Windermere-Ambleside-Keswick-Bassenthwaite-Caldwell-Hesket Newmarket-Armathwaite. 56 miles.
Click here for a map of the route.
We started with four miles to Ambleside alongside the lake, then a visit to ‘Ghyllside’ bike shop to sort out the brakes. After such a wet first day we needed new blocks all round, but a bigger problem was the disc brake, which was not effective at all. The pads were now almost down to the metal – we really should have checked them before we left home, but we suspected that the wet conditions were at least partly to blame. The shop specialised in tandems, so we swapped stories with the owner whilst he sorted everything out, and we were soon on our way past Rydal Water and Grasmere. It was a long but steady climb up Dunmail Raise towards Thirlmere, and in better weather it would have been lovely to take the more scenic road around the west side of the lake. Feeling damp and a little behind schedule though, we pushed on on the A591 to Keswick.
After Keswick we seemed to pick up the pace somehow, and soon found we were only two miles from Bassenthwaite, where we stopped for lunch at the Sun Inn. The landlady put us on the right road out of the village (with a warning that it was a bit hilly), and we really enjoyed an hour of dry weather, cycling through the forest on a tiny quiet track. There were some short steep sections in the climb to Caldbeck, but nothing seemed so bad after a good lunch and a warm in the pub. After a few miles largely free-wheeling along we descended into Hesket Newmarket, then up the other side through Sowerby Row and Ivegill on quiet back lanes, and we were soon passing under the M6 again. The wind had got up steadily, and the high-tension wires between the pylons were really howling as we passed underneath. A gentle climb with the wind at our backs took us to the A6, then we glided down into Armathwaite in the gloom. Henry gave us a great reception at the Duke’s Head, stored the tandem and helped us hang all our wet clothing in the boiler room. The dinner at the Duke’s Head was also great, and we would heartily recommend this place for touring cyclists, a lovely room and excellent value for money.