Wednesday 10th August

Short Ride

Riding conditions really don’t get much better than today’s glorious start to the day.  Clearly others thought so too as eleven lovely cyclists signed up for the short ride, so many in fact that Janet offered to lead the second group formed to make easier and safer riding. Bravo Janet.  We are so lucky in Harrogate that a ride of under twenty miles can be so varied and interesting and we reached Ripley for an al fresco coffee stop all too soon.  Thank you everyone, it was a very enjoyable morning.  Helen B

Wanderers’ Ride

Fourteen cyclists for the Wanderers ride to Greygarth. Yvonne took six hunky men and I took five ladies, Margaret, Nikki, Bridget, Karen, Monica and Colin despite his protestations!!

It was going to be rather hot later on therefore it would be cooler up on the moor and a gentle breeze, that was my thoughts and I was sticking to it despite being hilly. Down the leafy shaded Greenway to Ripley, then up Scarah Bank, Watergate Lane, sharp turn up to the leafy lane to Sawley. At the top a man cutting his hedge was laughing as he listened to our chatter, as we stopped opposite to discuss who was going where and having a drink or not at G&T. Margaret and Colin started chatting to the man, who invited them to his birthday party as he only had his wife attending. A voice behind the hedge shouted she would make us all a cuppa of tea but with all the deliberations going on we passed on her kind offer.

Monica had disc brake trouble and could not trust the brakes to stop her on down hills and said she would go to G&Ts for a drink and David would rescue her. She did make it to Ripley thank goodness safely and was rescued.

Nikki and Bridgid left us at Grantley and may still be in the wilderness somewhere but hopefully they found their way home safely. Colin, Margaret, Karen and I cycled up the lovely lane to the moor top and Yvonne’s group caught us up as they had their refreshments at G&T’s. They set off with us the famous four following and cycled up the hilly lane to Greygarth. Then the swoop down and a few ups to Kirby Malzard, Laverton and up Winksley Bank. As I cycled round the corner a removal van came hurtling round, I slammed on my brakes, Margaret nearly went in the back of me, I was nearly splatted on the grill of the van. The removal van men as they squeezed past, said ‘did that give you a fright’ Margaret said ‘one of her nine lives had just gone’. Karen and Colin, far enough behind, was very impressed with my emergency braking technique!!

Up and down hills to Fountains where we caught up with Yvonne who had reduced her hunks to five as Charlie did not stop for refreshments. Group chat, laughter and refreshments in the garden as the heat began to build and the wasps increased, soon it was time to make the final climbs home. The four of us climbed up Watergate Lane, left to Markington, Drover’s crossroad downhill to Ripley, along the Greenway home. Great day out many thanks for your company, Colin said he could have done with some hills, but you can’t please everyone. 42 miles. Yvonne official photographer thank you. Liz F