Sea to Sea

Start: 11:00 Sunday 27th July 1997

Day1 - Wokington

(Rob) Drive to Wokington from Braithwaite. NW wind greets us as we disembark from the cars. Cold knees - need to warm up the extra special muscles on the knees. Photos taken of the intrepid heros before they set off. Claire, Dave Daniel (map reader), Ian, Rob. Take wrong turning out of Workington up a very nasty shock of a hill and away. Incidents include Daniel faffing over his saddle bag. Dave calls in for essential supplies (fags). Past Cockermouth, lunch then offroading - here the mountain bikes got the better of the racer, especially on the downhill, gravelly hill 1 in 3 with harpin bend. A wrong turn ends up in a 1000ft drop into lake). Every body back safely - fairly hard route but we anticipate more knee popping tomorrow. Hills, hills, hills - they are our ememies.

(Gill) Today been a day of trying to console the kids between one diagreement and another; shopping with 7 kids is not relaxing! Don't touch! Keep up! We're glued together! Be patient! 'soon' .... The late afternoon improved with a short walk which turned out very short! No, the company saved the day and decideingly improved as it went on. Feel much better for all the fresh air, been a lovely sunny day, may be Michael will improve in temper after a good night's sleep! (Nice to all be together).

(Ian) I hate hills! (+ Daniel's bag).

(Daniel) My new bag is a pain, but is well taped up now. Easy 1st day, but more to come. Sun has turned me a bit lobterish.

(Claire) My top tip for the week, subject being those dreaded hills, is to get your head down, build up your speed, don't lookup up and remember to walk up the hill when it gets really embarassing! Oh, and none of this negative psychology - we need positive minds. I'll speak tomorrow when I've got over this hill malarky.

(Sue) I feel a mixture of emotions. Actually wanting to go cycling, yet dreading it too. Arr well, tomorrow we will see.

(Jeanette) I've visited the toilets with Meggie more today than in the last week! Sunshine has made us all relaxed - that and alcohol! The cyclists seem fixated with hills - can't imagine why.

Day2 - Braithewaite to Ouseby

28.7.97

(Rob) Day began very wet and miserable. Considerable rain during the previous night. A bit chilly (not good for the knee muscles). However, we get off with high morale. Today we have Braveheart Sue with us (Dave is taking a rest with the kids). Eventually we find the Keswick disused railway track. Daniel insists on cycling all the way round onto the track - the rest of us carry our bikes up some steps. The rail track is not of the conventional variety, having steep slopes and steps. The bridges across gorges lined with wire which we believe was the cause of Claire's puncture (puncture #1) which took five people to repair. Rain on and off. Variety of terrain, some steep hills - not as many as yesterday, but a *long slog* never the less. A faun got its head stuck in a fence trying to escapre from us. Got to Penrith, which was supprisingly stepp - or were our legs about to pack in? Suddenly like a mirage a C2C pub looms up at the top of a hill. We dismount and sit in the very pleasant beer garden - only to find the pub is closed - boo hoo. *Just* enough energy to get to campsite. Hooray for Jeanette for meeting us halfway with lunches. Hooray, hooray for Gill and Dave as well. Hooray for the backup team. Daniel's legs look a bit nasty - ouch!

(Gill) Message from back up team. A much more pleasant day without the dreaded shopping. Warmed up as the day went on and took lads and Meg to seven "tall meg" and her sisters. Very pleasant - tall Meg was quite impressive. Lads blew up the dreaded lilos for 25p each - oh and Meg. Trying to summon up enought energy to do quick sketch of campsite - probably do a quick ink drawing. The most memorable memory of the last campsite was white puddles in purple/blue light.

(Sue) I am knackered, but well worth it. While doing lots of long down hill stretches - weeeeee! Didn't seem to be as many uphills, but it was the long, gradual assents which were the killers. Coming up to Ousby (our campsite on Monday) the road up finished me off. The bottom of my neck and back was excrusiatingly painful! Main memories - cloudy, rain on the bikes this morning, but perfect for riding. Claire had a punture. I was very worried before the ride but I have a lot more confidence now. However, there is no way I can tackle the Pennines tomorrow. Main memory - everytime we went up a hill I tended to stop dead while everyone overtook me. Plus I had to catch up later while they waited. Wonderful downhill rides. Seeing Jeanette's friendly, smiling face when she brought the car with the lunch. Daniel's fiddling and faffing. Daniel spending half an hour deciding where to put the patch as Claire held the tyre - whilst Claire nearly snatched if off him and planted it on the glue. Daniel's sore legs from sunburn. Ian's orange coloured skin. May aching back. Arr well, Daves on the bike tomorrow - fool him!!

(Claire) Well, today has not been as bad as I thought. Although we did nearly 35 miles. The hills were more gentle than those on Sunday. Well, my puncture after approximately 5 miles did not seem to deter any of us - plus it gave Mr Faffer an excuse to yep - faf. As Rob would say, tomorrow is another day and I'll be relying on Sue to be a superb backup team when we conquer Hartside (ahh!). Speak later.

(Daniel) Legs very sore, but not from cycling. Very pleasant ride today along old railway track. Had to get off for the muddy, loose gravel hills, but Rob and I are still going up all the tarmac ones. One of us will crack tomorrow. Everyone would be stuck without my faffing (true says Sue). Sue's gears wouldn't work and Claire would have a flat tyre. She ignored the warnings about the chicken wire and turning into a big, helpless girl when it went flat. Covering up tomorrow and going to be a hard struggle.

(Sue - extra note) Ian was very heroic stopping at the bottom of a very steep hill to pick up Rob's hat that had blown off his head. I was very impressed as I went zooming by.

(Ian) The Freat Fathsby strikes again (loose brake block). Claire gets a puncture (and gets Daniel to mend it for her). Plus, more of those blasted hills. Ate fly and picked up Rob's hat covieniently dropped at the foot of a steep incline. Wall of the Pennines ahead, Hartside tomorrow!

(Sue - yet another note) I had nothing to day yesterday!! Ian had the choice of swallowing or spitting out the fly as he felt its legs struggling at the back of his throat. I know what I would have done. Rain forcast tomorrow pm.

Day3 - Ouseby to Nenthead

29.7.97 - Written on morning of Day4 because with all this decamping we keep losing things - terribly frustrating!

(Rob) We knew this was going to be a hard one so ate three bacon and egg sandwitches in order to preserve energy levels. Miscaculated on quantity resulting in intense queasiness and discomfort. Still, I need a handicap to give Dave a chance. Then up a bloody big hill followed by another Giga hill called Everest. At the top of which was a lovely Cafe with tea coffee and chocolate with mashmallows. Looking out of cafe window we see a mum and her 9(ish) year old daughter with her bike and stablisers just riding up the last bit - not a drop of sweat on them. Rest of journey pretty hilly too! Pennines you see - that's why. Downward route over stony off road stuff - yuk! Daniel fell off. Dave broke a bearing, so we thought but really his cones slipped! Rob gets a puncture only to be discovered when we got into camp - in actual fact I'd beaten Dave on a lame tyre - that shows you doesn't it! Oh yes, forgot to mention the owl at ouseby. Tame as owt, bloody thing was encouraged by Sue to settle on our tent. She said it was a moving experience - i'll say! My main thoughts were concerning its talons digging into my fly sheet! It does rain a lot here!!! Shoood it away. It came back later to eat our mars bars in the night.

(Jeanette) Flies and a tent breaking - one of those days. It ended with us sitting in the rain with brollies - discussing education!!

(Sue) I wanted to write yesterday, when we were say being eaten by mossies under umberellas, getting rather wet. But I'm not that bothered today because everything is so different.

(Gill) Flies! Rain! Burnt rice! No hot water! Over friendly Scouse! Kids noisy! Having an early night!

(Ian) What a day! Heartside on gutrot. Emphasis switches from bloody hills to bloody flies!! Redeeming feature - long downhill on mining track. Flies, flies, flies, flies, *FLIES*.

(Claire) Yesterday I didn't speak because everything during the evening seemed to go wrong. For example, the gnats were at camp awaiting our arrival, the facilities on camp did not work very well, the owner was extremely annoying and it rained. I was in bed for 9pm.

(Jamie) Ian has had a fight with Tasher! A hurricane hit us, chairs went flying, packets wingged about.

Day4 - Nenthead to Castleside campsite near Consett

Wednesday 30th July 1997

> (Rob) Nenthead midges - nibble, nibble, nibble legs, ears, noses. Up a very big hill - or were we just exhausted? Today was the big one. Followed by some macho people with thick legs and panniers, tent sleeping bags etc. Got 44mph down Allenheads - past "the cottage" then into Rookhope - metting on and off the pannier people. Then off roading - much to my chargrins a long steep frack (Rob hated it - note from Sue). Highly B+B - a crumbling stately home where Sue had a poo!

(Jeanette) Rob complained that there were branches scratching his tent. Dave barbequed to perfection. Rob is now complaining about the fruit I bought. He is on a very short fuse - one more complaint and he'll suffer a fate worse than death.

(Sue) Well, I got to ride again today unexpectedly. Yesterday I was going to chicken out - then Ian felt ill and he offered me his bike so I thought I would go for it. I'm glad I did. Long, long easy riding downhill for 10 miles after three hard hills. I can do the route, but I am just slower than everyone else. Just been arguing about the kebabs - delicious. Ian is now cooking the rest of the sausages on the barbeque and left overs can be saved for breakfast. Wonderful showers on site - utter bliss after a hard days riding. We are two miles away from Castleside, on the east side of the Pennines. Rather cold tonight, but we have been lucky that it has mainly rained at night. I've gone on too long now. Really enjoying the cycling.

(Gill) Nice site, had a walk down the disused railway line to meet the cyclists, but missed them. Walked back with Jim and Matt, carrying Meg. Jim's birthday tomorrow and we are going to Beamish for his treat. Site surrounded by nice pine tree's - but too tired to sketch them. Will do them tomorrow. Les and Malc coming tomorrow and Claire has a bottle of bubbly to celebrate coast to coast victory. They've done really well and me and Jeanette are now experts at putting up tents of all varieties! Any comissions welcome.

(Ian) Flung in the towl, missed best stretch!

(Claire) Today has proved to be enjoyable. Lots of the downhills and tomorrow we will have victory in Newcastle. Sue fell off her bike today - the rest of us cracked up. We are all sat around two barbeques to keep warm tonight, while we sip our whiskies and gins . This was until someone (Ian I think) had the bright idea of burning pine cones for warmth. Well, we are all choking on the smoke, but hey - there are no gnats! I'll give my final note tomorrow. This holiday Dan and I have never argued so much!

Day5 - Consett to Newcastle

Thursday 31st July (Jim's BDay)

(Claire) We've finished finally and I must say I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. I have been at my most tiredness today - most perculiar to say I've felt stronger each day. Dave's pedal fell off one mile from the finish but I'll let someone else tell that story. See you all next year.

(Rob) Upto the campsite entrance then hour hour wait while Claire goes back to get the map. Then off into the yonder. Last leg features nearly all gravel tracks downhill - brill! Disused railway bridges over gourges high above the trees, but very windy, hold onto your caps. Woods smell of aniseed. 20mph most of the way. Meet the Tyne we think its all over. 26ish mph, but then disaster strikes! Daniel gets a split tyre, Dave's buckled wheel slips out and just past North Shields Dave's pedal and crank combination fall off in middle of the street - to great embarrasment. The locals stand and stare in amazment. Dave curses. Then into Tynemouth, the end! Fish 'n' chips plus a pub. The end.