We should have noticed the omen as it started to rain as soon as we loaded the car at home. Parents have their uses and ours was the free taxi ride up to Whitehaven. After much map reading and realising the lack of road signs in Whitehaven, we found our guesthouse at the top of a bleak windswept hill.

The rooms were very comfortable, clean and they offered the benefit of their own bar - thankfully as the thought of a walk into town that evening did not appeal. Once we had dumped our bags (and our bikes - which were stored upside down in the dining area!) we headed back into town with our chauffeurs and offered to buy them lunch in return for the lift. It was mid World Cup fever and so we picked a not too busy pub with TV in situ and roast on the menu.

The pub meal warmed us up and the football gave us the kick we needed to motivate a wander around the town. Perhaps wander is too romantic a word as a wet Whitehaven on a Sunday afternnon only made us think of the Smith's lyrics; "The seaside town they forgot to close down - Every day is like Sunday". After purchasing some newspapers, snacks and a travel game, we waved farewell to the parents and trekked up the hill back to the guesthouse.

We learnt a valuable lesson that afternoon; How accommodating pubs can be and as one of us is tee-total and therefore not a big spender this was a pleasant surprise. As long as you are out of the way of the other customers, the back of a chair makes an ideal drying place for wet coats, the toilets are usually equipped with hand dryers which are an additional quick fix to stave off hypothermia.

Our hosts at the guesthouse were very helpful and very very chatty, so much so we went to bed early to have a bit of piece and quiet. During our stay at the guesthouse we met some fellow C2Cers who had done the ride over the weekend and had returned to pick up their car. Unlike us, they had decided to camp the trail, well the trip was to include our wedding anniversary so we deserved some luxury! They warned us of the hills, but also told us about the thrill of the five mile free wheel descent out of Allenheads.

It became apparent to us during our visit to Whitehaven, that in it's own little way the C2C has begun to regenerate interest in whitehaven and although it will never be the bustling port it once was, hopefully it will become known for more than being the main living area for Sellafield employees.