Day 17: Abington to Lockerbie

Hiya, friends! Another day, another 45 kilometres down, and on paper, it looked like a breeze. A few downhills, some promising gradients, and a short distance. I even dared to think, “Hey, this could be an easy one!”

Spoiler: it wasn’t!

Sure, the downhills were there, but so was the road surface, which I’ve lovingly named “walnut cake cobble horror.” Imagine a walnut cake tossed into the freezer, left to fossilize, and then paved across a countryside. That’s what I was rolling over!

Instead of cruising downhill like usual, I had to push hard just to get any momentum. Freewheeling? Forget it. The chair felt like it had parked itself out of pure protest. It was some of the hardest terrain I’ve tackled so far. And just when I thought it couldn't get trickier...enter the cambers.

For those unfamiliar: a camber is when the road tilts to one side. These were the extreme kind. I spent most of the day leaning the opposite way, braking with one arm, pushing with the other, and doing a wonky sort of sideways shuffle to avoid tumbling into traffic. Glamorous, I know.

But despite the tough grind, there were bright spots. The lovely Paul was there to brighten up my day. He was a rock of the good variety. I had someone to chat to who understand how tough a challenge like this is, and there was no walking on egg shells around him! (Or cake!!) Then a couple of downhills actually lived up to the promise, and I made the most of them (arms in the air, metaphorically, because I still needed to steer). And the best part? I’m now parked up in a lovely house, for three whole days. A rare treat to stay in one place for more than a night!

Tomorrow’s a day off (hallelujah!), and I’ve got a few bits and bobs to sort. Then it’s off to see the fantastic Carlisle Cougars on Saturday. They might just be the proud new owners of a Glasgow Warriors signed ball. After that, it’s back to wheelie business!

A couple of niggles today...my lower back and left arm are protesting a bit, but that’s expected after wrestling with rogue cambers all day. Picture me: twisted into a pretzel, braking and pushing like a one-person marching band. Exhausting, but oddly satisfying, and must have been quite funny to see!!

So that’s today, rough, rattly, but rewarding. I’ll be soaking in some rest tomorrow. Maybe a bit of pampering. Definitely no frozen cake roads.

Onward! (As the great Nyad would say!!)