A good Weekend

 Saturday was lovely..so hang the housework, out on the bikes! 

We went on our "newest" bikes..to us..pirate on his Allen and myself on my Hobbs..and both behaved beautifully. 

First stop was for coffee at nine miles to see if our local farm coffeeshop and plant centre was open.  There was a long queue for the milk vending machine and none for the coffee machine, the plants were on sale and the cafe opens after the bank holiday. 

They are busy enough usually, so starting on a bank holiday weekend would not have been a good idea!

Then along a bike path (ex railway) for five miles to a local shop...and sandwiches, before dropping down onto the coastal national cycle route to go north through Ayr, and past Prestwick Airport where we headed inland on the lanes. We were glad to have a tailwind up the hills from there as this was the longest ride we have had for a while...35 miles/ 56km...and taken easy it was enjoyable. Something to build on, as we are looking to ride further afield. 

I think we have another  bike rack that could go on the Hobbs, which would mean that I could carry things including a camera. Until then, no photos on the Hobbs rides!

Today we had our first family meet-up, at Tebay services on the M6.  A good meal out with Pirate's son and family just after two of their birthdays. A chance to catch up and hand over presents.

We took the opportunity to drive home with no motorway apart from the section over the border from Carlisle to Gretna. A nice relaxed drive with the road from Old Tebay to Appleby new to both of us...and we managed a stop to see the view back towards Tebay.

Quite often the stopping places don't coincide with the views, but this one did it well.