Family on a Bike goes Eco-Touring
 
 
A Family on a Bike Tour 2006
 

Our home-made, sticky toffee Cumbrian eco-tour

The idea: a clean, green tour of our own beautiful backyard, travelling by bike, spending our money with local businesses, visiting eco-and conservation projects, meeting people with a passion for the planet and learning about sustainable living.

The route: starts at our front door, follows the trail of The Cumbria Cycle Way and takes in sections of four major Sustrans routes: the Pennine Way, Sea to Sea, Hadrian's Wall and Walney to Wear, ending up where we started some 350km later.

The riding: on average a modest 30km per day. Experience suggests that's between two and three hours leisurely riding on heavily laden bikes. And we'll do this in two or three stages with breaks in between to eat, drink and be merry.

Accommodation: we've chosen a varied mix of places to stay, including camp-sites, camping barns, youth hostels, caravans, guest houses and small locally owned inns and hotels. And after 14 nights and 15 days we'll be back in our own beds.

Eating: patronising small locally owned stores, cafes, pubs and restaurants. Visiting places recommended by the Cumbria Tea Trail and the Taste District, we'll be scanning menus to try and find dishes that use organic local produce or are locally made. And if we can't go local we'll see if we can go fairtrade. Let's hope we don't go hungry as on a bike food is fuel.


Our itinerary

Date

km
Visiting Destination Staying at
Sat 1st April
28
Churchmouse Cheeses, Kirkby Lonsdale Sedbergh Pinfold Caravan Park, Camping
Sun 2nd April
30
Far End Tea Garden, Cumbria Tea Trail Kirkby Stephen Pennine Hotel, B&B
Mon 3rd April
18
  Appleby Hawkrigg Farm, Camping
Tue 4th April
32
Melmerby Organic Bakery
Gamblesby Village Hall Ground Source Heat Pump
Little Salkeld Organic Mill
Little Salkeld Bank House Farm, Caravan
Wed 5th April
15
Eden Community Recycling Project
Arthur Street, Cumbria's First Eco Street
Granary Furniture Recycling Project
Penrith Norcroft Guest House, B&B
Thu 6th April
25
Low Bridge End Farm Tea Garden St John's in Vale Low Bridge End Camping Barn
Fri 7th April
5

Keswick School Solar Power Project
Cumbria House, Green Globe 21 Guest House
The Lakeland Pedlar

Keswick Crow Park Road Camping
Sat 8th April
15
  Low Lorton The Wheatsheaf Inn, Camping
Sun 9th April
27

Kirkstone Inn
Wild Ennerdale, Cooperative Management Project

Ennerdale Ennerdale Youth Hostel
Mon 10th April
30
  Beckermet Whitemare Hotel, B&B
Tue 11th April
23
Sellafield Visitors Centre Ravenglass Ravenglass Camping
Wed 12th April
35
Eskdale Green Biomass Project Haverigg Duddon Youth Hostel
Thu 13th April
34
Haverigg Wind Farm, Baywind Cooperative Ulverston The Walkers Hostel
Fri 14th April
24
  Cartmel Cartmel, Camping
Sat 15th April
32
  Home  

Read more about the tour
Read our tour journals and postings

Useful Links
Cumbrian Tourist Board
Visit Cumbria
Lake District National Park
Hidden Treasures of Cumbria 
Sustrans National Cycle Network
C2C Cycle Route
Walney to Wear Cycle Route
Outdoor Action in The Lake District


 
 

 

 

 

 
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