4 days and 235.5 miles

‘It’s time for an adventure’, I thought to myself as I realised just how long it had been since I did something out of the norm. With the need to take some time off work, what could be better than to cycle over 230 miles. In fact it wasn't even my idea. My friend, Sam, took me by surprise when she casually suggested this challenge of travelling from Carlisle back to Shrewsbury by bicycle. I do a lot of cycling, I've cycled miles in the past, but Sam had only recently bought a road bike when I met her and since then we have done only a handful of cycle rides. Our longest ride being a trip to Lake Vyrnwy and back and it rained the entire way. Not even that dampened her enthusiasm. ‘It’s character building’ I said. Sam is a very determined woman and not a lot seems to phase her. I think I was more nervous about this mini adventure than she was.

Planning for this epic journey involved getting our bicycles road ready, pannier rack and bags fitted (which neither of us had ever used), accommodation booked, spares spokes purchased and a rough idea of the route. Deciding what to pack to travel as light as possible was a challenge in itself. We had 15 litres each to cram in all of our daily essentials, with Sam asking me if she needed to squeeze her bikini in for Blackpool’s glorious beach!

my little giant ready to go!

Sunday finally arrived, and after a last minute tyre changing emergency, we set off to catch the train up to Carlisle. The train was fairly busy and with limited space for bicycle storage it was first come first serve for space, and I was really surprised at the amount of people that were travelling with their two wheeled companion. It was nice to see. Nicer than seeing the fresh takeaway cup of coffee that I put down on the platform being the wrong side of the doors as the train slowly pulled away. At least our bikes were safely on.

The following day was the start of our journey back. I had pre-loaded the route for each days riding and tried to make sure we were off the main roads as much as possible. That plan soon went out of the window, when it was sending us via the canal paths and onto rough tracks. We stuck to it for a little while, but with the terrain very bumpy and more suitable for a hybrid style bike with some suspension, and with all of the people to dodge, our average speed was dropping. We cut back onto the main road, where we were onto faster rolling territory. The comfort and safety of the GPS doing the navigating came to an end on day one, only after a couple of hours. Sam and I were relying on road signs and good sense of direction to get to our destination each day. The device did however prove to be very useful once we were through the lakes.

The first day we covered over 70 miles. Surrounded by the beautiful landscape, we worked our way through the Lake District. Before even reaching Penrith, the knee injury I had weeks prior had started to cause me a lot of pain. With a perfectly located café in our sights, we had a coffee allowing me to rest my knee – again! The pannier weight along with my excruciating knee issue wasn't a good combination, and Sam took on the mammoth task of lugging the two seriously bloated red bags the entire distance.

Day 2 was upon us and with me fully dosed up on pain killers, we were ready to take on the journey from Burton in Kendal to Blackpool. Compared to the first day the mileage was a lot less. This was our ‘easy’ day in the saddle. It was a big contrast from the previous day where the roads were shaking the life out of us. These roads were smooth, we were gliding the tarmac with ease, and it felt as if we were riding downhill all the way to the beach. By mid-afternoon we were cycling along the sea front looking up at the dazzling lights smothering the tower. After being a tourist for the rest of the evening we must have walked at least 5 miles meandering around sapping the last of our energy for the day.

Day 3, and we didn't hang around. An early start was needed to leave the room which was nothing to be desired. Our next destination was Warrington, and was about 50 miles away. We were both starting to feel fitter, but worn out. Between breakfast, lunch and dinner, we were on a regular dose of jelly babies, wine gums and Haribo. Plenty of water and a pub stop for a refreshing ice cold orange and lemonade is what kept us hydrated.

Our last day was about 70 miles and we had some naughty hills to conquer. We powered on back to where it all started and enjoyed the last part of our venture, knowing that tomorrow would be back to normality.

For both of us, this was our first ever multi-day cycle ride, and with only 1 brief visit to a bicycle shop, a pannier bag malfunction, no punctures, no major mechanicals and only getting lost a few times, I think we did great, and I’m hoping this is only the beginning of many more adventures. After all, life would be boring if you didn't challenge yourself.