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Day 12  Wednesday 5^th May 2004

Clayton-le-Dale to Tunstall (near Kirkby Lonsdale)

I didn’t get off to a very good start this morning.  I had left my water bottle on the bike overnight and in the morning I went down to fetch it to fill it with fresh water.  In trying to remove the top, the top of the bottle fractured, and there was no alternative but to throw it away.  Maybe the cold air outside overnight had made the plastic brittle.  Anyway the landlady came immediately to my rescue by supplying me with a small plastic bottle of fresh spring water out of the fridge.  She also volunteered to supply me with fruit for the day which I politely turned down.

I needed to buy other food to build up my dwindling stocks, so I asked her for directions to the nearest supermarket which turned out to be a Spar in the next town of Whalley (pronounced Wall-ee I was to find).  As I was taking to the moors I wasn’t sure whether I would find shops or cafés later on in the day.  The forecast for today was similar to yesterday – sharp showers – but looking out of the window it seemed to be a perfect spring morning. There was plenty of blue in the sky and there was a mist rising off the meadows as I cycled along the pathway of the very busy A59 towards Whalley.  I soon turned off this road and found my way into the town itself passing the very impressive Whalley Railway Viaduct with its many arches – 50 or more, I lost count - and then crossing over the River Calder.  This river is a tributary to the Ribble which it joins a short distance away.

I did my shopping at the Spar and as usual I bought too much.  I even managed to find a postcard of Whalley itself, posted yesterdays card and set off in the direction of Great Mitton.  It was not yet 9.30.

The road started to climb.  Above Waddington I came across my first café.  It was just after 10 so time for 11’s!  I restricted myself to tea (3 cups for 95p) although the smells emanating from the kitchen were tempting me to eat.  It seemed a very out of the way place.  I was the only one there, but the owner was preparing lunch and from what he said he was going to be quite busy with extra staff coming in later.  The lunch certainly smelt good.

On up the hill again passing Bradford fell (396m) on the right.  There was a wonderful panoramic view looking south towards Blackburn and Burnley .  The road then descended into Newton which is very close to the official centre of the UK at Dunsop Bridge, and after a couple more miles, Slaidburn.  This is a very picturesque Pennine village which I guess is the centre for walks in the area.  I didn’t see many cyclists – only one went shooting by, but over another mug of tea and a bowl of soup with roll and butter I got talking to a couple who had lived in the south but were now living in the Lancashire area. They were in their thirties and had come out for a walk.  He was very much into cycling and he wanted to show his wife some of the beautiful scenery in the area.  The end to end ride was something he had in mind for the future.  The village was certainly a very lovely spot.

From Slaidburn I continued north towards High Bentham and Burton in Lonsdale before turning off the CTC route to the B&B in Tunstall.  This involved another very long climb over the moors passing Great Harlow at 488m and popping in and out of Lancashire and North Yorkshire every few miles or so.  Once at the top I could see that the weather was decidedly unsettled a mile or more in front of me, and it was moving slowly across from west to east.  The clouds were very dark and it looked as though it was raining heavily.  If I waited a while at the top, with a bit of luck the storm would pass over the road I was going to travel on and I could ride along it in the dry later.  That was the theory.  While I waited I gorged myself on a pork pie – I had used that amount of energy at least on the climb to the top!  After 20 minutes or so the weather ahead seemed to be moving away.  I could see the road winding away for miles in the distance.  Cars coming up were wet and had their headlights on.  Another cloud started to form overhead – so I decided that it was time to start the descent.

Part way down I passed a cyclist coming up the hill in the other direction – he was very wet.  Slightly younger than me he was surprised to hear that I hadn’t gone through any rain.  He was cycling from Lancaster to Loughborough to see his daughter.  His wife was driving down to bring him and the bike back in a few days time.  Like me he was aiming to do 40 to 50 miles a day.  Then after another ½ mile or so I stopped to chat to a couple who had parked their car.  He appeared to be walking to find somewhere private just away from the car, but when he saw me coming he suddenly changed his mind!  Again about the same age as me or slightly older – he had done a lot of cycling in the 1950’s especially around the west country using Youth Hostels in much the same way as I had done all those years ago when I cycled down to Lands End and back from Bath with my close friend Peter H.  He was interested to hear what I was doing.  He was also surprised that I wasn’t wet, pointing to his car where there was a pile of hailstones just in front of the bonnet.

I carried on – downwards – towards High Bentham.  High Bentham is only high because it is higher than Low Bentham!  Just as I was leaving the moor I saw the remains of what had been a terrific hailstorm.  The ground was still white, covered with a layer of hailstones.  I had put on extra layers before I began the descent but I was now getting decidedly cold.

Time for another warmer, and as I entered High Bentham who should I spot but the local bobby.  He should be able to recommend a good café.  I was directed to a very nice little café serving delicious Apple Pie and cream.  I had this with a pot of tea.  It rained while I was in the café but I came out to a clearing sky and cycled on to the village of Burton in Lonsdale nearly losing my way because some kind person had turned the signpost round!  My sense of direction told me that I was now travelling more towards the northeast than the northwest so I retraced my steps after about ½ mile and investigated the signpost and the map in a little more detail.  Ingleton and Burton in Lonsdale are in quite different directions according to my map – but not according to the signpost.

In Burton there was a little park beside the River Lonsdale.  I sat down for a rest and to write the day’s postcard.  Then I made a move towards Tunstall where I had booked a farmhouse B&B for the night and arrived just after 4.  There was a village pub across the road which looked promising for an evening meal – I will ask the landlady about this – but I still have all the food I bought this morning at the Spar in Whalley.  The only exception is that I have eaten one pork pie.  I have a second – it was free with the first.  Oh well – it will keep to tomorrow – so most of the food went into the fridge at the farmhouse.  From the literature bluetacked to the walls in the farmhouse I learn that Tunstall has a famous past that had previously escaped my education.  The Bronté sisters lived at Lecht about two miles away.  On Sundays they came to Tunstall to go to church.  I will have to enquire a bit more about this.

Today I have cycled 39.4 miles at an average of 8.4 mph.  My total mileage to date is 586.3.

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