Day 8 of Lejog 2024: Lancaster to Penrith

The weather forecast was very accurate. It was a very wet day, so more of a case of braving the elements, than admiring the scenery. It was only late in the day that the sun finally made an appearance. We set off from Lancaster suitably attired and immediately faced a few steep hills in driving rain. On one of these we came across a lone cyclist with panniers. The fact he was out cycling in these conditions was a give away that he also was on the way to John O'Groats. We met up again at our first brew stop when the Peak Tour guide took pity on the elderly gentlemen ( Mark from Eastbourne ) to  offer him a hot cup of tea and use of a hand pump!! The rain was incessant and we must have looked a real bedraggled group as we cycled through the delightful town of Kirkby Lonsdale with a brief viewing of St Mary's Church, dating  back to the 12th century.  We then encountered a mammoth hill with gradients up to 18%. After struggling up the hill, we arrived soon at our lunch destination. Not a pub this time. Instead a service station off the M6. It seemed a strange choice until it was explained that on a past tour, the guide had struggled to get in contact with a pub which they had used for many years. On the day of the event, they had visited the pub to confirm arrangements, only to find the pub was boarded up. In desperation, the tour guide went into the service station to ask whether they could accommodate meals for 25 people. It worked out well so the service station has been used ever since. Into the afternoon and it was decided that with only 20 miles to go, it might be worthwhile to ditch the brew stop and cycle straight to Penrith. Belatedly, the sun came out, in time to have a good viewing of Brougham Castle, founded in the early 13th century. Thankfully, a short leg of 60 miles, giving us plenty of time to warm up after a very challenging ride. After a much needed hot shower, I went out to the town in search of a newspaper. I chose the Sunday Post, not because I was really interested in the content but because it was the cheapest large newspaper available. That might sound odd so I should explain my purpose was to have paper I could stuff into my sodden cycling shoes to help get them dry for the following day. It brought back memories when I played football as a kid and did the same with wet football boots.