The Wind Behind Us….

Fat Tyres, Big Skies and Boggy Hills: A Cumbrian Coast Adventure

Three mates, three fat bikes and two days exploring the Cumbrian coast. With Saul and Sal alongside me, our Bearclaw, Trek and Scott loaded up, we set off from Ravenglass on Sunday morning towards Silloth. Ahead lay beaches, bridleways, quiet lanes and enough coffee stops to keep the wheels turning.

The weather couldn’t quite make its mind up. We started dry, got wet, then found ourselves back in the sunshine. A fairly standard Cumbrian welcome. Between the showers, we stitched together stretches of coastline and countryside, our big tyres leaving their tracks in the sand.

There’s something about beach riding on a fat bike that brings out your inner kid. All that space, the sea beside you and the freedom to pick a line across the sand. With bags strapped to the bikes and nowhere to be except our overnight stop, it was easy to settle into the rhythm of the ride.

Eventually, we reached The Gale, our Airbnb around four miles outside Silloth. Day one done, with a chance to put our feet up before the return journey. The next leg would have rather more to say about our legs.

Instead of simply retracing the coast, we headed inland towards the Lakes, up and over the hills. The skies were beautifully blue; the ground was considerably less accommodating. Boggy trails and fully loaded fat bikes made for slow, hard progress. Big tyres can do a lot, but they don’t make a laden bike float uphill. Some stretches became a proper push-and-grunt affair.

It was a slog, but looking up from the next patch of mud revealed huge views across the fells. We’d certainly earned those views, even if we were occasionally too busy wrestling a bike to appreciate them.

Dropping back to the sea at Seascale felt like a reward in itself. Ice cream made it even better. Essential recovery fuel, obviously.

Then came more sandy beach riding as we worked our way back towards Ravenglass. Under those big blue skies, with the hills behind us and the sea alongside, the toughest parts were already becoming good stories.

By the finish, we’d covered around 120 miles and 7,000 feet of climbing. No mechanicals, plenty of coffee, a fair bit of mud and some glorious coastal riding with Saul and Sal.

Proper type two fun: hard work in the moment, and somehow a brilliant idea again once you’ve finished.

Plenty more images on my instagram page.. https://www.instagram.com/stories/theindianfiretrail/