Working on the basis that travelling is thirsty work, thirteen tea shops in Cumbria are gearing up to woo passers-by with their home-baked wares, whatever their mode of transport.

Cyclists, bird-watchers, walkers and even horse riders are some of the top targets of the Tea Trail Cumbria as they use their quirky character and idyllic rural settings to make a stop-off on a Sunday drive or ride a truly memorable experience.

Their main line of attack is the humble scone, home-made and home-baked, served warm and fresh from the oven and a source of inspiration for everyone from poets to mere passers-by. To celebrate their status as scone-makers supreme, they have organised a limerick contest to identify the most inspired scone-eater in the country.

The winner will earn a place for themselves and a friend on a scone-making workshop, to be held at the Greystoke Cycle Café, Greystoke, near Penrith, but even the losers will have experienced a fantastic taste of the Cumbrian landscape, wherever they stop off for their scone fix.

Tourists from home and overseas, day-trippers and those making the most of the great outdoors in Cumbria can get hooked on scones at any of the teashops, which stretch from Kitridding Farm, near Kirby Lonsdale in the south and to the Cumbrian Cottage Tea Room, near Brampton, in the north. Many are located on popular walking or cycling routes, making them glorious places to rest the weary feet, or relax the muscles.

Details of how to enter the scone-focused limerick competition can be found at www.golakes.co.uk/teatrailcumbria where a downloadable map of the Tea Trail Cumbria can also be found.

So, whilst rambling around in The Lakes, On a quest for the tastiest cakes, there's no excuse not to kick-start a love affair with scones.