hairpins over 1.3 miles of rough road, and even the easiest bits are ridiculously steep. I found myself leading the way, girding my loins for the brutally steep part of the climb as we passed the phone box. As is my habit, I made my usual mistake of going too fast at the start (despite firmly telling myself beforehand not to do exactly that) and the gradient and rough road surface immediately took their toll. I slowed down to such an extent that I almost fell off, and lost all momentum. An awful realisation came to me - I JUST CAN'T DO IT. So, it was off the bike and walking until I got my breath back. Matt and Brian were also walking, but Mark, magnificently, came by, out of the saddle and cycling barely above walking pace, and continued up the hairpins.
As the gradient eased slightly, I was back on the bike and following Mark, who looked like he was going to make all the way without walking. The road steepened again, and I was walking again, then back on the bike for the last bit (with a friendly "chapeau" from a passing motorist). Mark, sadly, had to walk a very short section near the top, but rode at least 90% of the climb to get there first. I reached the top, having probably cycled about 60% of the way, and we waited for Matt and Brian.
As this point, it would be reasonable to expect a thrilling and exhilarating fast descent down the other side of the pass to the valley and on to Wrynose. No chance. It may well be possible to ride down Hardknott Pass and live to a ripe old age, but none of us were chancing it. The road was so steep and potholed, with running water in places, that even walking down was treacherous, especialy with cleats. By the time the gradient eased my arms and shoulders were aching from holding the bike in defiance of gravity.
Back on the bikes, a lovely ride along the valley to the foot of the next whopper of a climb, Wrynose Pass. The climb followed a similar pattern to Hardknott - me going off too fast and walking the middle section, Matt and Brian walking a bit more, and Mark cycling all the way to the top. Mark is clearly the fittest of us, with the added advantage of being about 3 stone lighter. Again, we walked the first part of the descent, but were able to cycle the lower half, myself desperately hoping not to meet any cars coming up at awkward spots. Well before the bottom of the descent, I noticed a distinct whiff of burning from my brakes. By the time we got to the bottom, copious amounts of black dust on the frame were testament to the wearing of my brake pads (foolishly not changed before we left).
At Little Langdale, we had our first beer stop at the Three Shires (Coniston Old Man), before a leisurely ride on to our overnight stop at Ambleside. Actually, the expected leisurely ride was undulating all the way, and I was definitely struggling at one point.
On arrival at Ambleside we had the usual amount of faffing, as none of us actually knew where the B & B was. Eventually we found it and parked the bikes in the cellar. It was a decent place, although our room was directly on to the pavement at street level and it's a bit disconcerting (unless you are Mark) to perform one's ablutions whilst watching people walking by the bathroom window.
An evening out discovering the fleshpots of Ambleside ensued - the Unicorn for dinner (a bit disappointing), the Golden Rule (superb) and the Queens (OK) for beer.
Day 1 stats
32.7 miles
3236 feet of ascent
4 pubs
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