Day 8 - Lancaster to Penrith - projected distance 50 miles.

Slightly sore legs when I woke up this morning, but I was buoyed by some morning sunshine in Penrith and the knowledge that today was due to be a fairly short day on the bike. The idea was to press on so that I could meet the family for some activities in the Lake District in the afternoon.

I passed over, or by, several canals on the way out from Lancashire and into Cumbria. I could tell from the traffic that there were plenty of outdoor pursuits to be enjoyed in the area, as canoes, mountain bikes and other paraphenalia swept by, attached to cars and vans. There were quite a few road cyclists out as well, for their Sunday morning rides.

Cycling through several villages with the distinctive dark local stone, I pressed on to Kendal, where I would then take the A6 on up to Penrith. It slowly dawned on me that there might be a big hill in the way. Up to the point at which I left Kendal, I had only been dimly aware that I would be passing through the village of Shap, which meant climbing Shap Fell. This is one of the great British hill climbs, much discussed by cyclists. It must be a favourite of motorcyclists too, to judge by the number roaring past at breakneck speed.

Shap Fell winds its way up to 1400ft, making it treacherous in the winter. Until 1971 this was the main route up to Scotland, before the M6 was built, and the road became legendary as a graveyard for cars and lorries struggling against the elements. It is a big climb, reminiscent of my toil up to Dartmoor, which now seems long ago. The profile is below - I bet you can spot Shap Fell, and note that I climbed up the 'difficult' steep side.

I made it to the top, put on my jacket for the descent, and rewarded myself with a bar of chocolate Turkish Delight. I was looking forward to the ride down, but it was very windy so I had to be careful with my speed. Unfortunately I couldn't go very fast, and it was a struggle against some fairly strong gusts. I was very pleased at that point to have the gradient with me.

Eventually I made it back down to Penrith, and I was glad to have the chance later to see Ullswater and Windermere by car. Shap Fell is not the only big hill around here. The views are stunning - this is a beautiful part of England.

Tomorrow I shall leave England behind and cross into Scotland. It seems extraordinary that, this far north, I still have more than 400 miles - and six days - to go.