Hawes - Moffat

Miles 102.8 today
In 6hrs 45 mins burning 2813 Kcal climbing 4580ft

Miles total 769
In 56hrs 49mins burning 27300 Kcal climbing 36913ft
Most miles in a day : 106.2

When we got up this morning, there was little wind, but this grew over breakfast and by the time it came to leave it was back to its blustery self. I left into the wind, as it started to rain, and climbed out of Wensleydale. After 6 slow miles I turned north and up. The wind came in as a cross tail wind, and I hide behind the walls as I continued to climb up onto the watershed at 1200ft. Here we came to Cumbria in driving rain. The bee refused to be photographed on this sign. The rain was the sort where you can see the sheets of it hanging in the wind as it falls.

Down to Kirby Stephen, the rain reduced in intensity, and the wind remained behind me somewhere, as I headed onto Penrith and Carlisle. I went the wrong way in Penrith and nearly ended up doubling back on my self, following my sat nav route backwards. Just before Carlisle the rain increased in intensity and I was soaked through, but the wind was behind me and strong. My glasses misted up again so this time I threaded them upside down into the front of my helmet and rode on. I can now see, but not in focus too far in front. Still its better than the vague shapes I had otherwise.

I wasn’t keen on Carlisle. The centre was great, riding in the bus lanes, traffic miles away it seemed. I picked up the A road north, it was very busy, I crossed the motorway and was stuck on the A7 up to Longtown. I didn’t enjoy this. Longtown provided a cake shop. Back towards Gretna and Scotland.

I then had 28miles of the old A74, the M74 keeping me company as I crossed it every 6 or 7 miles. It looks great on paper but is mile after mile of boring tarmac. The fresh southerly wind was cross, cross tail, then for the last 15 miles tail. Again the rain came at me, in the cross wind it was the fast sideways moving drops that sting on bear skin and pings off a coat. The last 10 miles were torrential. The irony is that September is statistically the driest month of the year, not the monsoon season I have been having.

Sorry for the perfuntery style today. I am fatigued, and concentration not at it's best. Normal service will be resumed, just as soon as we establish what it normal.