Big cumbrian breakfast for bike riders

Cumbria County Council is giving cyclists on the inaugural ride of the Pennine Cycle Way a slap-up Cumbrian breakfast on Tuesday July 15 to fuel them for the day ahead. Freelance chef and former Mayor of Allerdale, John Crouch, will be dishing up breakfast from 8am in the old gasworks car park site off Chapel Street, Appleby. Here over 80 cyclists will be joined by Councillor Webster, Vice Chair of Cumbria County Council and Councillor Mrs Ella Langan, the Mayor of Appleby to enjoy Cumberland sausage, bacon butties, fresh fruit and yoghurts and Cumbria spring water. 

Cumbria County Council vice-chair Councillor Jim Webster, who will be acting as host for the big breakfast, said: 

"We are delighted to see the opening of this part of the national cycle network through Cumbria, linking up with the Cumbria Cycle Way. The county council aims to promote cycling in all its forms as a sustainable, enjoyable and healthy mode of transport, for travel to work and school as well as leisure. 

The Pennine Cycle Way is an excellent way of seeing one of Cumbria's gems, the Eden Valley. Its opening should bring economic benefits to accommodation providers, pubs, restaurants, cafes and other small businesses along the route. 

We hope the riders enjoy their breakfast, get a taste for what Cumbria has to offer and come back another day." 

After breakfast, Councillor Langan and Councillor Webster will wave the riders off from the Moot Hall at 9am on the next stage of their journey to Haltwhistle in Northumberland. The Pennine Cycle Way, a 340-mile long-distance challenge route from Derby to Berwick., has been created by Sustrans, the national sustainable transport charity, as part of the national cycle network. 

Cumbria County Council carried out initial consultations on the route through the county, followed by more detailed consultations with the Cumbria Cycling Panel. It has also assisted with the signing of the route. 

All the traditional Cumbrian fare has been donated by W. McClure Ltd of Windermere, Carr's of Carlisle (part of the McVitie's Group), and Lakeland Willow Spring Water.