Day 10

Saturday 27th May

Well I had my Italian last night, which resulted in several visits to the bathroom for repeated entreaties and prayers to the porcelaine gods. If I'm honest I think I overdid it, with a starter, main course & desert, all of which were a little on the rich side, and two large glasses of red to boot... did really want to relax a little & enjoy being at the half way mark, but after ten days of hard physical exertion & eating properly, my body just wasn't interested!

I was aiming for the Scottish border today, but after the lack of sleep (& prayers) it was always going to be a challenge, given what was facing me for breakfast: Shap. 1,400 feet of the Lake District's best, and a strong wind to boot. I made it up Shap relatively painlessly, but that pretty much did for my legs & I spent the rest of the day struggling against a wind which was turning decidedly into a northerly.

Only made Carlisle & 55 miles; have the day off tomorrow to watch the Monaco Grand Prix, which I have really been looking forward to. If only the weather were a little more pleasant, I could relax & enjoy the trip a little more.