- Day's Distance: 80.85 Miles
- Total Distance: 540.23 Miles
- Time: 7 Hrs 12 Mins
- Average Speed: 11.2 Miles/Hr
- Max Speed: 41.0 Miles/Hr
- Punctures: 0
It started to pour down this morning and the tent will be wet when I put it up again.
I set off with the rain pouring but a full stomach after an extensive 'continental' breakfast (same as English breakfast but without the fry-up).
The rain gradually decreased and finally stopped as I rode through Lancaster. A city that reminded me a lot of Durham. Familiar places began to appear on the signs like 'Kendal' and 'Windermere'. The vast san/mud flats appeared briefly between houses.
I reached Kendal and had another impromptu lunch. I contacted Vaude who put me in touch with a shop in Carlisle who would be able to help with my tent pole. As I was finishing talking to Phil at 'Freetime' in Carlisle I noticed a strange man examining my bike quite closely. I walked up and gave a friendly but questioning "hello".
He turned out to be another LETJOG'er but had started out the previous Friday (three days after me!). Unfortunately he was now suffering from a strain injury on his achilles tendon. This meant he was now forced to take a rest day in an effort to recover. His route took in Blackpool as a detour and his Scottish route took him to Ardrossan where he would take a ferry across to Arran, round to Lochranza and another ferry across to Mull and on up to Loch Ness. A very beautiful route. He was being sponsored for Alzheimers and was very well organized in this respect, visiting local charity shops for publicity and to pick up high energy food bars - his only food between breakfast and evening meal.
Bidding farewell and good luck, I took the route to the A6 recommended by my new friend, supposedly missing out a huge hill on the A6 at Shap. I set off for Tebay, Orton and then Shap.
If it was flatter than the main route I'd be very suprised. It was damn hard work! One strange part was when the minor road ran between the two carriageways of the M6!
Penrith was awful to cycle through, the one way system takes you up a very steep hill only to come straight back down again. I headed for the camp-site which was shown just outside Penrith. There was no sign of it, but there was another marked just a few miles down the road. When I got there all I found was an overgrown field and a few rusty, tattered old caravans. I could see no other likely places so I headed for a proper bed in Carlisle. The roads seemed strangely quiet and it was only when I finally reached Carlisle and saw the big St. Georges flags outside the pubs that I realised today was the Euro 96 semi-final; England v. Germany and it seemed I was the only person in the country not watching it.
I stopped at the first likely looking place and got a room and a decent evening meal. A final phone call to María who leaves for Spain tomorrow and then to bed.
Day 9 route (approximate)
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