27/09/11 - Happy Birthday Sandy (my sister 63 today - old ain't she!!) Day 14 (13 riding) - 06:30 awake and guess what no rain! 08:00 unbelievably good brekkie, the grub at this place rivals Paul's! 08:30 John collected the bikes from the snooker room 08:32 found John humping my rear tyre, it was flat! Decided to go back to the bike shop to mend outside as they have a stirrup pump. That worked and I changed the rear pads on my brakes at the same time. However they we binding a bit but decided to ride out anyway as they should free up as we go. Wrong very wrong after an hour they had virtually seized up again so stopped in a field put the old pads back in but no good so rode on with no brakes to Ribblehead over the Pennine way again via Dodd's Fell and Tan End to Hawes and another bike shop. Just my luck bike shop had gone bust but a bit of luck the Market was on and Dr Bike was at the Market. Raced over to the stalls only to find Dr Bike had done a bunk 5 minutes earlier in search of custom in Lanark! Called him on his mobile and he said he would be back by 9pm. I said thank you but would be a bit late so had a quick bite to eat in the churchyard then having refrained from burying my bike we rode on out of Hawes up a really steep long climb to Cutter End then along a ridge and a plateau by Lunds Fell via High Dyke and Hell Gill then finished off with a long downhill section under Mallerstrang Edge. Half way down; there is a God, my brakes came back to life! Must have been grit or dirt in the callipers - painful. Got to Kirkby Stephen found bike shop number 3047, or so it seems, at Station Garage very helpful chap reinstalled my new pads - all's well that ends well. Then off in to the village, found a Guest House had a cup of tea and a piece of fruit cake with Wensleydale cheese - strange habits t'up here - and all by 5:30pm Curry and a beer lights out 10 zzzzzz. 38.69 miles (684) 28/09/11 - Day 15 (14 riding) - Rest day, wishful thinking, after a hearty breakfast courtesy of Carol at the Jolly Farmers Guest House we set off. No punctures, no brake problems, gears working, sun shining this has to be the perfect day to ride the Moors. The only draw back we only have a short ride to Appleby in the Moorland then catch a train back to Hebden Bridge - VIA LEEDS!! - to reunite with our motor home and wait for Mike. Got to Appleby at 10 am the next train 12:37 so decided to ride on to make tomorrow an easier day. What a bad decision. It only looked a 2 minute ride along a bridleway but it took nearly an hour. Boggy, stinging nettles, brambles and horse hoof holes ( why oh why do they let horses use brdleways, especially in autumn! With mud up to our axles we emerged out onto a lane. John not happy rode off tearing up the trail and disappeared in to the distance never to be seen again - well for 15 minutes actually when I caught up with him searching for the bakers sign posted a mile or two back. Comfort food, 3 sausage rolls, 2 scotch pies, 6 fairy cakes, 2 scones and an enormous slab of fruit cake ordered and paid for - £7.00, shouldn't we have this bakers in Horsham? If you're ever near Appleby it's definatley worth a visit, yum yum. We rode back to the railway station and while waiting for the train the Staton Master offered us a coffee and lent us a watering can and use of a tap to clean up our bikes, and ourselves! I wonder if you would get that at East Croydon? With gleaming steeds we boarded the 12:37 (on time) to Leeds and promptly passed a lot of the Moors we had ridden the preceding two days, beautiful, but it did set me wondering why didn't we choose an easier way seeing the Country? But it is for a good cause! Arrived at Hebden Bridge then had a mad dash to get back to the motor home, change, shower then chase back to Hebden Bridge with our washing as the launderette's last wash was at 5pm. We did make it though so we were at least smelling nice for Mike when he arrived safe and sound via Preston, Manchester University and all points north east at 23:30! Although John only found out the next day as he was asleep by 23:00! 24.01 miles (708)