Crossing the Boundary

My boat checking for the Canal and River Trust between Lancaster and Tewitfield can be done by bus (which involves quite a bit of hanging about) or bike,  which takes just as long but requires more effort. To be fair to the Trust, they will pay "petrol money" if you use a car, but usually I don't.

On my last patrol I tried something different. Hilary had a day's work at Rydal Hall up in the Lake District, so I loaded the bike into the back of our car and we set off up the M6. Hilary dropped me at Burton-in-Kendal services, which is unusual in being on the northbound carriageway only with no southbound equivalent and also in apparently allowing legal access to the surrounding road network. All motorway service areas have local access roads but they are normally restricted to service vehicles and the like.

After I'd been dropped off in the car park I then had the "interesting" experience of cycling back down the slip road in the face of traffic coming off the motorway and turning right, across the flow, to join the road that leads out of the services!  I'm pretty sure that what I did is legal and although there were no signs indicating that the road concerned was an "exit" neither were there any signs prohibiting its use by traffic (including bikes) wishing to leave the service area.

I then had to cycle back down the "A" road to Tewitfield, passing as I did so over the boundary from Westmoreland* into Lancashire.

* The modern signs say "Cumbria"

One of the things I like about travelling by bike is that not only do you tend to notice such things, but you can also stop and photograph them.

We'd had an early start, so by the time I got to Hest Bank I was ready for a drink and a bite to eat.

This cafe at Hest Bank is ideally situated, with views to the sea at the front and the West Coast Main Line at the back. Perfect for a breakfast stop, except that the only coffee on offer is a particularly unpleasant brand of instant.
 Next time I'll try somewhere else.