Dunmail Raise
After a couple of weeks of living at Traighuaine without a car it was time to wend our way back to Wales.
On Tuesday morning Marc offered us a lift to Oban which we eschewed and instead mounted our bikes and zoomed north with the train’s noon departure our deadline. The train ride to G;lassos was uneventful and we had plenty of time to catch the delayed train to Carlisle from Glasgow Central.
In Carlisle we quickluy picked up the river-side bike trail to Dalston and were soon tucking into supper with Beth who had volunteered to put us up for the night.
It was raining the next morning so we went to a cafe in Dalston so that we wouldn’t arrive at Diana and David’s farm, Rylands, too early.
Peter and Karen cycled out the next morning from Keswick to escort us to their home along lovely fell-seed roads and disused railways. Steve and Fiona joined us there for a fabulous supper
It was main roads all to way to Windermere and they were busy! We stayed at Toby’s (despite him being in France) and Flo kindly let us in and showed us around.
The train ride from Windermere was made more adventurous by the rail strike which cancelled 2 out of 3 connections we had to make. Getting bikes onto replacement minibuses proved a challenge but it helped that the driver was from near Sialkot where I had spent time on a medical elective in 1984.
The last 12 miles from Craven Arms to Pinfold were damp and mainly up hill but we were on the home strait and so made light work of the short distance that marked the end of our 4 week round trip to Traiguhaine.
Pinfold, as usual, was magnificent having been bather by the July rains and July 2023 was the wettest July on record. We are breaking too many weather records these days and so we are pleased to have made this month long journey to Scotland and back by bike with a little help from public transport.
Pinfold
Red Admiral
Comma
Common Blue
View of Langdale from Toby’s house in Windermere
