Cumbria Beckons for Solstice Special

TCA Celebrated the Summer Solstice by a special ride in Cumbria in which Worzel joined Maalie on his local patch. The ride commenced at about 18.00 with a loop round Maalie’s Test Circuit in which the resident had clearly worked out the sub-tracks through the sand dunes whilst the visitor become bogged down in the softer parts taking a number of 'offs'.

The TCA enjoying traditional British summer activities

With legs thus warmed up, the route took us past Askam cricket ground, across the level crossing and up the steep hill through Ireleth towards Kirkby Fell. Whilst Worzel was able to drop down into the lowest of his 55 gears and easily kept going, Maalie was obliged to resort to push-bike syndrome, though he protested frequently that he was doing much better than he did here on his first ride a couple of weeks ago (despite the day's earlier activities providing a perfectly legitimate excuse, should one be needed, for poor performance).

Maalie's eponymous walk of shame

Once up on the moor itself (though largely agricultural in nature just here) we passed close to the wind farm . We had a brief recovery stop at a small reservoir to watch an angler and then pressed on to Marton, enjoying the benefits accrued by gaining some altitude (but the downhill bits never last as long as the uphill bits do, whinged Maalie).

“Why do we want to farm the wind?”
a local was once heard to say,
“I think we’ve got enough wind oop here already”

Leaving Marton towards the Dalton-Irelth road we arrived at the anticipated watering hole of the Good Pub Guide listed Black Dog, noted widely for its range of real ale and wholesome (if not exactly haute cuisine) pub grub. Since our last visit the pub had changed hands and now appeared quite thriving, with a greater range of fayre chalked-up on the black board. So it was steak (Maalie) and trio of sausages (Worzel) for dinner with a couple of pints each of AllGates Young Pretender from Lancashire.

Toast to absent friends, The Black Dog

Homeward bound down the very steep hill passed Ireleth church, Maalie broke his personal land speed record at 27.2 mph, whilst Worzel disappeared out of sight. Back in Askam the ride was concluded by a spin out to the end of Askam pier, actually a promontory constructed out of slag from iron ore workings into the Duddon estuary. Back into Maalie Court, it remained only for a celebratory dram of Midleton Irish whiskey a gift from Davy, presented during Maalie’s recent retirement party in Spain.

(Posted by: Maalie)