After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, Ann and Tim saw me off to Penrith. I was sad to say goodbye to them. They are very dear longtime friends and I enjoy every moment with them. 💕 I have been friends with Ann longer than anyone else. We met when we were 12 years old.

Saturday May 18th was a beautiful sunny day. My route started with a long, steep climb out of Sedbergh. My original plan for this day was to cycle through Tebay, Orton, and Temple Sowerby to Langwathby but I was invited to visit Stuart (I met in Devon also cycling LEJOG) and his wife Nicola just outside of Penrith, so I changed my route and instead followed another LEJOG route that criss crossed the M6 and took me through Shap. After arriving in Penrith, I headed west to Whitebarrow Vilage where Stuart and Nicola were staying for a week’s holiday. They live in Paisley, Scotland.

The climb out of Sedbergh was steep but beautiful and I stopped frequently to rest and take in the views. I was following National Cycle Network 68. This is classic Lake District landscape but because it’s not technically in the ‘Lake District’ it feels unspoiled, has fewer tourists, and less traffic 😀

After descending Howgill Fells, I crossed the River Lune on an old Roman bridge and started following the M6 north. Most of the time I was far enough away from the motorway that I didn’t hear the sound of traffic.

As I came into Shap I remembered a B&B I’d stayed in when I did the Coast to Coast walk with Ann. The proprietor was called Margaret and this was her house. I wondered if she were still there.

After passing through busy Penrith, I arrived at Stuart and Nicola’s holiday home around 5pm and was met with a very warm welcome. It had been a relatively hard day. I rode 39 miles and climbed 3,372 feet. I had a bath and drank a cup of tea then a beer. Nicola and Stuart cooked dinner for me and we had a lovely evening getting to know each other. I slept really well that night.