One Night Camping In The Lake District 2005 - Day 2

To say I wake would again imply I had slept.  I have slept, but on and off in a minimal and cold fashion.  I finally give up when the sun rises and I make yet another trip to the toilet.  I decide to make the gf and myself a brew on the stove and wash out the cups.  There is the slightest frost on the tent, indicating temperature went to a fraction below zero last night.  It sure felt a lot colder.

With a brew as peace offering I "accidentally" wake the gf and she stirs.  I drink the warm tea and advise the gf we need to decamp early to make the most of the day.  It takes a while but I finally manage to peel her out of her warm sleeping bag on the promise of a warm room with a warm breakfast in the restaurant.  I order 2 sausage butties, she has the full English breakfast.  I am satisfied with my breakfast but I hungrily eye the gf's toast as she munches away.  Unfortunately for me it seems the food monster is back and I nearly get stabbed with a fork when I pinch a tiny corner of toast.

I return to the tent to start the long process of packing up.  The gf heads of to the toilet block to do whatever it is that women do in there.  By the time she returns the tent is packed, the bags are almost ready to load and the sun is shining brightly.  We set off onto the road around 1100 and I plan to head for Hardknott Pass.

Me getting ready to take the tent down.

We ride out through Bowness and Windermere.  I had quickly looked at a map before I left but today I have only the tiniest idea of where Hardknott Pass is.  We pass through Ambleside and head out on the road to Keswick.  Those of you who know the area will realise this is not the way to the Hardknott Pass.  Oh well, not to worry, the road is still beautiful and easy to ride on this cold morning, so all is well.  We stop in a lay-by to take pictures and rest a little, then arrive in Keswick.  I realise we need to be heading homeward and spot a sign leading us back to the M6.

A View Across Thirlmere Lake.

When we reach the M6 and join it's 3 lanes, I notice I am an awful lot further north than I had expected.  It's time to open the throttle and settle in for 80 miles of motorway.  The gf and myself have an agreed hand signal system that lets me know if she wishes to stop at all.  I keep on getting the thumbs up until we get past Lancaster, then it's a thumbs down.  I pull off and ride along the A6 for a short while until I find a spot next to a canal to stop.

I think I've done rather well actually.  This is most pleasant, stood in the cold sunshine watching as a pretty narrowboat chugs past.  We don't stop long, just enough to get the blood circulating again.  I find petrol then get back on the motorway, I don't fancy wrestling with the Sunday shoppers through Garstang and Preston.  We follow the motorway back to Chorley then come off.  It is only a short ride now to Rivington barn where all the bikers hang out on Sunday afternoons.  

We pull into the car park alongside all the other bikers and get off.  It's the end of our short break.  All that remains now is to listen to our friends tell us how foolish we are to go camping at this time of year and to be told hotels are not so expensive.  As ever the Lake District was beautiful.  I appreciate how lucky I am to live only a few hours ride from such a place.  It is cold though at this time of year, and I am disappointed with myself for being so cold, I'm usually quite tough!  More frustrating is how well the gf slept and she is normally the cold one.  I suspect she had some special system of sucking the heat out of my body and putting it into hers...but I have yet to prove this.  Hmph!

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