09/04/22
I was ready for a 200 km. Just not this one. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an amazing route; beautiful scenery and very quiet roads. But the wages of scenery are hills.
I fixed a puncture in light snow and fading light in my way up Swinhope Head, then descended to Middleton in the dark with a flickering headlight. It’s only about 40 km back to Darlo, but I was done. A stop at the Co-op and phone calls to a few taxi companies, all but one refused to take a bike and that one wouldn’t be available for ages, so I tried one of the hotels/bars in town and was delighted when they found me a room, and also let me leave my bike in the cellar overnight.
The following morning was sunny and I had a nice ride back via a much needed cooked breakfast in Barnard Castle.
Hexham 
Ah, downhill at last. Surely we wont be going up that road I can see on the next hill… 
…yep. 
Barnard’s castle
167 km in who knows how many hours
