No – not shopping – that hill in the Lakes!

There’s more than one way to the High Street, this time we’re coming from the south.
It all starts easily enough, just a few kilometres of tick infested bracken to contend with.

The route takes us past Dubbs Reservoir, where ther’s a bit of trail sanitization going on – fortunately only a bit.

Then down the last section of the east-west Garburn pass to Limefit Park – loose and rocky!

The route then heads up the valley towards High Street.  Good riding too – for a while.

But before long the hill kicks up and it’s the start of a long slog onto the southern High Street ridge.  We’re on an old Roman Road here.  Who knows what was in the Roman’s minds when they chose to take a route up here?

I’ve been this way before, but some strange quirk of human nature makes me forget just how much pushing is involved.  Shaman takes it all in his stride.

But the sun is shining and it’s a grand place to be.

Eventually, after much pushing, getting lost, riding along the footpath to Beacon etc we make it to the summit cairn!

I have an interesting route down planned, but the gods are not with us.

I’m riding the hardtail, and an ambitious jump from some rocks punctures the back tyre.  Not just a cut which the UST latex would fix, but a snake-bite style split along the bead, which is beyond the magic of latex.  I slap in a spare inner tube, forgetting there might be thorns in the tyre carcase.  That didn’t last long.  Fortunately Shaman is prepared to sell me one of his spares for a very reasonable price.

But worse was to come.  Negotiating a narrow traversing path I lose my front wheel and cartwheeled down the slope.  I think I might be getting a little old for this game, but I can’t stop here.

The ridge goes down and then back up.
More than once.

And there’s more pushing!
But it’s all good fun, I can just about smile again.

And then it’s down to the top of Garburn, and the route down to Kentmere.

It’s been a day of proper hills – and finishes on the delights of the Sawmill Cottage descent.

By the time we get back to Wilf’s, I’ve almost forgotten the pain.
Until we check some stats -out for over six hours, but only riding for three and a half.
That’s two and a half hours spent resting, fixing punctures and pushing!
The stats also show 25 miles and over 1600m of climbing – which is a fair bit in my book.