Today was the day when I realised quite what I was doing, I was in the saddle for nearly 8 hours, all for just 60 miles gain. I had chosen to avoid the industrial/built up areas of Burton, Derby, Sheffield, and Wakefield and instead to traverse the Peak district and the pennines in one.... Oh dear!
The day started well, the B&B owners were into bike maintenance and fixed a glitch on my bike, so I set off in good heart. The views were incredible... so were the hills. I had plotted a route following little roads...1/2 way up a very steep hill, the ROAD ran out...so I was either back down the hill and up it again by road....I remembered my mid day prayer (It practically was midday before I finished this!)...Let nothing disturb thee...patient endurance attaineth to all things! I plodded on, off road with a bike laden with two panniers.... The day was beautiful the weather wonderful, I saw 2 hen Harriers, but the riding was hard....very hard.
Still I did have one thing on my side.....the wind, in the picture above, which was the "high point" of the day, I was literally blown up the hill. This whole pilgrimage is slightly strange, even I'm not too sure what I'm doing, and yet it has been great to be out here on my own...even sometimes struggling... and then to ,meet Dolly's cafe, when I needed it, or to have the wind blow..when frankly my legs were gone...What have I proved, nothing...but although I am alone, with no real idea where I am going, I don't feel alone. I have begun this "Long slow ,march in a single direction" and I am getting there... will get there, withmy helper close at hand.
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