Lakes

Shot for the Day (16 September 2016)

| Zapfly

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Still in the Canadian Rockies, I tried to shoot the famous Moraine Lake, situated close to Lake Louise, a few times but to no avail.  In the end, it took me three attempts to capture this dawn scene.  First time, I wondered into the forest jutting out into the lake on the right.  I was spooked by a bear and decided a shot was not worth a mauling.  The second attempt was marred by terrible weather.  Third time lucky.  The light lasted about 5 minutes before clouding over.

The solitude of the morning was somewhat dispensed with when I was interviewed by a Japanese film crew, who turned up too late to capture the dawn and wanted to use my photographs.

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I was staying in a small motel in Banff and had scouted this location out the previous day.  The light was falling to my right on the lakeside but I loved the dawn vanilla skies above the mountain on the other side of the lake.

Day 26: Pello to Kolari

| tom@Childsi

As Julien predicted yesterday he didn’t end up getting much sleep last night as his fellow campers were up drinking and partying!

It took him a while to get going this morning; he set off from Pello at about 10.45

Today was a really tough day of cycling as Julien faced a constant headwind and a number of hills along the way.

It took him around 5 hours to cycle 75km to Kolari.

Julien stopped in at a good restaurant and spoke to some locals who say that the wind is not usually as bad as it has been over the last couple of days.

The weather forecast also indicates that the wind speed should drop form 15mph to 10mph tomorrow, which is good news.

Julien decided he did not have the energy to cycle on in such tough conditions and took a shorter day than usual after cycling 47 miles.

He met a really nice Swiss couple called Sylvia and Urs who are also travelling to Nordkapp and expecting to arrive there about the same time as Julien.

Sylvia and Urs were also looking for a campsite in Kolari. But it turned out that there was not one in the town

Instead the three of them found a hut to stay in for night. It is his first night with his own room and a real bed so he should sleep better tonight!

Here is the Google Map for day twenty-six. You can support the Child’s i Foundation by sponsoring Julien on his Just Giving page.

Day 11: Hasket Newmarket to Kendour YHA

| Zapfly

Total mileage: 88
Terrain: Hills – Very challenging and long day

We had not intended to make today such a long day but things conspired against us and we ended up cycling for 13 hours again.  We did pass a big landmark today, as the image shows below, we made it to Scotland.  I also set a new top speed record for the trip, beating Pete by hitting 45.5mph – bloody scary on a fully loaded bike!

Hasket Newmarket was lovely and the cycle ride up to Dalston for breakfast was very pleasant.  We had cereal and fruit for a change, leaving the full English aside.  From Dalston, we went via Carlisle, a super- grim town after the beauty of the Lakes.  Things got a little tricky thereafter, as we cycled on B roads that run parallel to the M6 motorway.  Our plans came undone when the road ran out, with only the motorway as an option.  There was a lot of construction going on, so we decided to cycle through the road works, along the M6.  Things went well until we were stopped by the Foreman.  He gave us an earful about the safety aspect and that we should go back and around (a 12 mile detour).  He fortunately relented and allowed us through, over the border and into Scotland.

As soon as we crossed the border, the weather turned foul and started to drizzle.  We had to join the A75, a dual carriageway from Gretna to Dumfries.  Fortunately, Mary had an alternative plan and we hopped onto a minor road, which was far more pleasant.  We were about 5 miles outside Dumfries when the skies opened and we were all completely soaked.  As we rolled into Dumfries, we were unsure whether to press on or stop and dry off.

Our decision was made for us by the fact that there was nowhere safe for us to leave the bikes, so we bought some food and headed to the tourist office.  Here, we bought a map of Scotland and talked to the guys there about where we should head to.  They recommended a place called St Johns.

Unfortunately, this meant getting back on the dual carriageway and cycling in the rain.  All of us were cold, tired and fed up of the busy roads.  All of this changed once we got off the A roads.  We were fortunate enough to cycle a wet but gorgeous road, another top 5 road for the trip for me.

The biggest blow of the day came when we got to St Johns.  All of the hostels, hotels and B&Bs were booked out, including some rancid Scottish woman who lied through her teeth saying one moment that she had room and suddenly changing her mind the next.  What really galled us was that she said there was a YHA hostel 10 miles up the road, in the middle of nowhere.  We were cold, tired and hungry and really not in the mood for this crap.

Our early impressions of Scotland were somewhat saved from complete damnation when we eventually arrived at the hostel.  We were greeted by some really friendly people, given great rooms with incredible views and then food by the other people present.  Overall, a very long day indeed that ended really rather well.

Day 10: Hazelslack to Hesket Newmarket

| Zapfly

Total mileage: 52
Terrain: Hills – Very challenging with many steep climbs

All of us had been very excited about the Lakes and the terrain ahead.  The campsite at Hazelslack, although it smelt of crap occasionally, was very comfortable.  We felt rested and ready for the day ahead.

We headed up to Windermere, passing along the lake side.  The weather, which had looked so promising, began to look more oppressive.  Dark clouds rolled in and the undulating landscape all combined to make us think twice about our destination point for the day.

We stopped in Ambleside for a large lunch and missed the short rain storm.  The food was good, the weather got much better and we all felt really up beat.  Next, we headed north, towards Kendal.

We had to climb perhaps the single toughest hill of the entire Le Jog trip to get there however.  The continual uphill was unrelenting.  Bathed in sweat, we reached the top of the hill to be greeted with a fantastic view of the surrounding countryside and the promise of a long downhill stretch.

Taking a small B road to the north east to avoid Kendal, we travelled along one of my top 3 roads for the whole trip.  The scenery was just fantastic.  Thereafter, we started heading due north through the hills and away from the A roads.  We ended up going through a system of gates to keep sheep within the farmer’s enclosures, all of which added more flavour to the day’s cycling.

Eventually, the rain storms caught up with us again as we were about 5 miles south of Hesket Newmarket.  In an attempt not to be soaked, we cycled at full pelt downhill.  I managed to catch up with a wasp, indeed ramming it from behind.  This ended up with the bloody thing stinging me and being stuck in my chest.  Really unpleasant…

That evening, we stayed in a barn at the end of a 3 mile driveway.  The farmer’s wife, Judy, was really friendly and cooked us a lovely meal, evening giving us a bottle of wine.  It really made our day – definitely one of my favourite days of the cycle ride.