I'm not sure if my latest 28 mile ride can be classed as a "pootle" because it was hard work! I have been thinking about the ride for a couple of years and finally got the chance to do it. I drove south down the M6 motorway from my home in Carlisle (UK) to the village of Orton (approx 30 miles). The M6 motorway runs from Birmingham to to the Scottish border (about 200 miles) and slips past Carlisle. Orton lies in the fells to the east of the road and has a great chocolate factory/shop! I parked the car in Orton and unloaded my Xootr Swift folder before riding down to the village of Tebay - a former major railway junction. Tebay has the M6 and the main West Coast rail line (Glasgow to London) running past it.
The front (top) bridge is the M6 flyover. The arched bridge carries the rail line and the small stone bridge crosses the River Lune to allow access to a farm. I cycled under the motorway and railway to join a single track road along the side of the Howgill Fells to the town of Sedbergh. From the narrow road I could look to my right and see the motorway and rail line and hear the traffic as it sped north and south. The sun came out and the road began to climb and climb!
Above photo is looking back to the motorway with the River Lune cutting through the valley floor. This was a harder ride than I expected as the climbing was steep in places and not of a constant gradient. Seasoned tourists would scamper over the road without any problem but I had to select "crawler gear" and even walk some of the climbs. The hills were not high but the constant up and down of the road made my legs ache!
The occassional farm vehicle and wayward sheep caused me to pull off the road now and again but I was grateful for the rest!
I enevtually arrived at Sedbergh and enjoyed a pic-nic lunch in the sun. This included a home made fruit pie purchased from an open air market stall. The return journey was a bit of a shock as I had to climb hills I didn't remember freewheeling down on the outward journey!
It was hard work riding back to the car but well worth the effort.
I live in a very beautiful part of the world!