E G’s Ride
Good to see a positive turnout this morning after last week’s dismal showing. Cool but dry. Initially blue skies but clouding over. So as several members had not been able to venture out lately it was decided to keep the ride simple and steady.
A meandering route towards Thorp Arch for our first break via Husingore, Cattal & Tockwith, allowing time to arrive at the old Bistro after about 90 minutes. We were pleasingly greeted by a group of WheelEasy as we shuffled inside, ordering our fare and settling down.
A second WheelEasy group arrived and being the friendly people they are, offered their greetings before moving on.
Food served, the usual toasted teacakes & baked beans on toast except Dan who seemingly is always hungry and had ordered a breakfast bap filled with egg, bacon, sausage and black pudding!! (See photo)
After catching up on various ventures enjoyed by those who’d absented themselves of late, we prepared to continue our ride. As Dave S. had cycled from home under darkening skies, threatening rain with a distinct chill on the air, we headed back through Cattal, the Hammerton’s and then called in at the cafe in Ouseburn.
No hot food on Wednesday’s. Didn’t stop Dan loading his plate again. A mocka, a cup of tea and a couple of items to eat. Where does he put it?
We were later joined by a lone young lady on a hybrid bike, followed by a young man who turned out to be commuting from Malton to Harrogate.
We were now running out of time so set off to return home but broke up, initially into two groups, one aiming for Boroughbridge, the othe two, Dan & Jim heading directly for home. Our leader peeled off at Lower Dunsforth for Grafton whilst the remaining three continued on their way towards Boroughbridge.
Arriving back in Knaresborough mid afternoon, we had completed about 45 miles albeit some would have clearly covered in excess just for the he’ll of it. DaveW
Medium Ride
Route
Beckwithshaw, Little Almscliffe, Menwith, Greenhow Hill Road, Braithwaite Lane, Heyshaw Moor, Yorkes Folly, Pateley Bridge
Leaving the cafe Bewerley, Glasshouses, Blazefield Bank, FellBeck, Brimham, Careless House Lane, Ripley, Greenway
Group:
John, Steve, Debby, Gia, Paul
Highlights:
It’s an excellent route and well worth riding. Luckily John was with the group and ensued we kept to the route which I’m pleased he did. It was a clear day and the views on sections of the ride were stunning. As usual the conversation and company were excellent.
Cafe stop:
We usually go to Wildings but today it was closed so we went to The Courtyard Cafe. It is under new management and it’s worth a visit. The staff were efficient and welcoming and the food was excellent. I’ll certainly go there again!
Wanderers Ride
17 riders set off on Route 206 in ideal cycling conditions; sunshine, mild temperatures and practically no wind. We split into three groups, with the faster group heading off first to sweep the roads clear of any potential thorns from the recently cut hedges. Two further groups followed, sensibly spaced out to allow plenty of room for the occasional car or tractor to join the proceedings. All three groups arrived safely at Tims, with no punctures, mishaps or hedge-related casualties, and settled in for generous bacon baps, scrambled eggs, big mugs of tea and plenty of laughter and banter. The faster group then disappeared rapidly into the distance, leaving the rest of us to make our way home beneath a now rather threatening grey sky. Thankfully, the sky proved to be all bark and no bite! We arrived home dry and, crucially, with enough time to rescue the washing from the lines. Thank you all for your company, conversation and good humour. A lovely ride with lovely people. Door to door for me: 45.5 miles and 2,312 ft of climbing.Diane
Short Ride
All the right places but not, necessarily, in the right order!
A good number of “takers” for the short & gentle ride today which, to be honest, was neither short nor gentle! With twelve hardy souls willing to follow the magical mystery tour, the reverse of Route 188 avoiding Birstwith village, we split into two groups. I had the pleasure of cycling with Tony, Russell, David, Karen & “newbie” Morven whilst Gordon kept a close eye on Joe, Geraldine, John, Sally & Jill. Leaving Harrogate via Slingsby Walk & Claro Road we regrouped at the railway bridge before heading into deepest Bilton. With an agreement to a further liaison at Spruisty Bridge a “mutinous” group set off up Bilton Lane to join Crab Lane & then Knox Lane ( thus avoiding the ascent up Bachelor Gardens) whilst the rest of us set off to conquer the steepest of Bilton’s peaks. Whilst we were getting our breath back, Jill’s group hurtled past us to arrive at Spruisty first. Taking great care, we traversed the A61 and headed up the incredibly bumpy Grainbeck Lane, taking Otley Road before turning right for the descent in Hampsthwaite village. Some mechanical issues affected Tony (chain came off) & Jill (strange noise from bike) so some time was spent assessing and fixing these issues, affording us some time to learn about Harrogate’s first female doctor, Laura Veale, who was born in the village. One of the downsides of the “reverse” Route 188 is the steady climb, via Elton Lane, to Clapham Green, meeting traffic lights at the top allowed us to regroup, take photos and for me to pass on the good news that we were taking a shortcut past Meg Gate to meet up with the official route at Menwith Hill. Being surrounded by stunning Nidderdale was inspiring and, though we stopped short of actually bursting into song, it felt, on occasion, that we should! Tony left us at this point to head home via Kettlesing. Further jeopardy awaited us at the forbiddingly named Dangerous Corner but the group crossed with little concern and with a quick right down Bedlam Lane we were left in Sally & John’s slipstream as they sped towards the Fewston farm shop with the scent of coffee and chocolate cheesecake in their nostrils.
Being the elite athletes that we aren’t, there was some significant damage done to the chocolate cheesecake, scones and sausage rolls and I was grateful that the first 500 yards after our stop was downhill! It’s a lovely freewheel down to Swinsty although two ducks, crossing the road, created an unexpected hazard for a few of us. Another lengthy climb took us up to Brame Lane and thence, via Broad Dubb road, to “Norud” Lane. With speeds touching the heady heights of 35 mph we hurtled into Beckwithshaw before saying goodbyes to Gordon, David & Jill at Howhill Road. As the route via the Squinting Cat is closed we headed back to Otley Road on Beckwith Head Road, turning onto Otley Road at Harlow Carr then right onto Beckwith Road where we said goodbye to Karen, Morven (excellent first ride, hopefully I haven’t put you off!) Joe, Geraldine & Sally. Russell, John & I headed home having had a splendid ride, 26.5 miles and 1750 ft of elevation, neither short nor gentle but very, very enjoyable. Thank you to everyone for your good humour, banter and patience, same again next week?
