I Think I’ll Pass

Eight of us met up early on a not so bright, wet morning at Dreghorn Services for our weekend trip taking in seven of the legendary passes in the North Pennines and Lake District. Marc was leading the run with Ian taking on the TEC duties with Norman, David, Euan, Ed, Janet and I in between. We headed off down the A68 through Jedburgh, then taking the B6357 to Bonchester Bridge, then taking a left at Saughtree to take the nice winding road through Kielder. From Kielder we headed to The Rocky Road Cafe in Bellingham for our morning coffee/scone/bacon roll stop. Janet and I have often ridden through Kielder, but never managed to get to this cafe, so it was a very pleasant surprise and one we will not miss in the future. From Bellingham we headed down the B6320 (The Pennine Way) to Chollerford and down to the A69 then west to Haydon Bridge where we turned down the A686 to Alston for a petrol stop, then on to the first of our passes, Hartside. Following the A686 to bypass Penrith we then headed South on the A592 to follow the West shore of Ullswater (along with thousands of other motorists!) eventually stopping at Glenridding and the Fellbites Cafe for lunch. Given the traffic and scarcity of parking spaces (we all found one eventually), we were surprised how quiet it was in the cafe. Food and service were once again excellent, so would highly recommend this establishment for anyone venturing this way. After lunch we continued South for our second pass of the day, Kirkstone. On approaching Windemere we took a right onto the A591 up towards Ambleside. Until now the passes had been pretty benign, but this was about to change for the last two passes of the day, Wrynose and Hardknott. The hairpins got sharper, the gradients got steeper and the road surfaces deteriorated, but we all managed to negotiate each turn without any dramas. We took a photo opportunity at the top of Hardknott and applauded a couple of lady cyclists who appeared from the direction in which we were travelling barely out of breath! Along with many cyclists we also met hundreds of scooter riders who left the air thick with the smell of 2-stroke oil. Fortunately for us there were very few other vehicles on these last two passes which made our progress much more manageable. Our overnight stop was at The Bridge Inn in Santon Bridge. It was a very comfortable hotel with great food and service, so thanks to Marc for finding this gem. After a few beers, dinner and a great deal of banter, a comfortable night was had by all. Post breakfast we headed off for our final three passes of the weekend. Taking a right in Calder Bridge we headed up to Cockermouth for a fuel stop, then on to the B5292 and the Whinlatter Pass. A very picturesque road with tree lined avenues and great views over the Lakeland fells. From here it was immediately onto the Newlands Pass. Again, very picturesque and an easy ride compared to yesterday’s last two Passes. Upon reaching Buttermere we headed straight for our final Pass of the weekend, Honister. Honister Pass is a steep and winding road up to the Honister slate mine. This would have been much more enjoyable if it wasn’t for a couple of stubborn camper vans crawling up the steeper sections and seemingly oblivious to the line of motorbikes trailing behind. We took a short break at the slate mine and marveled at the statues that had been cleverly constructed from slate. We then carried on down to Borrowdale and up along the East shore of Derwentwater to Keswick for our lunch stop at The Pheasant Inn just outside of town. If you’re hungry, I’d recommend the Lamb Henry, a Chef’s special at this establishment. To continue a theme, the food and service was once again excellent. From here the route home was pretty straightforward, bypassing Carlisle, up the A7 to Longtown, then following the more interesting route to the East of the A7 through Harelaw, Newcastleton and Hermitage all the way to Hawick. We then re-joined the A7 to Selkirk where, at the petrol stop, given the time of day, we decided to make our own way home. Thanks must go to Marc for organising the weekend, routes, accommodation and meal stops, all of which were excellent! Thanks also to Ian for performing the TEC and videographer duties and Norman, Euan, David and Ed for making the whole weekend so enjoyable for Janet and I.