There’s not much can beat it… a day out on the mountain bikes with a posse of pals on a glorious sunshiny day in the Lake District.
The Lakes can often seem a bit dark and dank for my liking, especially down in the valley bottoms, with all that grey slate around.
But once across the ferry at Hawkeshead, and climbing steadily into the hills beyond, it was superbly uplifting to be among some of Britain’s finest countryside in the best of conditions.
Some of the vistas were at their very best bathed in glorious sunshine and with barely another soul in sight, midweek and out of school holidays, there was a lightness about my legs that made the uphill toils almost a breeze.
Five hours of cycling later, and perhaps a hint of flagging about my physique, we were back at the ferry and heading for a local-brew pint or two and a top-notch meal to round off a perfect day.
Bring on the next trip.