Day One: Brockhole, Hawkshead & Coniston - A Lake District Grand Tour

DAY ONE – TAN

WOODS AND WATER

Brockhole Visitor Centre – Wray Castle –

Esthwaite Water – Hill Top, Near Sawry –

Grizedale Forest – Hawkshead –

Tarn Hows – Coniston

‘Today had always been intended to be a half day’s cycling, and a relatively easy half day in the soft centre of the Lake District. There would be no major passes. In fact, no major hills at all – so long as we didn’t get lost. This afternoon would ease us into our tour. Even so, it was still thirty miles for the afternoon, which was five miles more than the longest of my training rides so far. And there was always the issue of ‘not getting lost’.

There was also the issue that my cycle tours don’t just involve cycling. I like to stop off and see things along the way. So today I had three planned stop-offs: Wray Castle, Hill Top and Grizedale Visitor Centre, before finishing in Coniston, where there was a possibility of a pint of ale in the pub where it was brewed.’