After riding up Shap yesterday, I really could do with a rest day today. I'm tired, and my knees ache. However, a rest day isn't in our schedule at this point.
We have a big breakfast and since the landlady supplies packed lunches for a reasonable price, we take up the offer, and are soon on our way to Penrith, about 10 miles away.
"That will be the perfect place for you to have your cappuccino," says Reg. "We'll have got the first 10 miles behind us."
Sheila's sent me an email congratulating us for getting up Shap. She well remembers Shap from her walking days in that area. She used to stay with her Aunt in Penrith, and often visited Carlisle, where we are heading today.
There are a few hills today, but they are short and mostly not too steep, and there's lots of downhill riding. We're soon in Penrith, which we find to be a bustling little place, with severe traffic problems - lots of cars queuing everywhere. Down a side street, near to St Andrews (I think Anglican} church, I spot a tea shop. The board outside advertises speciality teas and coffees, so I'm guessing they'll do
a green tea with a slice of lemon for Reg.
It's very "twee" and quaint inside the tea shop, There are embroidered table cloths and pretty floral cups (for tea) and thick white ones (for cappuccino). My coffee is good, and Reg is pleased because he has real green tea leaves instead of a tea bag.
As we walk our bikes back into the "square" or centre of Penrith I spot a Sony shop. We need batteries for the Bluetooth keyboard. I notice a sign in the window which says,"WE FIX COMPUTERS".
We've had great difficulty connecting to the internet, and therefore posting the blog, from the notebook computer, which is the easiest one to use. I can use the Ipad with the Bluetooth keyboard, but it's a laborious process, because the keys have to be pressed down really hard. What's more the Ipad only let's you write a certain amount. Reg is very good with computers, but so far this problem has defeated him - also, he hasn't really had the time to look into it.
Reg is in the computer shop for ages. I'm waiting outside, in charge of the bikes. A man approaches me with a friendly smile and asks, pointing to my bike,
"Where did you get that bike? I can tell it's a good one. And very unusual. The cross bar's been taken off."
I'm always happy to talk about my lovely bike. I explain that it belonged to Jack Cotton, a prominent member of the Cyclists' Touring Club in Bristol. As he got older he thought it would be a good idea to remove the crossbar, obviously so that he could get on it more easily. He must've loved this bike to go to all that trouble - why not just get a new bike? When he died, his wife was looking for a good home for the bike, and Reg Porter. a friend of ours, knew I was looking for a bike. It was fate. My husband Reg fitted French handlebars, Shimano gears, new brakes, and a Brooks leather saddle. And I've loved the bike ever since.
The man chatting to me tells me he has 5 bikes, and loves to go cycling, even though he's had 2 stents put in and can't walk far - but he can still cycle. I said he's a bit like me - give me cycling over walking, any day.
Finally Reg emerges from the computer shop.
"You were a long time," I say, hopefully. "Was the man able to help?"
"Yes," says Reg. "I think I know what to do now. The problem is almost certainly to do with the router address. The computer is only set for one router address instead of being able to adapt to any address. I should be able to sort it,"
This fills me with hope.
We're soon on our way towards Carlisle; we've done 10 miles and have 26 miles to go. It's all B roads and country lanes today and most of the road surfaces are really good. When we've cycled about 18 miles we come to the lovely little village of Skelton. We decide to stop for lunch,as we spot a building which looks like a bus shelter, only bigger. There is seating inside, and even a "Sun" newspaper in a plastic case (I didn't check the date on it). It is threatening rain so at least we'll be able to have our lunch in the dry.
As we eat our lunch tractors intermittently rumble past at a fair old rate. We take a photo for Arlie.
It starts raining heavily, so we don our waterproofs. The early part of our afternoon ride involves descending steep hills and then seeing how far you can get up the short steep hill on the other side. Early on in this process, I race down the steep hill, but haven't put my bike in a low enough gear to climb up the other side. Reg is ahead of me on this occasion, which is unusual, as he normally rides behind me.
I fall off my bike, and my bike and I are lost in the undergrowth. I lie there unable to get up, with my bike beside me. Meanwhile, Reg looks around and thinks, "Where's Les?"
Fortunately it's very soft foliage and both my bike and myself are unhurt. Reg walks my bike up the rest of the hill, and by grabbing some long grass, I'm able to pull myself up into a kneeling position, and so eventually stand up. We're soon on our way, with only bruised pride on my part and grass sticking out from the mudguards.
We are very wet, but as we eventually approach Carlisle, it stops raining. As we cycle through Carlisle, we go past Dixon's Chimney and Shaddon Mill, now a listed building. In its day, it was the largest cotton mill, and 8th largest chimney in the world.
We arrive at our little hotel, and are asked to take our bikes around the back, where we can put them in an outbuilding, along with the bikes from other residents. We meet them later and discover that they've just finished a 600 mile journey, which included cycling around Ireland. They are even older than us, I think!
When we get to our room, I unpack all my stuff, as my panniers are soaking wet. The things inside are mostly dry, thanks to the plastic bags. Reg immediately gets the notebook computer out, looks at the wifi code, fiddles around for a few minutes, and says, "It's working!" Perhaps I'll be able to post the blog more easily from now on, using the notebook computer. Reg has cycling data he wants to upload, too.
We both feel chilly, and have a hot shower and a cuppa, plus a rest! There's an Indian curry house across the road, which is recommended by the hotel receptionist. We enjoy a chicken biryani.
We have a big breakfast and since the landlady supplies packed lunches for a reasonable price, we take up the offer, and are soon on our way to Penrith, about 10 miles away.
"That will be the perfect place for you to have your cappuccino," says Reg. "We'll have got the first 10 miles behind us."
Sheila's sent me an email congratulating us for getting up Shap. She well remembers Shap from her walking days in that area. She used to stay with her Aunt in Penrith, and often visited Carlisle, where we are heading today.
There are a few hills today, but they are short and mostly not too steep, and there's lots of downhill riding. We're soon in Penrith, which we find to be a bustling little place, with severe traffic problems - lots of cars queuing everywhere. Down a side street, near to St Andrews (I think Anglican} church, I spot a tea shop. The board outside advertises speciality teas and coffees, so I'm guessing they'll do
a green tea with a slice of lemon for Reg.
It's very "twee" and quaint inside the tea shop, There are embroidered table cloths and pretty floral cups (for tea) and thick white ones (for cappuccino). My coffee is good, and Reg is pleased because he has real green tea leaves instead of a tea bag.
As we walk our bikes back into the "square" or centre of Penrith I spot a Sony shop. We need batteries for the Bluetooth keyboard. I notice a sign in the window which says,"WE FIX COMPUTERS".
We've had great difficulty connecting to the internet, and therefore posting the blog, from the notebook computer, which is the easiest one to use. I can use the Ipad with the Bluetooth keyboard, but it's a laborious process, because the keys have to be pressed down really hard. What's more the Ipad only let's you write a certain amount. Reg is very good with computers, but so far this problem has defeated him - also, he hasn't really had the time to look into it.
Reg is in the computer shop for ages. I'm waiting outside, in charge of the bikes. A man approaches me with a friendly smile and asks, pointing to my bike,
"Where did you get that bike? I can tell it's a good one. And very unusual. The cross bar's been taken off."
I'm always happy to talk about my lovely bike. I explain that it belonged to Jack Cotton, a prominent member of the Cyclists' Touring Club in Bristol. As he got older he thought it would be a good idea to remove the crossbar, obviously so that he could get on it more easily. He must've loved this bike to go to all that trouble - why not just get a new bike? When he died, his wife was looking for a good home for the bike, and Reg Porter. a friend of ours, knew I was looking for a bike. It was fate. My husband Reg fitted French handlebars, Shimano gears, new brakes, and a Brooks leather saddle. And I've loved the bike ever since.
The man chatting to me tells me he has 5 bikes, and loves to go cycling, even though he's had 2 stents put in and can't walk far - but he can still cycle. I said he's a bit like me - give me cycling over walking, any day.
Finally Reg emerges from the computer shop.
"You were a long time," I say, hopefully. "Was the man able to help?"
"Yes," says Reg. "I think I know what to do now. The problem is almost certainly to do with the router address. The computer is only set for one router address instead of being able to adapt to any address. I should be able to sort it,"
This fills me with hope.
We're soon on our way towards Carlisle; we've done 10 miles and have 26 miles to go. It's all B roads and country lanes today and most of the road surfaces are really good. When we've cycled about 18 miles we come to the lovely little village of Skelton. We decide to stop for lunch,as we spot a building which looks like a bus shelter, only bigger. There is seating inside, and even a "Sun" newspaper in a plastic case (I didn't check the date on it). It is threatening rain so at least we'll be able to have our lunch in the dry.
As we eat our lunch tractors intermittently rumble past at a fair old rate. We take a photo for Arlie.
It starts raining heavily, so we don our waterproofs. The early part of our afternoon ride involves descending steep hills and then seeing how far you can get up the short steep hill on the other side. Early on in this process, I race down the steep hill, but haven't put my bike in a low enough gear to climb up the other side. Reg is ahead of me on this occasion, which is unusual, as he normally rides behind me.
I fall off my bike, and my bike and I are lost in the undergrowth. I lie there unable to get up, with my bike beside me. Meanwhile, Reg looks around and thinks, "Where's Les?"
Fortunately it's very soft foliage and both my bike and myself are unhurt. Reg walks my bike up the rest of the hill, and by grabbing some long grass, I'm able to pull myself up into a kneeling position, and so eventually stand up. We're soon on our way, with only bruised pride on my part and grass sticking out from the mudguards.
We are very wet, but as we eventually approach Carlisle, it stops raining. As we cycle through Carlisle, we go past Dixon's Chimney and Shaddon Mill, now a listed building. In its day, it was the largest cotton mill, and 8th largest chimney in the world.
We arrive at our little hotel, and are asked to take our bikes around the back, where we can put them in an outbuilding, along with the bikes from other residents. We meet them later and discover that they've just finished a 600 mile journey, which included cycling around Ireland. They are even older than us, I think!
When we get to our room, I unpack all my stuff, as my panniers are soaking wet. The things inside are mostly dry, thanks to the plastic bags. Reg immediately gets the notebook computer out, looks at the wifi code, fiddles around for a few minutes, and says, "It's working!" Perhaps I'll be able to post the blog more easily from now on, using the notebook computer. Reg has cycling data he wants to upload, too.
We both feel chilly, and have a hot shower and a cuppa, plus a rest! There's an Indian curry house across the road, which is recommended by the hotel receptionist. We enjoy a chicken biryani.
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