Sunday, June 12, 2016
Wheel Easy Ride Report 527

Short Ride

Great ride today to Spa Gardens to celebrate Wheel Easy’s birthday and as it turned out also our Queen. 7 of us set off at 12.00 taking the quickest route to Ripon via Knaresborough, Farnham etc. We arrived in good time even after taking a detour to see the canal barges Sue Threadgold drives (?). (Sue intends to arrange a Saturday afternoon cycle/car ride to Ripon followed by a trip on the canal. Anyone interested please let her know. Date to be arranged.) After an enjoyable piece of cake and hot drink 6 of us returned to Harrogate retracing our route to Burton Leonard where Al and Liz left us. The remaining 4, Sue T; Sue O and Neil and myself carried on through the Mountgarret estate to Nidd, Ripley and the Greenway. Home just in time before the rain came. Peter Mclean met up with Lynda who had ridden to Ripon with us and he was able to meet up with old friends before leaving the area and venturing south. This ride may possibly be the last one with Wheel -easy for Lynda. We wish you both all the very best in your new home. I know you will keep in touch with your friends. Thanks to Jill Jackson for arranging this day and for the delicious cake and welcome cup of tea. Jean

Medium Ride (1)

The medium groups were all sent off by Jill at 10.30. Our group comprised Nicki, Marion, 2 x Graham and Liz. Graham H was an excellent shepherd! Our route was Knaresborough, Farnham, Arkendale, Ouseburn and the Dunsforth’s into Boroughbridge where we sat outside Tasty Snacks and enjoyed bacon butties with 4 large coffees and 1 tea. Then we proceeded north towards Dishforth, a rare route for a medium ride, and enjoyed the lovely scenery, flora and sunshine. A bit further on a Medium plus group turned in front of us led by DP so we could just relax and follow them through Marton-le-Moor and into Ripon. We all enjoyed the coffee, cake, sunshine, music and gossip in Spa Gardens then came back to Harrogate via, Bishop Monkton, Markington and Ripley with only a few drops of rain and it was too warm to wear waterproofs anyway. 45 miles and little traffic once we left Knaresborough. Liz Pugh

Medium Ride (2)

Oh what a jolly day. What a strange time to start a Sunday ride, could have done a million things before I set off to Hornbeam for 10.30. The weather was vaguely summery, not sunny but not snowing. Five people opted for à real medium ride 35 miles to Ripon Sun Pavilion in Spa Gardens via Boroughbridge. We made Boroughbridge by coffee time and popped into Lister’s farm shop for two bacon sandwiches the size of barrage balloons, two cheese platters that could individually feed a family of six for two weeks, and five teas or coffees. So we left the cafe with small gaps for a piece of Sun Pavilion celebration cake and speeded to Spa Gardens where there seemed to be an extremely buzzy gathering going on…clog dancers, little stalls, strings of bunting, deckchairs, a brass band, hundreds of people, a multitude bikes and some rather attractive ladies and gentlemen in Wheel Easy shirts. Jill was presiding, continuing her phenomenal bout of organisational skilfulness as witnessed at Hornbeam 4 hours ago, dealing out cake and coffee. We basked in the sun and frankly a couple of glasses of wine, a few more hours in the sun and a taxi home was all that was required to make a perfect end to a perfect celebration. It was nice of the queen to share it with Wheel Easy or it was nice of Wheel Easy to share it with the queen. Anyway back to reality, six medium people set off for home, the ride leader disappointing Malcolm by avoiding the Littlethorpe route to Bishop Monkton, where three different routes home were chosen, Markington, Mountgarrett, or Knaresborough hill. Needing to slow down a bit I chose a lone route up Knaresborough hill, and Bill W accompanied me part of the way in a very gentlemanly manner. Having been overtaken by a variety of other W.E groups, eventually on reaching the Stray, I was surprised to see bits of the original medium group crossing along the paths in several different directions….every dispersed medium rider reached Harrogate at the same time. Excellent. Thank you Jill for organising a super celebration…the queen would be proud of you. CG

  

Medium Ride (3)

10th anniversary day. Meeting at 10.30 was the first challenge of the day. However, lots of people assembled at the right time and we split off into our various ride groups and off we went. The second challenge was getting to the Greenway. The leader was busy chatting and suddenly realised she’d gone a rather extended way. However, the error was rectified and we were soon back on track. It was good to see lots of young riders on the Greenway. We were all busy chatting and were nearing Brimham Rocks in no time at all. After a brief consultation exercise, it was agreed to follow the leader’s preferred option of Fellbeck rather than the track. The conversations continued while we sped along up hill and down dale – the monarchy, rugby, football, the dauphine and then the in/out issue. Fortunately this was happily settled over coffee break at Fountains. No ‘Grand Depart’, no ‘Tour de Yorkshire’, no Christian Prudames, none of those lovely Italian bikes, there was only one option. So onwards to Spa Gardens where we were greeted by a quintessentially English scene – a band, bunting and even a tea tent. Everyone had obviously come to celebrate Wheeleasy’s 10th anniversary! We all enjoyed chunks of cake and tea, thanks to Jill. It was lovely to have the opportunity to meet up with friends made over the years through Wheeleasy. However, the skies were beginning to cloud over, so the consensus was to try to get home before the rain. Happily we did! A most enjoyable ride in great company- thanks to Justin for back marking and to everyone for knowing the way! Alison N.

Medium Plus Anniversary Ride

James Grimshaw devised a great route for us to get to Ripon in time for tea and have a cafe stop at The Purple Partridge. Three groups left Hornbeam on a day that promised sunshine and we were not disappointed.
We rolled along quiet lanes with Dave Preston helping to guide his flock and the only decisions we had to make were to do with cafe shock. We committed the crime of cutting off a corner and as our mothers always told us we would always get found out and found out we were! The fast group saw us sneaking out of the cut off lane, however their speed never faulted and they made the cafe before us all and were well ensconced by the time our group arrived. We enjoyed our lunch and with time to spare Dave suggested an extra loop to get us to Ripon via Sharow meeting up with Liz and her group on the way. We arrived at Spa Gardens where a garden party was in full swing, bunting, brass bands and dancing, a right royal celebration.
Our Queen, Jill Jackson, who organised the day was happily dispensing tea and coffee and delicious cake made by Caroline at Spa Gardens. The decorated cakes were a special treat much appreciated by us all.
Everyone agreed that the relaxed atmosphere at Spa Gardens was excellent and so nice that all the rides leaving at different times and via different destinations all met up together.
We wandered away from the celebrations to return home via the deer park and home via the Greenway. An excellent way to end our day, the sun shone almost throughout, we rode 56 miles. Thank you to everyone in our group, Steve, Neeta, Paul, Dave, John and Monica. Today, as on so many of our rides, saw Wheel Easy at its best. Gia

Medium Plus Ride (Faster Group)

To celebrate the 10 years Anniversary a good sized group set of from Hornbeam to Ripon via Raskelf on a day brightening up nicely as we sped down to low bridge in Knaresborough on our way to the much talked about Purple Partridge.
Passing through Arkendale and Great Ouseburn down to Aldwark wooden bridge….238 years old this year and which was reputed to have been hit by an Iceberg in the 19th century, no such things about today though. On reaching Newton-on-Ouse we had slight directional issues we missed the Tollerton turning. After that it was plain sailing passing Dave Preston’s group in Flawith arriving at the Purple Partridge for a reviving bean on toast….good portions!! They had even laid on extra staff for us as more groups arrived.
Back in the saddle we headed on to Ripon via a different route racing through to Boroughbridge some of us fancied a bit of a blast arriving in a busy Ripon Spa gardens to be met by Gill for tea and tasty fruit cake and there was even a brass band playing for us which we all thought was a nice touch until we were reminded that it was the Queen’s birthday great to listen to as we supped tea and watched the kids trying to destroy the crazy golf.
As all the other groups arrived, wheel easy numbers built up to a fair size which kept Gill busy on the urn doing sterling work a great effort! As the band played on the sun came out to shine on a lovely occasion, it was great to see so many club members gathered in one place to celebrate 10yrs and many more to follow too. Tony P

Long Ride

Ten years ago a Long Ride to Masham would have been out of the question, but as the Long Rides have developed a ride to Masham is just the beginning of a ride to far flung destinations. In fact ride leaders were greeted with a chorus of “O no not another ride to Masham”. Today’s ride was the classic ride to Masham achieved at a brisk pace without incident. After stopping for refreshments at Masham we were too early for the return ride to Ripon. In keeping with the Long Ride ethos the planned ride was changed on the spur of the moment. So it was off to Ellingstring, Jervaulx, Thirn, and Thornton Watlass. After a photo call we were on our way to Snape, Carthorpe, Kirklington, Hutton Conyers and finally Ripon Spa gardens where we were greeted with tea and cake to celebrate 10 years of Wheel Easy. Peter J

Spa Gardens Anniversary Photographs