Sunday 11th June
Short Ride
What a beautiful ride! Sue, Dennis, Sarah and I rode at a relaxed pace until the start of section of the Greenway after Bilton Lane where I checked with everyone whether the pace was OK. Dennis suggested we should “hot it up a bit” so we did, with Dennis to the fore :-). Needless to say we got to Ripley in a respectable time and onward to the there-are-no-longer-any-bluebells-here wood where we stopped for a photo (minus Dennis who was still hotting things up) before Sue turned back for home (and a Ripley ice cream!). The remaining three of us really enjoyed the cooling breeze of the downhill to Birstwith and beyond! Sorry got a bit carried away there with Toy Story references! Dennis headed for home via the toll bridge leaving myself and Sarah to enjoy the ride to Darley and coffee. Unfortunately there were too many folks there and only one person serving so it because it was going to take 15 mins before we could order we decided to press on. Fortunately we met up with Yvonne, Martin and their tandem at the café and so had a lovely break/chat with them before said pressing on. The ride up out of Darley via Walker Lane/Sheepcote Lane was quite a warm one but we were rewarded with a cool-ish sweep down and up to the delightful Skipton Road crossroads and onward to Little Alms Cliff with a short stop at the end of Brown Bank Road to admire the many wild irises. The rest, as they say, is history 🙂 Thanks to all for a great ride and excellent company. 25 miles and 1600 ft for me, John Carey
Ride to Masham
A small group rode to Masham, hijacking the advertised route slightly to get a more direct route. Still from home I clocked 46 miles which included going back for my helmet which I forgot. We cycled up to the Drovers, Sawley, Kirkby Malzeard, Grewelthorpe, past Hackfall Woods and to Johnny Baghdad where we were lucky to get a table together outside in the shade. Jan took a more scenic route back to her van in Bishop Monkton, Monica and James returned via Ripon, Paul, Debby and Gia back the way we came. A great ride to Masham on one of the hottest days of the year. Gia
Medium Steady Ride Group 1
Around 16 riders gathered for Navah’s Medium Ride to Fountains Abbey and Ripon, on what promised to be a hot day. As a slightly less brisk sub-group, Justine, Fiona, Bridget, David, David, Colin, Paul and Mike had a very enjoyable ride at a comfortable pace with much chat, covering a wide range of subjects, including one of our recent PM’s. Lunch at Tate’s in the sunshine and a beautiful ride home. Around 31 miles. Mike W
Medium Steady Ride Group 2
With a large set of 16 riders up for the Medium Steady ride on Sunday, we split into two groups of eight, one led by Navah and one led by Mike W. After some initial confusion about the direction of the route (par for the course when Navah is leading), the first group of Andy, Rachel, Margaret, Evan, Anne, Mike, Navah, and someone whose name Navah has unfortunately forgotten but it wasn’t Tim (she is really very sorry for forgetting your name), set off for what quickly turned into a brilliantly sunny and unusually warm ride. It was a pleasant and mostly uneventful ride, with the groups reconvening at Tate’s for treats. The most exciting event was Andy giving some of the group a bit of a show when an insect flew into his shirt and stung him, causing him to rip it off and shake it vigorously. How fortunate are we to have such lovely countryside nearby for bike rides! – Navah L.
Medium Plus Brisk
Route 196 out to Masham comprised of a melange of riders and different groups at different times. Masham was packed with people & the two cafés plus the local hall were busy, busy, busy. Finding a seat was an undertaking. It was warm on the way out ……… it was scorchio! on the way back. 55 miles. Tall Tim
