Days10 to 13

Day 10 Saturday started with a Bakery breakfast,  meeting up with Graham and Helena (again);  sadly Andrew and Heidi had a puncture and arrived just as we were going.  Alison rang a campsite in Richmond when she was told that we had to be there by 1700;  Alison had an appointment in Penrith at 1530 so it looked like I was going to have to get a move on;  I had planned to leave for 1100 and I was only a little late.Up over Hartside got the heart going and then it was head down, down the hill and through to Alston (walk up the cobbled hill it being their fair day) and through, eventually, to Middleton in Teesdale;  time being pressing I stopped just for a swig and banana here and then on again, Barnard Castle, Winston and Richmond, 3 miles out the other side and arrived for 1630;  I registered and Alison arrived a few minutes later, she having had her appointment cancelled.  The wind had helped me between Barnard Castle and Winston, otherwise it had not exactly been favourable. 63  miles average 12.8 mph.  Somewhere along the way the back wheel had started making a bump sound on every turn but it spun freely so I did not stop;  on arrival, proper check, I found that the tyre had bent out of shape so the rim was straight but it had a kink in the tyre;  I tried deflating and reflating the tyre but it would not go back to shape;  new tyre replaced it;  it had done over 2,000 miles and did not come off whenever it was I hit the pot hole (there were one or two). The evening was lovely meeting up with Hannah and Ed (just married)

Day 11 Sunday:  I expected this to be a bit of a push not least because of crossing the Penines again but  also there was a Southerly wind forecast, gale force.  I set off in practically still conditions and gradually the wind came up from the east;  first stop was Hawes where I was finishing my coffee when Alison arrived and had a coffee too.  The wind continued to help me over to Ingleton and even along to Caton near Lancaster;  flushed with the the ease I stopped for a soup (55 miles 13.6 mph);  I came out to find the sun still out but the wind had turned round and I was fighting straight into it. Whichever way I turned it greated me;  up to Quernmore, over the hill;  I did get off for a short while on a climb which made me feel pathetic as a bike suddenly appeared from behind me and he pushed on past;  I met him at the top and he said he had driven through to Lancaster and was waiting for his mate on a bike behind;  i.e. he was fresh and the other lad had not overtaken me;  you seek your solace where you can find it.  The road over to Ingleton had been closed, for cars, bikes were squeezing round;  Alison had waited for me there;  she had just got a text through that John Young had died that morning.  The evening was spent with my aunt, very pleasant catch up.  Back in the van Alison and I had our chats about where we went from there;  we did not know when the funeral was to be;  we both wanted to go;  I did not think I would want to go north and then come south again and try and pick up where we left off.
75 miles average 12.2

Day 12:   Monday;  very strong wind blowing from the south east.  I had not had a rest day so we thought we would treat this as one.  We went to see my cousin who always has a bright word then back to the van and cycle through to Garstang where we thought we would meet up with Penny and stay on her site for the night.  We finally met up in Garstang, not Alison's favourite place (she doesn't like getting lost), and set up the site and route to get there;  I went past as did Alison;  I found it first.  The wind had been strongly behind me (except when I overshot the site) all day.  We went to the pub with Penny;  she had wisely eaten before;  we had not;  it was Monday and they were not doing food;  crisps and left over chips from the pool game held the gap till we had cheese on toast back at the van.  By the time we came out of the pub it was pouring with rain and we went to sleep with the drumming on the roof.  I did not know whether I was going to carry on, there hardly seemed point in going south to come north again. 23 miles

Day 13:  Tuesday;  dawned clear and still;  dew on the grass;  birds singing;  Penny's hens clucking about;  Alison prepared scrambled eggs (Penny had given a box);  decided to press on south, but go directly south rather than via Yorkshire and Derbyshire.  I had not particularly wanted to cycle through industrial Lancashire but I set off and felt relieved to be going again.  Preston was a little interesting perhaps not least because I came out on the road I had planned to. It really was not at all bad until about St Helens;  by this time I was a little used to cycling in a cycle lane with a dual carriageway beside;  I wanted a cafe to stop and thought I had found one at BIllinge where I stopped (34 average 13.3) only to find that I could eat / drink my packet of soup and a bun at the table outside;  no loos, not much fun.  The day did not improve from there;  the roads got bigger and faster and the clouds came closer to the land;  the main part of the thunder storm had happened before I got the puncture;  I was wet through (not wanting to stop on the fast roads);  the lightening had appeared to be overhead and the thunder immediate.  I had a bit of glass in the front tyre and replaced the inner quite quickly, not aided  by my mutterings.  Back on the bike (the front tyre not as hard as usual with the little pump) and through to Widnes;  I stopped for a cup of tea here (they served full lunchs or just drinks) feeling somewhat overpowered by all the lanes of traffic and wet roads.  Alison had texted me that she had a site near Frodsham which lifted the day, it was just a few miles away.  I got lost in Runcorn (I think it was) but excellent directions including such things as 'you have to stay in the outside lane and just follow this through ...'.  fortunately there was a foot path over the river (2 bikes coming the other way, no pedestrians) and then I stuck pretty much to the plan.  The traffic had eased off a little and I got through to Frodsham unscathed.  I rang Alison from Frodsham to check where the site was and learned it was only another 8 miles.  Alison cycled back to join me and later went for another run. A fish and chip van was on the site until after 1915 (end of the Archers) so there was the food.  63.95 miles average 12.9 m.p.h.  For the present the plan  is to push on south;  Alison is coming back for the funeral on Friday.