Seven Tandems and two solos set out from Askham village car park to complete the "Penrith Orbital", a ride invented by Yours Truly to encircle Penrith without actually going there.

From Askham an uphill start was made over the Celleron road and down to Pooley Bridge where the café for elevenses was seen to have a 50 yard queue.  200 yards further on the Ullswater Steamer Pier was found to serve the much needed coffee and its seating area provided us with an idyllic view of Ullswater.  Alongside the lake then up, and up, with plenty of drink stops over the hills to cross the busy A66 then downhill at last to, and straight through, the pretty village of Greystoke.

Cycling on through Blencow on easier roads to the oddly named Unthank and on to the Pot Place at Plumpton for lunch at noon.  We were treated to yet another hill as we cycled via Salkeld Dykes, then a brief walk with our bikes over Langwathby Bridge which is closed to motor traffic for repairs.  Incidentally this bridge is in the Guinness Book of Records for being the world’s oldest temporary bridge, built 1968. 

An unscheduled stop at Langwathby shop was made for more liquid refreshment then up the hottest hill of the day (full sun and 29°C) to Culgaith and on, almost, to Temple Sowerby.  After passing under the new A66 Temple Sowerby bypass a beast of a hill, thankfully mostly under the shade of trees, took us over to Cliburn (another drink stop - I did warn it was hilly!) and on to the ice cream shop/café at Melkinthorpe where their products were devoured with more gusto than good manners!  On through Lowther Estate, down to the River Lowther and up the last hill to Askham car park.

40 hot miles completed; here’s to the next ride!

Peter Koch-Osborne