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Michael Robinson's C2C

Anticipation - it's not to be overlooked - they say its half the fun! In planning most of the arrangements we got particularly excited and keen for the 'holiday' to come around. It sounded great in the brochure. It all came together remarkably easily and all of a sudden we were all committed and raring to go. Jon maintains - to this day - that he was tricked into buying bikes at Reads when his guard was down, but I put it down to keen Kate.

Anyway we were all bike bound and ready bar priming our tools for the big occasion. I think we probably packed our pouches too much in the tool department but it always pays to be prepared and as a result we could accommodate most things that came at us.

The journey to Whitehaven - Eventually we got packed and left about tea-time after work. The A1 was an absolute bugger and we couldn't wait to feel the open air on our faces - to 'become one with our bicycles' as a great philosopher once put it. We'd picked a great time to do the run as a mini heat wave had just started - bit of a blocking anti-cyclone over Scandinavia type scenario. Anyway, suffice to say there was a good healthy build up of buttock sweat by the time we reached the Little Chef at Burley in Wharfedale. It's funny when you're starving how other people's food always looks more appetising than what you've ordered! Jon had a right plate-full. I think that chocolate pancake is still going down even now!

Wow! What a fantastic sunset driving through the Lake District. Beautiful. All of a sudden it was pretty late and we still had a mile or two to go. At last we arrived at Glenlea Guest House around tenish to be greeted by the Suttons. Lovely welcome, canny drop of Nuki Brown and a nice room. Time to dream about low-cut tops on the C2C.

Day One : (Lowca) Whitehaven to Dockray.

Down for breakfast and full of excitement. The whole trip was before us and the weather was great. As we packed up our bikes we got chatting to two girls who had just finished the C2C the day before and were really enthusiastic about it. Group photographs were taken and we rode on out of Glenlea towards the official start in Whitehaven. The tide was out unfortunately.

Eventually we got to the start at about 10.30 am. So much for an early departure. Lots of Newcastle United tops on the market stalls through the town. We picked up the old railway line towards Cleator Moor where we got our first stamping of the C2C map. We also met up with three other C2C'ers who seemed to ride off quickly then get overtaken by us every so often. They were the hares and we were the tortoises!

I remember having more ups and downs in such a short space of time than the proverbial hussy's draws! Loweswater was a definite up point though. Beautiful scenery, lovely weather and we hadn't argued once. It all seemed to be going so well - easy almost. Eileen put on her best 'little girl lost' face to persuade the shopkeeper at High Lorton to open up and fill our water bottles. It was so hot that we really went through the fluids. The lolly-pops went down a treat.

It wasn't long before we hit our low point getting up to a high point - if you follow. The climb up towards Whinlatter Pass was a real killer - especially seeing 3 chaps cycling past us as we pushed. At least we were rewarded with a great view although the Solway Firth was not visible through the hazy atmosphere.

Off road now through the forest trail and the lack of training was starting to show a bit. We dug deep and made Grizedale Forest visitor centre for a 3 o'clock lunch. As I went back to help Kate with her bike I realised my legs resembled jelly! This was after only 27 miles or so. Oh dear. But Ma Larkin had done us proud with our snap. Triple deckers, wagon wheels and oranges. We all felt a lot better once we'd eaten.

I don't know if it was an omen or what, but a bird had decided to use my saddle as target practice which baked solid in the sun. I had sugar in my tea from the café for the first time in years. It tasted wonderful, but don't tell Jon.

An hour or so later and we were raring to go. Oh, I lie! On riding out of the centre a local resident blew the fuse she had been testing all summer with cyclists passing by their house. It was a good laugh and stirred our loins. My loins in particular were in need of a good stir as they had been killing me for some strange reason.

Wow, speedy descent down towards Keswick. Smell that rubber on the hot rims! (No this is not a sexual euphemism). We were all high again. The ride into Keswick was really lovely. We had made the second stamping point and met up with the hares again. We felt good when we realised that one of them had actually fallen off - professional looking and all. Fortunately it was only to offset her wallet and not her health through a small wager. Unfortunately this turned out to be the last time we came across them until Seaburn Leisure Centre.

Heading down to Keswick

We were on to map 3 now and feeling ok although it was beginning to get late. I realised where the snot-green was coming from on my t-shirt. The map was melting onto it in the heat and sweat of my pulsating torso! As we pushed our bikes up what we believed to be the route out of Keswick Jon put us all into our first major laughing fit. It really drained us whilst pushing. If Eileen though that was tricky she hadn't bargained for the steps which followed! Never mind, we made it and joined a lovely path by the River Greta towards St. John's in the Vale where we were to re-join our planned route. At least we had skived off the Castlerigg climb out of Keswick (not deliberately). By 6.30pm we had reached the bottom of the infamous Old Coach Road (AKA OCR). Five miles to go to Dockray and our first nights stop en-route at the Royal Hotel.

The guide explained it as rough for the first mile or so and 1:5 or more. It was certainly right for the first bit but not the rest. Just when you thought the worst was over you turned the corner to see the 'road' stretching out ahead. Having got to what we believed was the 'summit' and more level ground we took in the wonderful views and drank deep. However, what was to come really tested our knowledge of the expletive and made us thankful for the supply of energy tablets. I don't think we would have made it without them.

The track became extremely rutted and unrideable as the sun began to dip below the mountains. Ohn poo! I was seriously beginning to imagine Sheila reading from the 1996/97 mountain rescue book about six C2C riders at this point. I realised afterwards that it should also have put me in mind of the Lord of the Rings trilogy - Jon will understand - but I never thought of it at the time.

It was getting worryingly late and Celia and I made a break for Dockray and any four-wheel drive vehicles which may have been available to help the others! In a perverse way I actually started to enjoy riding on the track as we came nearer and nearer the mettled road and the descent into Dockray. Eventually we arrived at the Royal Hotel at 8.30pm only to learn that food was no longer available after 9.00pm. Just as we were getting really worried about the others Kate and Jon came in 10 minutes later with Eileen and Andy not too far behind. Thank goodness! Although the food was lovely I didn't really have the energy to digest it. The waitress gave us a lesson in napkin folding and nearly died of embarrassment as we showed our appreciation.

This was definitely the lowest point. We were all knackered and Kate was really poorly with her lungs. Celia and I were really worried about her but we didn't tell her in case she thought she could get out of completing the C2C!! Ha, ha.

Eventually we drop off to sleep whilst watching a dodgy French film with no story. It seemed to be about the weather?

Day 2 : Dockray to Garrigill.

Woke in the morning (as you do) feeling pretty stiff in the groin region! Was I going to make it any further without some sort of a truss? Anyway, breakfast was really lovely that morning. We all had more energy to actually eat it now - and the marmalade was superb! I think we all felt a lot better after eating and we reached a decision to at least cycle on to Penrith where we would see how Kate was feeling.

It was a shame we didn't manage to get to Dockray early since it was such a lovely place and it would have been wonderful to enjoy a beer in the garden. We had good memories of the hotel anyway. Sunday was red hot again and the climb out of Dockray was a bit of a killer. But after that we had a superb free-wheel down to Troutbeck. I believe it was I who pioneered the aerodynamical bullet position at this stage to maximise the benefit of gravity.

Once we got off the main road we all stopped for a break to enjoy our first major 'high' of the day. In fact we felt so good we celebrated by getting out the cool tool and making some professional-looking adjustments. Wow! What a team! There were some lovely long, quiet down-hill rides towards Penrith and that was just what we needed after the infamous OCR. A particular boost for Katie I think?

Andy and I rode into Greystokes with me practising my Tarzan impression to the amusement of some locals in their garden - well, we disturbed them anyway. At Laithes, we stopped for Andy to take a group photo for some people and we ended up having an interesting chat to a local chap who suggested we should finish it in a day once at Garrigill - dream on! Anyway, it put us on another high talking to someone so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the OCR!

We made Penrith in pretty good time - 12.30ish I think which gave us a boost. Thankfully Kate felt well enough to go on after we'd stopped for a drinks break. On the way out of Penrith, the Sutt's stopped off somewhere - mysteriously. Wonder what that was about? Pushing our bikes up Fell Lane, Eileen fell over - ha, ha, ha. Sorry Eileen but you also laugh at other peoples misfortunes! This was a deceptively steep hill actually and Andy and myself took it in turn to help push Kate's bike for her so she didn't get really bad again Once at the top, the views were good and after a further drinks break - it was stonking hot - we rode on to Langwathby where we stopped for lunch on the village green. Wow, we're onto map 4 now! This was a really pleasant break finished off with tea from the local pub.

A little way further and we could see the radio mast in the distance which we had to climb nearby to reach Hartside top. "Phew, doesn't it look challenging", said Jon, or words to that effect. We decided it would probably be a good idea to alter the route slightly to avoid any possible further OCR-type nonsense. This meant a stonking climb the other side of Gamblesby.

Feeling like an elephant on heat having had another bottle of Lucozade, I offered to help Kate by coming back and riding her bike up the hill. Having such power and thrust to burn I rather over-did it and caused her pannier bag to wrench at a spoke in the back wheel. Poow! Our first majorish, running repairs. We got sorted and pushed on again towards the A686.

The A686 was busy-ish but quite rideable overall and Kate also made good progress. The fresher air seemed to be helping as we climbed towards the 2000ft mark. We took notice of the steep grassy path which we would have come up on the C2C proper route - thank goodness we avoided that! After a final push up to the top we stopped for tea and cake at Hartside Café. A definite high this time! It was at this point that we met our second companions - a couple who were camping en-route - silly buggers! This was a real landmark. Although we weren't half way or out of Cumbria yet, we were about to cross the east/west watershed - that must count for something?

Once we set off again, it was a great long descent - 3 miles - to Leadgate. The sun had gone behind the clouds and with not having to cycle it was actually quite chilly for the first time since before we left. The only problem on the descent was the odd kamikaze sheep which threatened to have you off your bike. The last hill down into Leadgate was particularly steep and it was tricky slowing down enough before the junction. The other two cyclists passed us at this stage.

However, these descents had lulled us into a false sense of security - we had one or two testing climbs at the end of a hard day before we pulled into Garrigill just before our landlady went out to take the dogs for a walk. We were all sharing the bathroom so it was a quick in and out job in time for dinner next door at the George pub. We ended up having laughing fits in the pub. Kate appeared to be suffocating as Eileen got more and more out of control - I don't think she'd even had a coffee? Perhaps she did at Hartside upon reflection? Anyway I had some lovely fish and chips which, upon delivery one or two ended up falling into my lap. It was a mistake to ask, "Are you chucking them at me?" as she replied "Yes" and tossed one straight at my face. Sarky devil! Halfway through our meal, our two companions walked in, desperate for a bath - we really felt sorry for them. Ha, ha, ha. Mind you, our B&B was rather like Rigsby's place on Rising Damp. The Sutt's liked it but I think the Robbo's and Pickett's are getting a bit snobby in their old age? It was certainly an experience to be missed when Jon and I were in the bathroom brushing our teeth with Andy sat on the throne! I also experienced one of Eileen's special yuletide log shits and could I flush it away? No!

Day 3 : Garrigill to Castleside.

This turned out to be my best cycling day - although it didn't feel like it pushing up a 1.5 out of Garrigill. The hill seemed to go on forever and the sausages we had for breakfast were lying heavy! We pushed past our companion friends again who had stopped part way up the hill for a morning fry-up. Smelt good! The hill was an absolute bugger first thing in the morning and both Andy and myself were commenting on the weakness of our legs. Mind you, I think he had a better excuse having serviced Eileen the night before. Is nothing sacred? No... not even brushing your teeth in private!

After another drinks break, not, Jon suddenly found his turbo thrust with a ride of astonishing ability. "Morning,... Sea to Sea," he greeted us as he proudly rode by. Possibly quote of the holiday. This hill literally turned out to be a straight-up and straight-down job as we suddenly descended into Nenthead. Wow, smell that burning rubber. Our break blocks took a real pounding and my rims were red hot once we reached the bottom. I had to keep mounting the grass verge to help slow me down! That was the only mounting I did all holiday (en-route).

Nenthead - third map stamping and we were making good progress. It was a bit disheartening though having to climb straight back up again out of Nenthead. We had to push up the main road until the side road for Allenheads was reached. This was a hard but enjoyable climb. I was starting to feel really good now. Might have something to do with the Lucozade drinks? (And the bottle of uppers!). Andy and myself got ahead at this point, to the highest point en-route - 609m above sea level - at Black Hill on the Cumbrian/Northumberland border. Photograph time. For me, this was the most enjoyable part of the ride. It was great. It had everything - stiff climbs and long descents as well as steady level bits. It was lovely and peaceful and the weather was super. The geography of the area had such a good feel about it. Lush and green but rugged and interesting.

We met up with our companions again at Allenheads after they had passed us earlier. We stopped-off for elevenses - at one-ish!. Allenheads is a lovely Northumberland village with a cracking tea shop and heritage centre. The people were really nice and friendly, filling up our water bottles again.

After our break it was a steep hard climb out of Allenheads. This was my joker - I rode all the way up, got thoroughly hot, sweaty and began to pulsate. I think I got 'the burn.' We were rewarded with the Northumberland/Durham border and great views at the top. This meant our third county of the day and turning onto map 5 in the guide. Once again, following a steady ride we got a sweet down hill into Rookhope where we intended stopping for lunch! We rode parallel to an adjacent stream which, from previous flood activity, you could imagine how impressive it would look in spate. It was good to chat to a fellow cyclist again. This time he was warning us of the incline plane route up out of Rookhope. Great! OCR revisited? After yet another food break we set off and almost by chance decided to stick with the proper route and go for the incline plane. Eileen, bless her, had done a quick reckie and we had all but decided against it when Kate - desperate to finish I think - said lets go for it.

We were all glad we did. Most of it was rideable and much more interesting than being on tarmac all of the time. Again we helped Kate up to make sure she didn't have any relapse! The ruins at the top were quite sort of emotive really. Glad we did that route. As we pressed on, we realised that we had the prevailing westerly wind behind us which literally blew us along - practically all the way to Castleside. This was a mega 'up' period for us all. Great fun with the odd bumpy bit.

Once we got back on the road, I got a fantastic descent towards the Waskerly Way, with the Derwent Reservoir on out left and the Waskerly on our right. In fact I got so fast in the bullet position that I actually got a bit scared! I'm sure I set my personal best for speed here. We had a little bit of bad luck when JP skidded on the inappropriate dry ash but fortunately he (and bike) was ok.

We arrived at Bee Cottage in good time that night which was superb with an excellent warm welcome. Afternoon tea in the lounge was what we had dreamt of from the start for each of our day ends! The food was brilliant and the waitress told us a few inside stories about Andy Cole and Sunderland - who she supported! Eileen befriended a young boy on holiday with his mother, promising to go and see him back home in Bingham. Have you been yet Eileen? I thought it had been too good a day for me - the pull cord came off in my hand in the toilet! We all fell asleep to a fantastic thunderstorm.

Day 4 : Castleside to Seaburn.

This was by total contrast to the previous day, a bit of a let down. The route was very straightforward and level - down to the sea - hyphenated only by our surprise arrival on the Howgill Viaduct shortly after Castleside. It was obviously an extremely impressive Victorian structure which was difficult to appreciate when we were actually on top of it. Nevertheless it was certainly high!

We stopped off in Stanley to chat to some really friendly people who offered teas to C to Cers on Sundays - shame it was Tuesday. Oh, and silly me, I forgot to mention this was my birthday! At breakfast Eileen and Andy gave me a great surprise pressie - a sculptured bike made from nuts and bolts - brilliant. I think this was the reason they mysteriously disappeared in Penrith!

At Consett we got our map stamped for the penultimate time in Safeways Supermarket. Sunderland was dreadful. Now I know I'm biased but it was full of glass and rude, ignorant people! The route was really annoying too - taking us down and under the Wear Bridge only to come back up a cobbled track! I did enjoy the zig-zag through the garden path though.

Seaburn wasn't too bad and we picked a nice stopping point for lunch facing the sea. It was really busy with holiday makers because it was so hot and sunny. We got our final stamping in the leisure centre - where we saw our 3 companions from earlier entered in the visitors book!

The Suttons set off first to catch the train to Carlisle and the Robbos and Picketts followed an hour later when we met up again - successfully getting ourselves and our bikes back to Whitehaven. Once we'd changed at Glenlea we went out for a lovely meal at a local pub to celebrate my birthday. Kate - being totally hammered by now - fell over on the way back to the B & B, scraping her foot and her knee - the first casualty all route!!

By the next day and home time, the weather had broken so we felt really lucky. We had a good stop at Kirkstone Galleries for a quick bite to eat (again!) and decided it would make a brilliant family business. Love the setting.

That's all folks!