The woman in orange shoes was training for a 30 mile trail run in a few weeks.  Her husband, though, was aiming for a 50 mile trail run and had run 30 miles on Monday.  “He’s a bit of a nutter!” she exclaimed.  Those Brits—now we have a new word to describe lots of people we know!

Shortly after arriving in Kendal, we set out to “hire cycles” in Brit-speak so we could extend our range beyond walking distance.  The nearest cycle hire was 10 miles away in Windermere and we went to hop a train for the 15 min. ride, whereupon we learned that the train which runs every hour was canceled indefinitely.  Two local women explained the situation to us, called a taxi and allowed us to share a ride.

The Cycle Hire was immediately adjacent to the train station—a lesson for transit options everywhere—and we were soon mounted on perfectly-tuned Marin hybrids heading back to Kendal.  A “cycle path” picked up 400 m

Those Brits have a different word for everything! We rent cycles and hire people. Brits hire cycles and rent people?

outside the station and took us 4 mi. to where we could roll onto small backroads.  Thank goodness, because car traffic on A591 from Windemere to Kendal was intense with little patience for bikes.  

The last 6 miles on quaint country roads made our day.  It’s why we love to get on a bike!

Well-known craft brewery in Stavely, near Kendal, which happened to be right on our route.  Stop required!

Evidence that the Brits are finally stepping up their beer game. The bar keep did his best to explain the difference between “Cask” and “Draft” beer. “Cask beer is live beer and draft beer is dead beer,” is his summary.

Lovin’ the countryside….