Giant among bikes

My sparkly new Giant Escape N7

During my retirement party in Spain it was announced that my present was to be a mountain bike. This fantastically generous gesture was absolutely unexpected. However, with expert advice from no less an authority than the Titchfield Cycling Association (TCA), it was decided that a Giant Escape N7 would be appropriate for my needs. This robust road bike will also cope with moderate off-road trails. And so it was to Top Mark specialist cycling dealer in Barrow-in-Furness that I went to place my order. For the experts, the technical specifications can be scrutinised here, but in brief:

Frame ALUXX aluminium, Fluid Formed; Fork CroMo rigid; Brakes Shimano Nexus Roller Brakes; Wheels Alex ACE 18 rims, Shimano Nexus hubs; Drivetrain Shimano Nexus 7 speed; Size 19".

After a couple of hours fixing the accessories and a couple of local spins to get the feel of the bike, I decided my first proper adventure should be in deepest Furness (see map below).

Handle-bar bag for binoculars, camera, portable telephone, digital voice recorder and map. Bracket for GPS.


Rear bracket for saddle tool bag (with still room for Rennies and a Mars bar), lunch pack and cagoul.

Drink bottle (must remember to fill it!), pump and D-lock securely clamped to the frame





Alternative...





I transported the bike in the back of my X-trail to Great Urswick and set of from there. It wasn't long before memories of the cycling days of my first childhood* came flooding back: zipping along country roads on a warm, but not overbearing, June morning with the wind in my face, battered by flying insects, midges up my nose and in my lungs... But above all, I could HEAR the birds of the hedgerows singing: Whitethroats, Willow Warblers, Tree Sparrows, to name but three.

The circular route was planned to pass some of the tarns of the Furness Peninsula, which are known to attract interesting migrants and breeding birds. The first was Urswick Tarn with Great Crested Grebes and Coots on the open water, Reed Warblers singing in the fringes and Swallows and House Martins hawking for insects. Then on south through Scales to Mere Tarn, a delightful reedy water almost hidden from view which had breeding lapwing and a couple of recently-fledged Grey Herons.

It was then but a short leg past Gleaston Castle to the old watermill at Gleaston where I discovered the Dusty Miller café by the old water mill. Although I appreciate that coffee and cherry flan with clotted cream is not strictly in accord with the customs of TCA, it was just the job at 10.30 am on a Sunday morning!

Morning coffee at the Dusty Miller by Gleaston Water Mill

The return route took me north via Stainton back to Urswick Tarn where I had my sandwich and flask of coffee whilst listening to the song of a Reed Warbler on the edge of the Tarn. Finally, in respect to TCA, a visit was made to the General Burgoyne in Great Urswick for a glass of shandy.

* It has been asserted that I never left it.

The blue arrows show the route (the big one at Great Urswick is where I parked). Big green blob is Mere tarn; big red blob is The Dusty Miller café.