1993 Biking Britain

England

After Deadwater Farm I cycled via Kielder Water and Bellingham, past Hadrian’s Wall to the Once-brewed Youth Hostel at Twice Brewed. From there west via Brampton and Penrith and Appleby to the Yorkshire Dales, Through Hawes and Aysgarth and Ilkley to Bradford. South again via ugly Sheffield to Chesterfield; then west to lovely Chester. And almost due south from there via Shrewsbury and Ludlow and Hereford to the Welsh border north of Monmouth. Back into England over the River Severn bridge, and through Bristol to Bath. West then via Cheddar Gorge to Devon’s north coast at Minehead. And southwest through Lynmouth and Barnstaple and Kilkhampton and Camelford and Redruth to Land’s End.

Just beyond Kielder my way was blocked by a farmer and his two sheepdogs herding sheep from one field via the road to the neighbouring field. One of the sheepdogs was excessively friendly and spent more time saying hello to me than doing her job – much to hr dour master’s disgust.

By the time I reached tiny Lazonby I had done more than I could cope with on that day. Unfortunately there was no accommodation to be had – until I was offered a bed by an hotelier, new to the business and not yet prepared for guests. I was allowed to use their bathroom and their phone (to do an ET – “phone home”), and was made to feel most welcome.

The Yorkshire Dales (valleys) are beautiful. Green and narrow and dotted with lovely stone villages. During a tea break in an ancient hotel here, I met a woman and her son. The son now lives in Canada and has cycled all the way across Canada and down the west coast of the USA to Mexico – averaging 100 miles per day!