Threkfeld to Alston
4302 calories & 43 miles
The toughest day according to the notes.
We packed up the van from the B&B and set off in the drizzle.
I had to get off and walk up the first hill as it was a bit of a shock straight after breakfast. Iona was waiting for me at the top and offered to ride with me. I took a few photos caught my breath and we set off. Iona guided me towards which gears I should be using and I basically copied what ever she did including trying to remember to sit up when going up a long hill.
This worked a treat as for the rest of the day I didn't get off once to walk.
The first snack stop was at Greystoke. This was just after some great downhill sections. The roads were so quiet that I was glad for Iona's company. The reassurance that I'm on the right road and motivation to move at a reasonable pace meant I made the snack stops not too far behind the rest of the group. John was the only person to remain behind me.
I was getting cold so we moved on as soon as possible. The next stop was lunch.
We met on the village green after a few steep climbs that I did struggle with but achieved.
Peter had also joined us on this section and we'd done a bit of weaving up the hills.
I was getting cold at lunch, so was eager to get on. I used the cafe toilets (the toilet was not stable so I had a minor panic when it wobbled) and returned to bike. The owner of the cafe came over to the group to tell us off for using his toilets. Apparently Skedaddle had been using them all summer. Maybe he should have mentioned it earlier in the season then.
After lunch was the start of the big climb. It was 7 miles to Renwick and then it was 4 miles up to Hartside Cafe - the highest cafe in England.
I was rather apprehensive about the work ahead of me. My knees were aching and I felt like I'd used up everything I had. There were a few steep bits on the way to Renwick including one really tough one out of Penrith. Peter was still with us and on the one climb he was walking faster than I was cycling, but I didn't give in and cycled all the way up.
We kept stopping for photos and the plan was to stop in Renwick and get the clothing right for the climb. I soon realised that we hadn't stopped at Renwick (I clearly missed it) and that we'd started the climb. I only stopped to take a breather and take photos. I did cycle all the way to the top.
The team were there to cheer me on when I cycled into the car park. 1 piece of cake and a coke later and we were ready for the downhill ride to our next B&B.
I nearly went back down the hill that I'd cycled up. I got a bit confused - the blood was all in my legs...
The downhill section was great though despite pedalling I couldn't get over 22 mph. There was a nasty accident (I didn't look in case I saw something gory) involving a motorbike part of the way down with police cars on both sides of the road which did slow my descent. The air ambulance flew past and was in the valley below - I did feel really high up.
We arrived at Alston House together, loaded our bikes in and made our way to our rooms.
Our room had wobbly floor. The wardrobe looked like it was about to fall over and Colette had moments where she thought she was losing the plot as everything she put on the table slid straight onto the floor.
The bathroom was very roomy, I had the double bed and was so looking forward to it.
Dinner was roast beef (Sunday roast) followed by profiteroles. Spot on. I slept like a log. The best nights sleep so far.
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