Nomads ride The Lakes (the hills bit, not the water)

By Sally Symes

Sally Symes’ trip to The Lakes, with Graham Loxton and son, Chris; Hugh Blades and son, Harry; Howard Griffin; Dick Dumulo and wife, Yin; and Sally’s long-suffering husband, Trev.

Day 1 - Monday 22 September

AM — Trev and I packed two road bikes and two weeks’ worth of holiday clobber into our VW Beetle. Good job it’s a convertible. 

Set off, stuffed to the soft-top rafters for The Apple Pie in Ambleside — our wheely rendezvous with The Nomads for the next few days. Graham’s relatives run The Apple Pie Café/Bakery/Rooms-to-stay-in, so we got a very good deal on our room (and some very nice gingerbread to scoff).

PM — Arrived in Ambleside about 4 pm. Beeped cheerily as we passed some early Nomad arrivers, Graham and Hugh and Hugh’s son, Harry, who were cycling around Lake Windermere (they nipped a corner off by getting the ferry from Far Sawrey to Bowness — a good move given how massive Lake Windermere is).

Meanwhile, Howard and Chris weren’t cutting any corners. They circumnavigated Lake Windermere, then took the scenic route via Troutbeck to the Kirkstone Pass. From that beautiful, lofty vantage point, they took a white-knuckle ride down ‘The Struggle’ to Ambleside (down ways being by far the best way to tackle that monster). Having arrived the day before, Howard (being Howard) had taken a ‘quick spin’ UP The Struggle. It’s a 3-mile hill climb from hell, with a maximum gradient of 24%, which takes a psychotic cyclist from Ambleside to the Kirkstone Pass Inn — about a 1,500-foot climb with little relief, unless the Inn is open at the top and you’re still alive to have a drink. Chapeau! Helmets-off! Hip-hip-hooray, Howard! 

Trev and I had a Struggle of our own getting the bikes out of the car — now stored safely with all the other Nomad bikes in a handy lock-up amidst billions of beer barrels (Ambleside was about to have a beer festival). Time to meet up with Team Nomads and decide where to eat, drink and be as merry as possible without jeopardising the next day’s jolly.

Day 2 – Tuesday 23 September

Sunshine in the Lakes is rare, but today it had its best hat on for us. But Trev and I were soon soaked – sweating buckets as we tried to keep up with Chris and Howard as they legged it via hilly Troutbeck to the Kirkstone Pass (the ‘easier’ route). The views (through sweaty brows) were breathtaking, with meandering, dry-stone walls and Herdy sheep (the prettiest in the land) polka-dotted against the greenest of grassy hills. I finally stopped wheezing as the quietish road twisted and roller-coastered up and up and up to the Kirkstone Pass, where Chris, Howard and Trev were waiting patiently by the inn, enjoying the phenomenal view. Incidentally, Kirkstone Pass is the highest mountain pass in the Lake District. The road sweeps crazily down through steep, rocky inclines from Ambleside to Patterdale, with treacherous twists and deathly turns. Not for nothing has it recently been named one of the most dangerous roads in the UK. But we didn’t know that at the time. Now for the downhill bit of the rollercoaster… WHEEEEEE!

I lost them again. OMG, am I glad I have disc brakes. 

Finally, we reached a fairly level part of the route. I could hold my own on this Sussex-sort-of terrain with a few lumps and bumps. We meandered through Patterdale to Glenridding, skirting Lake Ullswater, then headed up another hill to Troutbeck (yes, another Troutbeck — how confusing) before heading to Keswick. Trev and I were doing well keeping up with the fast boys, until Trev blew it by getting a puncture. By the time we caught up, the Fasties had eaten their lunch and needed to get on with the remainder of Chris’s route if they were to finish before nightfall. Taking in Whinlatter and Newlands and a lovely looking snaky bit alongside Thirlmere Lake, they clocked over 70 miles and over 6,000 feet — Chapeau Fasties!

 Meanwhile, my meagre bicycle pump wasn’t quite doing the job, so we took Trev’s bike into the Keswick bike shop to be fixed. We had 20 minutes to kill, so I had to look round the shops — poor me. We then had a lovely afternoon getting lost oop hill and down dale, following highly erroneous bike route signs meant for experienced mountain climbers with ropes.

Day 3 - Wednesday 24 September

Another hill-climbing day for some of us — this time on foot. Starting at The Apple Pie, we crossed the road and clambered 3,000 feet to walk the 10-mile Fairfield Horseshoe. All-round stunning views (we could get used to this), ending with a knee-crunching descent (for me) to the Badger Bar at Rydal for a well-earned G&T. FYI you can watch badgers being fed here every night.

One of the loveliest things about this Nomad Trip was, of course… the Nomads! It was a real treat getting to know everyone better. Who knew that our very own Hugh Blades of Barbados was once a champion jockey? Or that Dick’s wife Yin, was such a keen gardener? It was so nice to catch up and hear about everyone’s day over an evening meal. Ambleside has some excellent eateries — a big shout-out for Misto Italian where I had the best spaghetti carbonara EVER yummmmmmmmmmeeee. (And The Apple Pie Café for absolutely everything else except an evening meal.)

Thanks be to Graham for organising such a treat, Chris for showing us the highs and lows of the Lakes, The Apple Pie for providing rest (and occasional sustenance) for the weary, and to all the Nomads and wannabe Nomads, for being such wonderful company!

PS Dick and Yin did a lot of walking too – here’s a photo of them on a hill to prove it… 

The Lake District is a mountainous region in Cumbria, northwest England, known for its glacial lakes, rugged fells, and scenic villages. It is the largest national park in England and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offering outdoor activities like hiking, as well as cultural attractions inspired by writers like William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter.