Barrow

Back from my aborted bike-packing trip with Lurkio - see yesterday's back-blip.

We were meant to be cycling part of the Bay Cycleway today (from Barrow-in-Furness to Grange-over-Sands) but yesterday had been terrible - 5 hour train journey to Barrow (and standing most of the way), the hotel (a dated Travelodge with no air con), zero sleep because of the heat in the room. It was like an oven, just too hot to do anything and the window only opened a few inches.

Felt a little unwell this morning like I'd got a bit of heat exhaustion - the hotel room was crazy-hot and had 2 huge spiders in the room last night, one of which actually ran across the bed. Can't even describe how bad that is for someone with arachnophobia. Eventually managed to capture it and get it through the tiny gap in the window and then, bugger me, another one charged out from under the bed. They were Giant House Spiders too, not even regular ones! I'm starting to think there needs to be a new scientific classification - House Spiders, Giant House Spiders and F***ing Ginormous House Spiders. I know it wasn't the hotel's fault as it's that time of year but it really didn't help. Such an unsettled night. I'm definitely a Prem Inn sort of girl ;-)

Was so hot and tired this morning so decided to just go for a little tootle to Walney Island before setting off back home a day early... well I got a puncture and had to walk all the way back to the hotel in the heat! Noooo! It's probably just as well we decided against doing our planned ride, getting a puncture before even leaving Barrow wouldn't have been a great start to a 60k+ ride!

Luckily the journey back was fine - the trains were quieter and cooler and we were able to sit the whole way.

I really want to do the Bay Cycleway but it will have to be another time and not in the middle of a heatwave. And I'll go to Premier Inn in future! I can laugh about it all now... almost hehe.