Stuey's Mid Life Crisis Run 2009

Flying Ferrets Biking Group Stuey's Mid Life Crisis Run

	Late May Bank Holiday Weekend Sat-Mon 23rd-25th May
	Starting at Kendal in Cumbria @ 10:30
	Pace: MediumÜPacey
A long Bank Holiday weekend based in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. We'll be spending a full day on the Sunday exploring further afield into Scotland unencumbered by luggage. The first meet-up will be in Kendal on the Saturday at 10:30. It'll then be a quick dash up Shap and on to lunch in Brampton near Carlisle for 12:30 - the aim being to get to lunch smartly so that the afternoon can be spent taking in a decent roundabout route on more interesting roads through Eskdalemuir before arriving at Galashiels at about 17:30. If it suits you better then you can always make your own way to Galashiels directly. The same principle will be applied for the return on Monday leaving at 09:30 taking in Kielder Park and Water, through Alston, Penrith for lunch and back down the A6 through Shap to Kendal for about 15:00. We'll be leaving it up to attendees to arrange their own accommodation, be it hotel, guest house, B&B or camp site, but we can supply a list of contacts in Galashiels. We will be getting together for dinner and socialising Saturday evening in Galashiels.

Meet-Up Locations & Route Details

Saturday the 23rd of May at 10:30 (click map to enlarge image)

Kendal - Union Jack Cafe at 15 Kirkland (A6), LA9 5AF, town centre.
10:30 for 11:00 departure.

There is a car park and toilets on Peppercorn Lane which is the next side street just up Kirkland on the right hand side, if you're heading north. Note that Kirkland is part of a one way system going north on the section where the cafe is situated.

Please ensure that you start with a full tank. The nearest fuel is a Shell station on Lound Road. Note that there are no petrol stations on the A6 (Milnthorpe Road) coming into Kendal from the A591 by-pass.

Sat:	Garmin MapSource Download	121 miles ~ 10:30 - 17:30	Leader: CLIVE
From the meet-up in Kendal it's up Shap on the A6 through Penrith then onto back lanes through Lazonby and on to our lunch break at Brampton, east of Carlisle. After lunch we do a fast cut cross to the equally fast A7 as far as Langholm, where we cut off onto our Eskdalemuir loop up the White Esk valley, across Nether Cassock and down through the Ettrick Water valley to our next break at Tushielaw Inn. After the break we descend the rest of the valley down to Selkirk and a short hop back on the A7 to Galashiels.
Sun:	Garmin MapSource Download	160 miles ~ 09:30 - 17:30	Leader: STUEY
A large loop, starting westwards from Galashiels through Peebles before turning north towards Edinburgh, then heading east through Bonnyrigg to follow the Firth of Forth towards the North Sea coast, but avoiding the A1. Plenty of wonderful roads get us touching the sea at Eyemouth before we drop south for our protracted stop in Berwick Upon Tweed. The route west to Galashiels takes in all manner of devious biking roads, in a zigzag path back through Melrose. Breaks during the day have yet to be finalised, but will be added asap.
Mon:	Garmin MapSource Download	140 miles ~ 09:30 - 15:30	Leader: CLIVE
From Galashiels we'll head south east down through Melrose and south through Jedburgh, after which we cut out into Kielder Forest and our first break at Kielder Water. It's then out of the Forest down through Haydon Bridge and the run over the tops to our lunch break in Alston. After lunch we'll head down through Melmerby to the last break at the Red Rooster in Penrith. The final leg is the dash back down Shap, on the A6, to our finish in Kendal.
 Please note that the Garmin MapSource routes now include website links from waypoints, where applicable.

Weather Forecasts - Latest forecast as at 22/05/09 23:25

Outlook for the Long Weekend

Rain or showers to begin with on Saturday quickly clearing to sunny spells as we get into the Borders, 15-16C. Best day will be Sunday, dry with sunny periods and 17C inland but 19C on the coast. Monday's return is likely to start with a few scattered showers but otherwise dry & sunny, and 15-16C.

ñ View BBC National Forecast