LEJOG Blog

This morning was marred by the disappearance of the Cateye cycle computer. We searched everywhere we could think of and I have to conclude that I must have left it behind on the wall near Clitheroe Castle when we dismantled the bike, so today's precise mileage remains unrecorded, as does the top speed.

Today was very hard work. We were late arriving in Clitheroe to pick up where we left off yesterday and the eight miles Slaidburn took us two hours. I found it hard to get going. The weather was unseasonally hot and everything was a great struggle.

We finally reached Slaidburn at about 12:10 and found the café where we should have met ONB, a fellow ACFer, but although there were plenty of cyclists and motorcyclists on the road and at the café, no-one introduced himself to a pair of weary tandemists.

Jan was very pleased with her selection of roast beef sandwiches and I chose beans on toast. We sat outside the café for around an hour, taking a few photographs and chatting to some motorcyclists who looked at us as though we were mad when I said we were heading for Sedburgh.

Suitably fortified, we set off for the wilderness. This was one of the most worrying days from the point of view of planning this trip. I was worried that the road above Slaidburn would be blocked with snow - an unfounded fear as I doubt that the route we took has had a warmer April day in the past 50 years. I told Jan that I thought that the twelve miles from Slaidburn to Higher Bentham would take us three hours.

It was a very interesting ride, with plenty to see. I am quite surprised how many wading birds which I see in large numbers in the Thames Estuary seem quite at home in the hills. We frequently saw and heard curlews and were treated to some fine aerobatics by a lapwing, which dived around above our heads giving its plaintive 'peewit' cry. What impressed me most was the noise of its wingbeats - a surprisingly loud 'whoomph, whoomph, whoomph'. Later, we saw some oystercatchers, but we heard them before we saw them.

Perhaps the most interesting and unusual bird we saw was - well I don't actually know what it was. It had a white rump and I would have said it was a wheatear - except that it had far more black plumage than any wheatear I have ever seen.

Curiously, we saw no predatory birds at all today. On every other day, we have seen buzzards, a few kestrels, and an occasional sparrowhawk. Today, in country I would have thought would have been ideal buzzard territory, not a thing.

We reached the high point of the ride, indeed, the entire tour, sometime after 3pm and had some sandwiches and flapjack at 427m above sea level. Thereafter, we hurtled down the hill towards High Bentham, arriving ten minutes inside my three hour prediction.

It is remarkable how a small success like this can put a spring into the pedal-stroke. We headed west along the B-road and dived into the Punchbowl in Low Bentham, which claimed to be the first and last pub in Yorkshire. A group of locals were sitting outside. "Where's t'kitchen sink?" came the cry. I looked at the heavily-laiden tandem. "It's in there somewhere," I replied and the niceties dealt with, we then had an affable chat. "Art tha a bit eccentric?" asked the spokesman, after I'd explained the purpose of the journey. "No, completely mad," I replied. After a little more good-natured banter, we finished our drinks and went on our way.

We were now in the Lune Valley and everything was very green. The road had levelled out pretty well and our progress was much more rapid.

Kirby Lonsdale was overcrowded with motorcyclists and after we left the town, the road climbed again - still ridable, but hard work. Gradually, we whittled away the last few miles to Sedburgh but perhaps the most frustrating were the last two or three when the road gave the appearance of being level but we still had to push the pedals hard to make progress.

We reached Holmecroft at about 7pm, showered and headed for the pub.

Climbing: 1169m