Lancashire and Cumbria group – June Ride: A Visit to North Cumbria

After 4 weeks of dry weather, we were keeping our fingers crossed that the threatened storms forecast for the west of the country didn’t materialise on our first visit to the north of our region for 12 months.  We needn’t have worried as we were rewarded with warm and sunny weather, after a bit of a gloomy start.

We had four tandems and a couple of solos on our ride this month.  We welcomed back John, from the Southern Scotland Group, this time on his solo, as we adjoin his group geographically.

We set off from Greystoke, initially following the Lakes and Dales Cycle Loop (LDL), a 196 mile loop of Cumbria and the Yorkshire Dales.  Their web site is worth checking out with 6 tour options to choose from, from the ultimate 24-hour challenge to a more leisurely 6 day tour (https://www.lakesdalesloop.co.uk/).  We ‘dipped in and out’ of the LDL as far as our coffee stop at The Watermill in Caldbeck.  The lanes we cycled along were generally traffic free and this initial section gave us spectacular views across to Blencathra to the west of us as we skirted Greystoke Forest.

We finally left the LDL: at Caldbeck, heading north, (up the hill!) out of the village towards Priests Howe.  It was here we stopped for a much needed breather to look across the Solway coast into Southern Scotland, an area our group had only visited in May for our weekend away.  We were rewarded with some glorious descents as we made our way north to Dalston.  Some of the group picnicked in the village, while others popped to the local garden centre.

It was pointed out to me (no names being mentioned) that Greystoke is close to 700 feet above sea level, and Dalston is less than 150 feet above sea level, which meant an uphill afternoon ride.  In the heat!  However, the gradients were kinder in the afternoon as we followed NCN Route 7, which runs between Sunderland and Inverness on its 540 miles length (https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/route-7).  Generally I find that if we follow a Sustrans route it is a) suitable for tandems, and b) it follows quiet lanes.  It was getting warm by this stage of the afternoon so we departed from NCN Route 7 just before Unthank to visit the Upfront Gallery and Tea Room.  An oasis in the team’s view, even though we had only 4 miles from there back to Greystoke.

After the refreshment stop, we cycled leisurely back to the start after a war, but very enjoyable 42 miles in north Cumbria.

Stephen and Jeanette Webb