An 80km cycle ride on a suddenly cooler, cloudy day.
Route: from the cottage heading to Hundith Hill Road, across the A66 and along the Embleton Road to the bridge over the River Derwent at the outflow of Bassenthwaite and climbing past Kilnhill, across the A591 and uphill towards Binsey. Turning right to descend past Over Water, turning right and then left onto the Cumbria Way and steeply climbing 2 x single chevrons to reach the moor road. Decending this at speed to Parkend and taking The Street over two significant inclines to Hesket Newmarket for a beer. Then via the lower of two alternatives - via Lonning Head - to Mosedale and Mungrisedale and then via the multiply-gated road to Scales to join the pavement cycle path (with its sudden unnervingly steep short incline before Threlkeld: just possible still on the bike) to the Threlkeld Coffee Shop for tea and scones. Then on minor roads via the Castlerigg Stone Circle to Keswick. Leaving Keswick up the road past The Pheasant pub and up to the roundabout to join and follow the east-of-lake road (A591), turning left not far past Mirehouse on the long, straight minor road towards St Bega's, and then taking a right back up again to re-cross the A591 and cycle into Bassenthwaite, arriving 10 minutes too early for the pub. Pressing on via North Row to the Castle Inn at Kilnhill but here failing to attract service at the bar (!) and so pressing on again to the Embleton Spa Hotel for our second beer on the terrace looking across to Sale Fell. Eventually back to Lorton via the Hundith Hill road.
Conditions: cloudy and cooler than previous days but still warm and sticky when cycling.
Pubs: the Old Crown, Hesket Newmarket, for Haystacks and Doris' 90th (Birthday Ale); the Embleton Spa Hotel for Cumbrian Legendary Ales Loweswater Gold.
