We're in the Lake District now! If you ever go to the UK, this is the place to visit. But there is a more pressing matter to discuss:
Mistakes.
Some of them were big ones. And I hate it. They haven't ruined the trip per se but they've made it much more difficult to reach our destination in time.
Mistake #1: Not researching a route beforehand.
Mistake #2: Not buying extra tires for the trailer.
We paid a heavy price for both.
Classic Fish 'n' chips here in the UK.
She likes to play. We stayed at this nice hotel that was so spacious. Had we arrived two hours earlier we could have indulged in the spa, darn it!
Getting some repairs at the bike shop. Our first mistake was not purchasing spare tires here. Keep reading towards the end to find out why.
There are signs that we pass advertising ice cream or gelato from the local farms. I have to get some.
You can change a baby's bum anywhere!
You can also feed a baby anywhere!
The birthplace of President John Taylor, 3rd prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was conveniently along our bike route!
I wasn't expecting a home like this though. I thought it'd be a shed or barn. I dunno why.
This is what should be written on the signs since England wasn't made for the Modern Car.
See how narrow it is? A car can barely fit. What happens if a car comes in the opposite direction? Everyone perishes.
Hey, look it's time for Church! Isn't that a neat building?
This was the last time we smiled today because we made the other mistake of not researching this route ahead of time.
We opted to take a route that Google Maps said was better. Had the route been more or less like this then we could have managed.
I'd even settle for this road.
This view can't be beat! That was the only thing that kept us going.
Here's what we had to go up. It was so steep! I was furious.
See where Holly and the trailer are? We lugged everything up that. It was terrible.
Fording rivers.
The water was kinda cold but felt good.
To top off the end of a long, terrible day we ate just as bad food at the hotel. We lost nearly a full day today.
The Bean has learned how to get out of her seatbelt!
I'd love to live here.
The Red Dragon likes eating the Bean's crocks!
Splash pad time!
One of his strengths is his laser focus. He fixates on something and won't relent.
Back to Mistake #2. These tires had less than 500 miles on them. We purchased them in Korea after those ones also wore out. I guess I didn't learn my lesson then. Ahh I'm so mad.
We've been waking up to flat tires on our trailer the past few days. Tiny little wires are poking through sabatoging our efforts. And I don't like it.
Something else that I don't like but should be better written as pure hatred are the gates that guard the canals here in England. Typically, for a bike path there is some kind of barricade to prevent a car from entering. Or if it's a shared path then maybe they don't want a horse on part of it so the developers come up with an intricate, almost Chinese booby-trap system to navigate these gates. With a regular bike it's mostly manageable. But with a trailer it's virtually impossible - either because the barricade isn't wide enough or not tall enough or it has too many twists and turns. Or they just have stairs. On a bike path. Stairs. Like idiots. My blood has been boiling the past few days. It slows us down, especially having to unhook the trailer, etc.
In any case, you let me down, UK. After nearly two weeks of riding, I can say with confidence that you're not the most bike-friendly country. And make wider roads already. Or use smaller cars like Japan.
Without further ado, let's look at some pics.
Lots of canal riding in the West Midlands.
Holly wants to live in a canal boat someday.
I love passing by all the wildlife, especially the swans and geese families.
We pass by some really nice homes and people living in decadence.
Look at the ancient bridges that people used in the Olden Days.
Some of them are really low that I have to duck.
This was towering above us in person. Like 5 levels.
So here you are riding your bike and you go under the bridge and come out the other side to be greeted by this stupid barricade. dumb.
Or even better, a set of stairs.
Look at this silly street name.
Lily Rose saw Holly getting a fly out of my eye so she started saying she had one in her eye too and wanted it out 😂
Not all canal paths are created equal. Some are muddy and filled with poop and pee from the canal boaters that use the banks as their own personal toilet. I rode past a huge dump. And everything smelled like an outhouse for 100 yards. I was so mad.
I love this ancient bridge.
Slugging through this was a chore. Also, don't forget: Stinging Nettle.
Joaquim's first time on the swings! Do you think he likes it? He does!
Get to work!
I made her clean the tire. She did a poor job.
Gangster tunnel in Manchester.
Cats are pure evil. I made sure to scare this one away.
Rain! We enjoyed England's one good week of weather all year last week and now it's over.
We're a few days behind schedule. At the beginning of the trip, I got a message from Holly's mom telling me to not be cheap and to book hotels during our ride. Holly and I decided to take her up on her offer and ditch our camping gear at their house so we can lighten our load and thus actually finish this trip (something we have been unsure about if we'd be able to do). So now it's hotels the rest of the time! I'm a little nervous since it forces us to have one option for lodging. And I love options. So I hope we don't get ruined and will be able to find vacancies.
We enjoyed the Sabbath Day Worship Services here in Weston-Super-Mare (look at their silly names for towns).
One of the many thousands of reasons cyclists are hated globally is for their lack of following signs and traffic laws.
Bean won some money!
This meal was supposed to be delicious but it didn't even appeal to my basic tastes. I think everything was frozen and reheated.
I like getting action shots of Holly.
We're eating lunch and playing at a park.
There's an action shot of me.
This new Dairy Milk chocolate was so good. I love Biscoff.
We stayed at Holly's cousin's house in Stroud and they loved meeting the Red Dragon.
They had a good doggie that the Bean would get scared of when he barked.
Hao was a great host! I finally got to meet him. Also, with his facial hair, he looks like Confucius.
One of the rare bike lanes that all of England has to offer. (Hint, it's not a bike-friendly country despite having many cyclists.)
The canal boats are lined up for days along the canals. Holly said she wants to live in one someday.
Most of the barricades allow us to pass. Some, just barely. Others not at all. Then my blood boils.
I got plucky on this one.
This tunnel was super low that even I had to duck.
I love the Tudor houses and all the chimneys they have. Imagine living in the Olden Days where you had to stoke a fire to keep warm.
We made it to Holly's mom's house in Worcester! Time to eat!
