CC Ecosse Lakes tour 2016

[Fubar]

I arrived in Elterwater almost an hour before my 10am deadline and found most of the Cyclechat mob already lounging around on the Patio in the early morning sunshine. There was some subdued talk about the excessive alcohol consumption of the previous night (A heavily Scottish version of the 'By Eck! We supp'd some ale!).
Once the full gang was assembled we set off at around 9.30 for a genteel circuit of Lake Windermere. We hadn't gone far before I realised I had left my bumbag on the table outside the hostel so I whizzed back to get it before catching up with the group a few miles down the road where I stood behind Pat while she explained to everyone that I had had to go back and would catch them up in a little while if they could just wait a moment

Pat did her best to destroy the myth that she only rides at 5mph and was often found at the front leading the way (but only on the flat bits because she isn't a great climber, and also is too scared to go down anything steep so sometimes gets off to walk down the hills )

Here's is Pat bobbing along at a good 15+mph at the front of this small peloton...
View attachment 129464
She might be even quicker if she wasn't carrying 2 x large panniers crammed with goodness knows what (I didn't hear any meowing!). It was around this point in the day that it clouded over and began to spit with rain and I started to think 'here we go again....' but it passed after just a minute and we then spent the rest of the day in mostly glorious sunshine

We soon reached the eastern terminal for the Hawkshead car ferry where we stopped for a breather and icecream. Here 2 of the girls decided that they would do a little leisurely exploring of the area and catch the ferry to resume the return leg up the far side of the lake while the boys confiscated Pat and made her do the entire loop by riding down to Newby Bridge, where I promised we would have a delightful lunch sat outside the Swan Inn by the river. Unfortunately the Swan Inn was completely flooded out during the winter and is just reopening after a massive refit........ today! So we had to carry on until we reached the Lakeside Hotel which had some equally lovely tables at the front overlooking the lake, but with incredibly lovely prices. £15 for a sandwich
We skulked off to some hidden tables in the back garden and decided a coffee and some cake would be enough.

View attachment 129465

Rasmus had a boutique hot chocolate like no hot chocolate we had seen before....
View attachment 129466

Suitably refreshed we continued our journey northwards and while us guys waited at the top of one of the steeper climbs having a chat we suddenly realised we had been waiting an awfully long time for Pat, even if she had walked all the way from the bottom. I jumped back on my bike and zipped back down the hill to where we had last seen her then climbed back to the main group to report her MIA! We decided to head down to the Hawkshead ferry as that was the next landmark but she wasn't there either. We eventually caught up with her a few miles further up the gravel lakeside path that runs north from Hawkshead to Wray Castle. Not quite sure how she passed us but she did insist that she had gone the right way
Anyway, now regrouped we set out on the final stretch back to Elterwater and the hostel, except that is a bit of a lie because we never made it to the hostel due to somehow getting delayed at the village pub
It would really have been rude not to as the mid-afternoon sunshine was most agreeable when sat at the tables at the front of the establishment, overlooking the village green where the patrons had spilled over to spread out on the grass. I managed to control myself though and only had a swift half as I had a cunning plan.
View attachment 129469

At 4pm I set off to climb over Wrynose and then ascend to the summit of Hardknott before returning via a second go of Wrynose to be back at the hostel in time for tea at 7pm. I couldn't convince anyone to join me
It turns out I was approaching the passes from the most severe sides and I am ashamed to admit that after a long day and riding my road bike with a 34-25 lowest gear I failed both climbs and had to stop for a breather each time, but got back on without walking any of it to complete the climb. Coming back up Wrynose for the second time but in the opposite direction was a comparative breeze, even though it was my 3rd climb of the evening, and I was back outside the pub drinking a pint by 5.45

Hardknott doesn't look so bad from here...
View attachment 129470

But the close up reality! Here are some dog walkers struggling not to fall down the severe slopes that start immediately at the bottom.
View attachment 129471

THE TOP!
View attachment 129472

I had a great day and, as always, a pleasure to meet more fellow cyclchatterers. Thanks for allowing me a day pass to crash the party and if someone can post a left to right this is whot'is name picture, putting faces to cyclechat persona's then I might have a clue who I was talking to all day because with the mix of accents I was struggling a bit

Great account of the day's events, a pleasure to meet and ride with you - I would have come up wrynose with you but... I didn't want to.

 

[Fubar]

Left to right in you photo is @Rasmus @Fubar @mcshroom @Pat "5mph" and @DougieAB

 

[Fubar]

Mark is pissed hahaha!

I wasn't! Just... Merry

 

[Scoosh]

We all know Mark. Mark is always a happy, merry chap.

He must have been the other ...

 

[Brandane]

To be continued

Come on then you slacker; your audience awaits!

 

[Rasmus]

A short account of my experience of the past week.

Having missed the first two CC ecosse tours due to calendar conflicts I was determined to make it along this time, and very happy when a concensus was reached choosing the Lake District as a location. Three night was not enough for me, though, so a plan was hatched adding another night at either end to take me to and from train stations with direct service from Bristol.

I ride my trusty alu-framed road bike, with a standard compact and 30 tooth sprocket. Luggage limited as much as possible to a single pannier as well as a frame bag.

Day 1. (Bristol-)Manchester-Slaidburn
I was on the first off-peak service north towards Manchester. Things did not go well. Diversion via Kidderminster due to line blockage, then termination at Birmingham. Eventually picked up a service coming from Bournemouth (luckily not busy with bikes on a Wednesday lunchtime!), which got me into Manchester around 1430, 90 minutes later than planned. On top of that the clouds had gotten steadily thicker and rain was starting. Anyway, had to get on with it and headed north employing bike lanes on the A59 before diverting off to smaller lanes. Unfortunately the train tardiness meant I ran into rush hour traffic around Blackburn, somewhat spoiling the fun. Anyway, I was soon off on lanes again, heading into the Forest of Bowland via the Waddington Fell climb. After a careful descent I arrived thoroughly soaked at the Slaidburn YHA around half six. Very friendly volunteer manager got me warmed up, and I was soon in the pub enjoying a well earned dinner.

Day 2. Slaidburn-Elterwater

When planning the trip I had limited myself to 75-85 km days, after having somewhat overextended myself with ~120 km days on previous tours. Today was the longest at 86 km, and also the hilliest. It began straight off the bat with the serious climb up to the Cross of Greet (remains of). Very impressive looking on a chilly morning. A lovely climb, with a few opportunities to stop and admire the view.

After a long descent towards Cumbria i endured some lumpyness before arriving in Kirkby Lonsdale, well equipped with Cafes one of which supplied a very enjoyable Toastie. Refueled i made my way up another climb, topping out to my first view towards the Lake District.

In what I took as a good omen, the sun had come out! Dispensing with rain jackets bombed down across the M6 before starting the lumpy ascent across to Windermere. I was making good time, so treated myself to another rest stop for cake in Bowness, before geading around the lake to Elterwater. I was first to arrive, and planted myself out front. Fairly soon various small groupings of CC'ers started arriving, the reception opened and we got ourselves installed. Around 8 it was time for dinner and we headed to explore the village. One pub was already fully packed, the other deemed unsuitable due to poshness. So, we combined the various rations that people had been kind enough to lug over the Kirkstone Pass earlier in the day with a few bits available for purchase at the hostel reception, and the master chefs of the group (@annedonnelly and @DougieAB ) concocted a very nice pasta meal for eight. After dinner it was time to sit around studying some maps making potential plans for the weekend, and wait and see if @ShooglyDougie survived his late night trip from Oxenholme. He did, although not without some entertaining diversions.

Day 3. Short Hawkshead loop
Forecast was for rain, so this was set to be an "easy" day. The weather looked to be clearing up around half ten, and suddenly a subset of people were assembled with bikes at the ready. We headed of Coniston, which arrived to early to be suitable for a rest stop, and so diverted towards Hawkshead. Simultaneous arrival of torrential rain and a very steep incline made for a somewhat unenjoyable few miles before we could dive into a tea room in Hawkshead to dry out. As we emerged the rain had stopped, and it was much nicer going up to Ambleside, where we went looking for a fabled cyclepath back to the hostel. As it happened the road we came in on arrived at a t-junction midways in an on-road section of said path, so we had missed it. Anyway, it was good fortune to head into town as I could take the opportunity to replace a failing seat tube (the replacement turned out to be somewhat of a nightmare to adjust as well, but at least it was workable). Eventually we turned back around towards the hostel, picking up the path correctly. It was a proper sustrans job, with unnecessary climbs and rubbish surfaces (pavé, really?), but at least the only traffic was of the legged variety.

Now out of rations, we had booked a table at the pub for the evening, and had a thoroughly enjoyable meal supplemented with shall we say "interesting" conversations regarding future tour possibilities

Day 4. Windermere loop.
Described eloquently above by @I like Skol . I will add just a picture or two.

Day 5. Elterwater - Hawes.
Time to leave, and various small groups left in stages much as they had arrived. I was last to leave, setting off just before 9. I headed back to Bowness and over the hill to Kendal, leaving the Lakes behind and heading for Dales. After Oxenholme i picked up a succession of extremely quiet, extremely enjoyable, lanes heading into Dentdale. After stopping at Dent to work up some courage I tackled the final climb up to Newby Head pass. A fast descent took me to Hawes where I had splurged on a nice B&B for the night.

Day 6. Hawes - Darlington.
Final day, and just one challenge left on the itinerary: Cote de Buttertubs. I tackled it straight out the door, and was grateful for the lack of traffic allowing for a zig-zag route up the 17% bits in the middle - but I made it!

An exhilarating descent took me to the lovely Swaledale, which I followed all the way to Richmond before struggling into some proper headwind on the flats heading Northeast to Darlington. I arrived with plenty of time to spare for my train, and crosscountry this time managed to transport me halfway across the country without issues. One last hill up from the train station and I was home

 

[Spinney]

Wow - @I like Skol and @Rasmus

It's time for me to get my sorry legs back up onto some of those moorlands!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I'm on it @Brandane, no long got home at almost 60 miles today!
Editing the pictures, but planning an early night after reading @Rasmus report first

 

[Fubar]

Great write-up @Rasmus, though I'm curious to know how "friendly" the volunteer was to be able to warm you up!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

CC won't let me upload all the pictures: here is a link for the complete album.
I shall get down to the detailed report tomorrow

 

[ColinJ]

I'm glad you all had such a great time! Sorry - I completely forgot about your tour. I had thought about nipping up and joining you for one of the days but got distracted. Never mind ... maybe another time? (I will be up visiting my Scottish family at the start of September and would welcome company on my Mull and Moidart rides ... )

@Rasmus - I thought for a moment that you had pinched one of my ride photos ...

Yours:

And here is mine from a ride a couple of years ago, taken from the same spot:

'Great minds think alike'!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Another awesome CC Ecosse cycling adventure has begun: get ready to read about bleary early morning starts, battles against the winds, epic drenching, laughter, sweat, tears, and, of course, the taking of many pictures.
As I am reporting from my tablet with no camera, the (many) pictures in my phone will be uploaded on an album on here when I get home.
The plan is we all meet in Carlisle to cycle on to the Lake District, where we have accommodation for the group booked from Friday to Monday.
@flyingfifi and I are cycling from the outskirts of Glasgow, along NCN 74 south.

Day one: Hamilton to Moffat - 50 miles.
I'm up at 4.15am ... argh! The plan is for me to cycle the 9 miles to Hamilton, then meet Fiona for an early getaway from the busy main roads before rush hour.
We meet at 6, cycle across Chatelherault country park, from where route 74 takes you all the way to Carlisle... or so we hope ...as per usual, we are entering the unknown by following a Sustrains route.
Will we be lead to a swampy bog or to the M8? What we need is a GoogleBike, that has access to paths where no bike has been before, would certainly avoid nasty cycling surprises!
After a dubious start - a steep slide downhill with a right turn onto a blind bend, and a steep gravel strewn uphill section, we make good progress out of Hamilton, then Larkhall. We want to reach Leismahagel well before rush hour. The main road, Carlisle road, we are following is quiet now, but a nightmare at peak times. We shall see how we will fare here on our return, planned for Wednesday mid afternoon.
The route, that follows the old road before the motorway was build, is actually quite pleasant to cycle on. One must always be alert though of the scarce traffic that passes these minor roads, they tend to be used as rat runs.
Roundabouts are dealt with crossings, not ideal but much better than having to ride them.
From Leismahagel, onto Abington then Moffat we rode steadily, it was plain sailing with no major hills.
Shame that in 20 years time that route will probably be impassable on a road bike, signs of neglect are showing already.
As (not) forecast for the day, the weather turned from rain to a heavy drizzle, to heavy rain. We got Moffat absolutely drenched.
The consumption of a big hot meal and the purchase of much cake and chocolate "for laters" made us forgive and forget the weather, eagerly planning next day's ride in high spirits.
I wonder how the heavily laden cyclist we met, heading to land's end, was coping with his Brooks saddle? It was giving him grief not even 400 miles into his journey!

To be continued.

Back home, photos downloaded, got a few hours before going to work.
Time to continue the tale of this epic (for Pat 5mph) journey from Scotland to England and back.
Having @flyingfifi and I arrived in Moffat absolutely drenched, we were welcomed with raised eyebrows by the owners of the cream carpeted B&B.
The very comfortable bedding had snow white sheets, we had bike oil black leg tattoos! They soon got over their shock, showing us the way to the secure bike storage. On the by, we saw it advertised for sale in the local estate agent, so it may not be run as a B&B once sold. @Rasmus had stayed there previously, and on the return leg (for us) chatting with the owners they remembered him, as a "maybe foreign, young cyclist that traveled very light but still had a change of clothes for the evening".
Some pictures from day 1:
Us at the start in Hamilton
@flyingfifi in full tour mode.
Strava for day one: https://www.strava.com/activities/587711559
Terrain: mostly gentle uphills, but the road is exposed, when you see windmill farms, well, you know there's going to be a lot of wind.
Some of NCN 74 till Moffat has been freshly resurfaced, but the stretch from Crawford is quite bumpy, still, if on a road bike one could take the old road alongside it instead of the path. Roundabouts can be negotiated via cycle path.
Traffic from Hamilton to Lesmahagow is fast, the route is mostly on road there.

Day two: Moffat to Carlisle
The day started overcast, but dry. We decided to keep the waterproofs handy just in case, good decision as we had to stop to put them on, then stop again to take them off, I was fed up so decided to carry on cycling with the waterproof trousers rolled up, in my typical "I'm nothing but a cycling tramp" fashion.

Note the IrnBru cap: it flew off somewhere around Windermere!
The wind was in our faces relentlessly, still we made good progress. A wee break in Lockerbie, and off to the next stretch before turning into the Sustrains path to Gretna. We called this stretch "Log Lorry road". There were many, they were fast, and they are the nemesis of Fiona, as she got run into a ditch by one of them on a previous tour. There are also a couple of truckers rest areas on the old 74, in addition to the timber factory. The cycle lane is on road.
Sheep art on Lockerbie's city centre.
There's a metal bridge over the river Esk before Gretna, a wee town and an Inn called the same: after that route 74 becomes typical Sustrains, a steep, twisty, blind bend and you're on it. The rest of the meander to Gretna though is quite scenic with an acceptable path surface.
We reached Gretna in no time, me enthusiastically pointing out the signs - need to stop doing that or the passers by may think Fiona and I are eloping
Suddenly, on top of a hill looking towards Carlisle, Fiona cries out: "Look, look ... it's @mcshroom waving the flag at us, saying, welcome!"
Erm ... we did not know he actually lives well behind those hills, on the other side of the Lake district! We did get a welcome FB message once in Carlisle from @MikeW-71 though
A wee break in Gretna, (I had a typical pasty of the area whose name escapes me now, very yummy) and would you believe it!!!! Fiona missed the famous sign that all the long distance cyclists take their pictures at. Lucky I was behind as usual, saw the sign, the obligatory pictures were taken.


We reached Carlisle through scenic back roads, the temperature already getting warmer.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/587711594
We stayed at the privately owned youth hostel near the Cathedral, it has 3 floors of long winded staircases, our room was right at the top. Nice and comfortable though. A group of roadies checked in just before us, so we had to wait till the poor owner carried our bikes downstairs to the storage area, you guess, it was down a narrow staircase!
To be continued, as I've got to leave for work now
Picture of random roadies on a supported End to End
Carlisle Cathedral: it's quite a large complex made of several building among landscaped gardens.
Omg! I cycled to England!!!!

 

[I like Skol]

Omg! I cycled to England!!!!

But did you hear the cheering as you cycled back in to Scotland?

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Day 3: Carlisle to Elterwater, in the lake district.
Having had a lovely carbo loaded Italian dinner the night before, then a little explore of the city, Fiona and I had a wee lie in on day 3, till 8.30
As we were waiting for @DougieAB, Mark @Fubar and @annedonnelly to arrive at the station there was some extra time to purchase more chocolate and cake for the journey
Now, the routine we got into was to arrive at our evening lodgings starving, go buy energy filled treats for later, then go for a massive dinner and eat the treats on the bike journey the day after. Needless to say, our panniers got heavier and heavier with cake, and my cunning plan to lose some weight on this trip never materialized
Well, a normal person would go on a diet before embarking on a hilly cycle journey, not hope to come back skinnier. Yeah, that would be the logic thing to do.
Just as well Mark and Dougie arrived in Carlisle a wee bit peckish, cakes were soon produced and coffee purchased while waiting for Anne's train.
The five of us set out for Elterwater on a route @MikeW-71 kindly suggested.
Mark also proposed a route, we decided to ride that one on the way back.
Soon the boys and Anne were well ahead, reassured that I had the route in my Garmin, we would regroup. Fiona did not have this route in her Garmin, and this would cause some, erm, disagreement (strong argument ) between us later on.
The rolling countryside out of Carlisle was beautiful, the weather quite warm if not a bit windy ... as in "head wind" of course, is there any other for a cyclist?
We had our lunch at the Greystoke cycle cafe, then our different abilities groups split again.
Lunching al fresco at the Caf, wind in our hair, even in Dougie's that doesn't have any
Fiona taking it easy riding the countryside just out of Carlisle on a lovely sunny day.
Now, so far so good. After lunch we were riding up and more up, we were expecting that, I was puffing a bit but hardly had to use my granny gear. Thinking fondly of @MikeW-71 and his great routes (that not of us actually Google map checked), we saw the most lovely scenery, that culminated in the perfect, not too steep (I'm scared of downhills!) descent of Ullswater.
A roadie in full aero position lost his pose to give us a big wave, there was hardly any cars, the wind had stopped, magic!
On top of the hills

Looking over the water, wonder what that big hill in the background is?
Once down Ullswater, there was only about 15 miles left to Elterwater: nae bother, as we say in Scotland, we gonna be there in no time.
Time for another wee break under the trees, c'mon, let's get the chocolate flapjacks out.
Fiona consults her map, frowning. She casually mentions: "do you know, I think that road up there is the Kirkstone pass, look, right up there where that white van is, we have to ride up there"
Me, waving hands Italian style meaning dismissal: "nayyy, no way, nobody said nothing about passes, there'll be another road, wait until I fire up Sat Nav again."
A touring cyclist, loaded panniers, slowly passes our spot.
I shout after him: " 'scuse me, are you going up Kirkstone pass?"
Him: " Yes" Me: "Is there no another way?" Him, still pedaling away: "NO!"
Now, incredibly, while Fiona's heart started sinking, I was still in good spirits, it really did not look to steep from the beginning. How hart can it be? Get in low gear, we can do most of it.
Hahaha! After about half a mile I had to stop for a breather, then of course could not get on the bike again, I was in too a low gear plus cars kept coming making it impossible to zigzag.
We had to walk it all, pushing the heavy bikes while the wind had fairly picked up again. My thoughts towards @MikeW-71 started to get a bit less fond ....
Never mind, I was still enjoying myself, the views were truly breathtaking: at one point I thought we had gotten to the summit, but it was a false one, it did get even steeper!
Taking a picture was a must: there's no way I will ever be back there again with a bike: one of us had to hold the bikes, apply a brake with each hand, or they would roll back, to take these snaps. Then we did some acrobatics to keep a hold of both bikes while the other went into the picture. Here they are:


Of course, we cannot miss out the famous pub at the top:

It was quite cold at the summit, without glancing at the Garmin I start the descent into Ambleside. There were two signs: one said Ambleside down Kirkstone, the other said Ambleside via "the STRUGGLE, extremely steep bendy downhill, blind corners, risk of ice, falling rocks, motorcycle crashes, not a good idea on a bike if you want to see you cat again" ... or something of that sort.
I had seen that sign, but had blocked it mentally, no way, but no way on earth that would be our route I thought, we must be meant to go straight on down.
My Garmin started to go ballistic, while Fiona joined it.
No no no! We should be down that way, look at all the cars!
I was of the opinion that we could have reached Ambleside by following the road ahead, but gave in to Fiona's better navigation skills and rode back up to the pub.
She happily hurled herself down the Struggle, reaching speeds of 40mph, while I walked the first, steeper bit, my bike skills are no match to that, especially when I'm already exhausted, I would have splattered myself after the first bend.
I found her at the bottom having a snooze on a yellow grit bin while waiting for me
Ambleside, here we are, only four miles now to Elterwater! Yeahbut ...
Garmin SatNav says go left, Fiona SatNav says nonono, we should go right because the map says Elterwater is there.
Okey Dokey, I stop some "rent a mb in the lakes" local van driver, they confirm that Garmin is right, actually what they say is "SatNav is always right!"
Fiona is not convinced, she paces main street clutching her map like Othello pacing his livingroom clutching the famous skull.
So I try to phone @Fubar, then @annedonnelly, then @Rasmus. None answers, because, as we will find out later, there's no signal!
Eventually she agrees to follow me, right enough the road sign is clear: Elterwater, yiuppie!
We got there, Garmin said "end" ... but where's our hostel??
Fortunately, my phone rings, it's Mark: were are you?
We are at the Britannia pub, we are a bit lost. Come and get us!
He came on foot, it was 500 yards up the road
Ohhh, our intrepid leader, we had a hard day!
He smiles knowingly, giving me a cuddle: I know, I know, so did we.
Everybody was already there, well by that time it was around 7pm: @DougieAB had cycled the Kirkstone in a go, @Rasmus had made his way from Bristol, @mcshroom had to conquer the Hardknott and the Wrynose pass both, while @bigjim opted to drive from Manchester with the bike in the car.
We were still missing @ShooglyDougie who had been delayed by work.
He arrived around 11, soaked, having cycled in the dark from Oxenholme station with no map reference, as his phone had gotten wet. He had found his bearings by reading road signs at the light of his bike torch.
To distinguish him from the other Dougie, we shall from now on refer to @ShooglyDougie as MB Dougie, for he favors trails, rocky paths and riding through streams.
Anne and Dougie had made a big pot of pasta, we had kept a big plate for MB Dougie which went down a treat.
It had been a hard day's riding for all, we passed the rainy evening catching up and getting to know each other for those who had met for the first time.
Maps were consulted, plans made, but tomorrow, Saturday, looked to be wet for most of the morning.
My Strava for day 3: https://www.strava.com/activities/587711665
Elterwater Hostel.
... To be continued ...

 

[Fubar]

Day 3: Carlisle to Elterwater, in the lake district.
Having had a lovely carbo loaded Italian dinner the night before, then a little explore of the city, Fiona and I had a wee lie in on day 3, till 8.30
As we were waiting for @DougieAB, Mark @Fubar and @annedonnelly to arrive at the station there was some extra time to purchase more chocolate and cake for the journey
Now, the routine we got into was to arrive at our evening lodgings starving, go buy energy filled treats for later, then go for a massive dinner and eat the treats on the bike journey the day after. Needless to say, our panniers got heavier and heavier with cake, and my cunning plan to lose some weight on this trip never materialized
Well, a normal person would go on a diet before embarking on a hilly cycle journey, not hope to come back skinnier. Yeah, that would be the logic thing to do.
Just as well Mark and Dougie arrived in Carlisle a wee bit peckish, cakes were soon produced and coffee purchased while waiting for Anne's train.
The five of us set out for Elterwater on a route @MikeW-71 kindly suggested.
Mark also proposed a route, we decided to ride that one on the way back.
Soon the boys and Anne were well ahead, reassured that I had the route in my Garmin, we would regroup. Fiona did not have this route in her Garmin, and this would cause some, erm, disagreement (strong argument ) between us later on.
The rolling countryside out of Carlisle was beautiful, the weather quite warm if not a bit windy ... as in "head wind" of course, is there any other for a cyclist?
We had our lunch at the Greystoke cycle cafe, then our different abilities groups split again.
View attachment 129775 Lunching al fresco at the Caf, wind in our hair, even in Dougie's that doesn't have any
View attachment 129776 Fiona taking it easy riding the countryside just out of Carlisle on a lovely sunny day.
Now, so far so good. After lunch we were riding up and more up, we were expecting that, I was puffing a bit but hardly had to use my granny gear. Thinking fondly of @MikeW-71 and his great routes (that not of us actually Google map checked), we saw the most lovely scenery, that culminated in the perfect, not too steep (I'm scared of downhills!) descent of Ullswater.
A roadie in full aero position lost his pose to give us a big wave, there was hardly any cars, the wind had stopped, magic!
View attachment 129777 On top of the hills

View attachment 129778 Looking over the water, wonder what that big hill in the background is?
Once down Ullswater, there was only about 15 miles left to Elterwater: nae bother, as we say in Scotland, we gonna be there in no time.
Time for another wee break under the trees, c'mon, let's get the chocolate flapjacks out.
Fiona consults her map, frowning. She casually mentions: "do you know, I think that road up there is the Kirkstone pass, look, right up there where that white van is, we have to ride up there"
Me, waving hands Italian style meaning dismissal: "nayyy, no way, nobody said nothing about passes, there'll be another road, wait until I fire up Sat Nav again."
A touring cyclist, loaded panniers, slowly passes our spot.
I shout after him: " 'scuse me, are you going up Kirkstone pass?"
Him: " Yes" Me: "Is there no another way?" Him, still pedaling away: "NO!"
Now, incredibly, while Fiona's heart started sinking, I was still in good spirits, it really did not look to steep from the beginning. How hart can it be? Get in low gear, we can do most of it.
Hahaha! After about half a mile I had to stop for a breather, then of course could not get on the bike again, I was in too a low gear plus cars kept coming making it impossible to zigzag.
We had to walk it all, pushing the heavy bikes while the wind had fairly picked up again. My thoughts towards @MikeW-71 started to get a bit less fond ....
Never mind, I was still enjoying myself, the views were truly breathtaking: at one point I thought we had gotten to the summit, but it was a false one, it did get even steeper!
Taking a picture was a must: there's no way I will ever be back there again with a bike: one of us had to hold the bikes, apply a brake with each hand, or they would roll back, to take these snaps. Then we did some acrobatics to keep a hold of both bikes while the other went into the picture. Here they are:

View attachment 129780 View attachment 129781
Of course, we cannot miss out the famous pub at the top:
View attachment 129782
It was quite cold at the summit, without glancing at the Garmin I start the descent into Ambleside. There were two signs: one said Ambleside down Kirkstone, the other said Ambleside via "the STRUGGLE, extremely steep bendy downhill, blind corners, risk of ice, falling rocks, motorcycle crashes, not a good idea on a bike if you want to see you cat again" ... or something of that sort.
I had seen that sign, but had blocked it mentally, no way, but no way on earth that would be our route I thought, we must be meant to go straight on down.
My Garmin started to go ballistic, while Fiona joined it.
No no no! We should be down that way, look at all the cars!
I was of the opinion that we could have reached Ambleside by following the road ahead, but gave in to Fiona's better navigation skills and rode back up to the pub.
She happily hurled herself down the Struggle, reaching speeds of 40mph, while I walked the first, steeper bit, my bike skills are no match to that, especially when I'm already exhausted, I would have splattered myself after the first bend.
I found her at the bottom having a snooze on a yellow grit bin while waiting for me
Ambleside, here we are, only four miles now to Elterwater! Yeahbut ...
Garmin SatNav says go left, Fiona SatNav says nonono, we should go right because the map says Elterwater is there.
Okey Dokey, I stop some "rent a mb in the lakes" local van driver, they confirm that Garmin is right, actually what they say is "SatNav is always right!"
Fiona is not convinced, she paces main street clutching her map like Othello pacing his livingroom clutching the famous skull.
So I try to phone @Fubar, then @annedonnelly, then @Rasmus. None answers, because, as we will find out later, there's no signal!
Eventually she agrees to follow me, right enough the road sign is clear: Elterwater, yiuppie!
We got there, Garmin said "end" ... but where's our hostel??
Fortunately, my phone rings, it's Mark: were are you?
We are at the Britannia pub, we are a bit lost. Come and get us!
He came on foot, it was 500 yards up the road
Ohhh, our intrepid leader, we had a hard day!
He smiles knowingly, giving me a cuddle: I know, I know, so did we.
Everybody was already there, well by that time it was around 7pm: @DougieAB had cycled the Kirkstone in a go, @Rasmus had made his way from Bristol, @mcshroom had to conquer the Hardknott and the Wrynose pass both, while @bigjim opted to drive from Manchester with the bike in the car.
We were still missing @ShooglyDougie who had been delayed by work.
He arrived around 11, soaked, having cycled in the dark from Oxenholme station with no map reference, as his phone had gotten wet. He had found his bearings by reading road signs at the light of his bike torch.
To distinguish him from the other Dougie, we shall from now on refer to @ShooglyDougie as MB Dougie, for he favors trails, rocky paths and riding through streams.
Anne and Dougie had made a big pot of pasta, we had kept a big plate for MB Dougie which went down a treat.
It had been a hard day's riding for all, we passed the rainy evening catching up and getting to know each other for those who had met for the first time.
Maps were consulted, plans made, but tomorrow, Saturday, looked to be wet for most of the morning.
My Strava for day 3: https://www.strava.com/activities/587711665
View attachment 129784 Elterwater Hostel.
... To be continued ...

Actually @ShooglyDougie arrived about quarter to midnight and had navigated by a public toilet app - no idea what he needs that for...

Great write up Pat!