Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Rides and Touring => Topic started by: Deano on 09 July, 2013, 11:45:30 pm
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or: Saturday afternoon ride to Beck Hole
I did suggest this to a couple of people on the FNRtTH - a saunter out to the famous, tiny Birch Hall inn at Beck Hole in the NYM, which is very famous, but which I've never visited. You're forgiven if you don't remember.
http://www.beckhole.info/bhi.htm
Looking at maps n stuff, Yarm would make a very sensible starting location, as starting from York gets a bit tricksy. Trains to Yarm from York are reasonably frequent on Saturdays.
This is the route I would like to ride, as it would avoid the constant up-down-up-down along the Esk Valley (especially Limber Hill), but it does involve two significant offroad sections.
http://goo.gl/maps/l5EDo
A start in York would be a bit more complicated, or involve lots of riding along the A169, which isn't great in the daytime. In my experience, at least, which is five years old.
Anyway, whatever we do, I like the idea, and there would be a possibility of a steam train back to Pickering afterwards, as it's very close to Goathland station.
Anyone fancy it? Route and starting location are entirely up for grabs - but I'd suggest a date in the middle of August, and Saturdays are better for trains.
The start will be at Yarm Station at 9.30 am on Saturday 17th August.
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Interested.
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Beer, cake........ beer-cake..... :P Steam trains as well :D
Dates, Adam is organising a London to Dover (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=72901.0) night ride on Friday 9th August. Next weekend (17/18) is the Exmouth Exodus and the weekend after is the bank holiday.
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How about Saturday 31st August?
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Sounds good to us. Woolly might be actually able to ride a bike by then.
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I might well be interested in this, Dean, and might be able to bring along a brother or something. I think that on Sundays the Esk Valley line would get people back to 'Boro from Whitby but the last train is about 7pm. There are trains from 'Boro to Manchester (and from Yarm to Manchester and vice versa).
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That weekend looks clear. Though I'm not yet committed to Adam's ride, and I don't think many of your usual contingent will take that into account. It's just us awkward people who are slightly south of you...
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Interested, if I'm around then.
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How about Saturday 31st August?
I'm interested, but I'm not sure about that date. It's the afternoon after the FNR to Scarborough. It would save me a trip across, but I'm not sure how it would suit others.
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Ah - yes, I'd be wanting to do the Scarborough ride too.
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Good point - I don't want to clash with that.
Saturday 17th?
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Same day as Old 240, which I'm hoping to do. However, it's not certain, so go ahead and organise what's best for most!
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Aren't we lucky to have so many good rides to choose from :D
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Saturday 17th sounds good (I think...will have to check first).
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I could be interested. I'm on holiday in Goathland on 24th, but probably not 17th. Or could do 31st either.
Might be able to provide some sobering cups of tea in Goathland after if required, depending on brother in law's permission.
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I'm watching the dates on this one. The 17th (or 24th) looks good for me, but not the 3rd or 10th August and I'm not sure if I'm up to doing this immediately after the night ride on 31st.
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I'm not sure if I'm up to doing this immediately after the night ride on 31st.
That would be very silly indeed.
I'm favouring 17th August. Any objections?
And any thoughts on starting location? Yarm is best for me.
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I've only just noticed the bit about the off-road sections...how "significant" are they? :-\
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I will most likely be away for the majority of August, the 31st would have been okay as we would have returned by then. I guess it's going to be hard to select an appropriate date to fit in with everybody due to it being the main hols but if I am around I'll be on the ride. I do remember you mentioning it somewhere between Reeth and Tan Hill. I believe I wheezed a reply. ;D
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I've only just noticed the bit about the off-road sections...how "significant" are they? :-\
I dunno as I've never ridden them! Lantern rouge is the local, he might be able to advise.
It just avoids hacking up and down the Esk Valley. A lot. There are two sections, from White Cross (above Commondale) to Robin Hood's Butts and from Beacon Hill to Lealholm Rigg. Mind you, it looks as though we could skip the second bit, as there's a road along the top of the valley.
I did think about going up Ingleby Incline, but you wouldn't like that at all. Then we'd still have to make the choice between offroad and extra hills.
I'll try to break it down with elevation graphs and stuff later.
Is everyone able to start at Yarm, then?
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Yarm on the 17th sounds good to me. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to do the connecting transport at the moment, but I'll worry about that closer to the time. My current thinking is that I'll ride to Yarm from home or get the train to Darlo and ride from there and then arrange for a pick up from Pickering. I'll have to look out for open garden days in the area (or similar) on the 17th. I was wondering about suggesting a visit to the Farndale daffodils might be of interest, but even though spring has been late, I don't think it's quite that late...
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I'm not sure if I'm up to doing this immediately after the night ride on 31st.
That would be very silly indeed.
I'm favouring 17th August. Any objections?
And any thoughts on starting location? Yarm is best for me.
I won't be able to make 17th (travelling up from Portsmouth that day), but go ahead with whatever suits most folks. Will be around on 24th.
I'd go with the offroad bits, but I'm likely to have a singlespeed mountain bike with me and so flatter soil is preferred to hilly road.
I'll likely ride the route anyway over the week, as it looks nice and would make a good early morning, and back in time for breakfast.
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I might very well be up for this :)
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I've only just noticed the bit about the off-road sections...how "significant" are they? :-\
I dunno as I've never ridden them! Lantern rouge is the local, he might be able to advise.
It just avoids hacking up and down the Esk Valley. A lot. There are two sections, from White Cross (above Commondale) to Robin Hood's Butts and from Beacon Hill to Lealholm Rigg. Mind you, it looks as though we could skip the second bit, as there's a road along the top of the valley.
I've run and walked (possibly mtb'd, can't remember) the first of those two sections. It's lovely coz it feels like you're journeying through the middle of nowhere in the middle, but with glimpses of the sea to the north. It is a bit rough in places, but not ridiculously so and nothing too loose. There are a couple of short slightly steeper sections, but short enough it wouldn't matter to push. There is one low-lying dip which might have large gritty puddles when wet and shag your bike up if you can't avoid them, but it is a gravel/dirt track rather than a bog. Not done it really recently (in the last year) though.
I've been to the beginning of the section from Danby beacon and it looks pretty good to me. But I haven't been down all of it. That section is easy to route around without too much height loss - the single track lane is quite nice and stays just above the proper drop into the valley. But based on the bit I saw and the profile, it should be very pleasant.
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Have we a date yet? Looking forward to our trip up to Goathland.
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I've added a poll. I prefer 17th August so as not to clash with either the bank holiday or the Scarborough night ride, but I can make all these dates.
They're all Saturdays cos of trains being easier, by the way.
You can change your vote, by the way.
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Call it the 17th, then. Yarm start.
Sorry I've been a bit slow updating this. I'll update the OP soon.
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Clash with the Exmouth Exodus. I'm out.
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Sorry, Kim. I had to go with the majority.
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*nods*
I'm fully expecting Yorkshire to have a warm, slightly overcast day with no wind while the entire Southwest is underwater.
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I'm fully expecting Yorkshire to have a warm, slightly overcast day with no wind
Could you expect any less? Remember, it's Yorkshire, God's own county. The weather will be perfect :-)
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Sorry, I'll be driving from Portsmouth to Goathland, but have a good ride.
Mike.
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I'll be on the train that gets in to Yarm at 09.01. Not sure how I'm getting back yet - might just ride back to York afterwards.
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Do we think the COR is tourer friendly (on 32s), or should I put the hybrid back together?
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It's not COR if it's done on a sensible bike... I was planning to use my 28mms on the Thorn simply because I won't have time to sort out anything more sensible.
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We will make one of your rides, Deano, at some point! But not this one, sadly. :-\ Woolly's not 100% fit still, plus it appears we may be in London that weekend.
I shall watch with envy from afar!
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Do we think the COR is tourer friendly (on 32s), or should I put the hybrid back together?
I hope so, because the widest tyres I've got are fairly worn 32s... :-\
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32s will be fine! I wouldn't recommend any less, but it would still be doable.
Shall we say about 9.10 at Yarm, by the way? 9.30 was based on the previous train timetable from York.
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Well, 9.10's fine with me...is anyone else coming by train?
I've just had a look at the link to the pub. There's a sweetshop! ;D
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Sorry to hear you can't come, peli and mike.
So far, I have:
me
phanta
Slowcoach
mcshroom
Anyone else? Bunbury?
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I (as normal) can't get to Yarm for any sensible time by train so will be driving over. Are we intending to start at Yarm station as a couple years ago? I seem to remember there was free parking there.
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I think it still is free parking - but that's where we'll meet, so as good as anywhere.
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Sorry - I'm probably out. Mrs SC has just got a cancellation and has an eye operation tomorrow afternoon now. I think I'm going to be on tea and sympathy duty over the weekend... It may not be politic for me to disappear for the day.
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Well, in the end only mcshroom I made it. We didn't know the route so we rode to the seaside instead, via Sustrans' finest paths around Middlesbrough!
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Sorry to hear you can't come, peli and mike.
So far, I have:
me
phanta
Slowcoach
mcshroom
Anyone else? Bunbury?
Sorry, I should have said I was out. Another time.
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Some pictures of Middlesbrough. The first (and possibly last?!) time I've been there.
A bottle sculpture. It was in a square that had a sign leading to a "Cycle Centre", but there were no further signs so we didn't find it. I don't know what we missed.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2806/9530490093_673edb73e0_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/natnot/9530490093/)
There was some fairly bling cycle parking outside the Transporter Bridge Visitor Centre. I didn't even recognise that they were Sheffield-type stands; they looked like posh bollards.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2846/9533078608_8e774c348c_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/natnot/9533078608/)
Cars on the bridge! There weren't many. It does seem a fairly slow and laborious way to cross the river.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2856/9533222988_3c798bf35f_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/natnot/9533222988/)
Another sculpture, with two bridges surrounding it. This one was near the transporter bridge and the football stadium. I looked it up afterwards and apparently it's called "Temenos" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tees_Valley_Giants).
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5344/9533146484_0cf7d6416a_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/natnot/9533146484/)
At one point, NCN 1 took us though a park in the middle of a housing estate (or it might not have done - the signs weren't very clear). In the middle of the park was this door:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3665/9533114288_7ef69d3410_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/natnot/9533114288/)
And on the other side was this inscription:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3772/9530318435_99af2fe86a_z.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/natnot/9530318435/)
I forgot to take any more pics after that (though there are some on the bridges thread). But we went on to the cafe at Redcar Beacon (http://www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/rcbcweb.nsf/web+full+list/a01cef9165b340d580257b350049bf03), which, very disappointingly, *isn't* a helter-skelter. It really should be.
Then the rain came, en-route to Saltburn (and a road called "Windy Hill Lane", which really isn't a very encouraging name at all). We dried out in a cafe before heading for the train. I'm not sure exactly how far it is between Redcar and Saltburn, but it has to be one of the shortest cafe-to-cafe stops on a ride I've been on. ;D
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Phanta - the beacon is known locally as 'the lipstick' :)
You are right about the cycle centre. You didn't miss much. For future reference, it's housed within Middlesbrough bus station :)
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Well, it looks as though you managed to have a good ride. Sorry I got the dates mixed up :-[
I'll put on the route another time. BTW, I had been planning to include the unadvertised Ingleby Incline (http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/r/rosedale/index.shtml), just for Phanta.
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BTW, I had been planning to include the unadvertised Ingleby Incline (http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/r/rosedale/index.shtml), just for Phanta.
:o
Oh, what a shame I missed out on that! ;D
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It's really nice - easier (less hilly and zero traffic) than going on the roads. And since it passes the Lion Inn, it would include two pubs, rather than one, which is never a bad thing.
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A big chunk of the railway forms part of the Lyke Wake Walk, a c40 mile crossing of the NY Moors between Osmotherly and Ravenscar. You can see 4x4s churning their way up and down Ingleby Incline as you approach Bloworth Crossing. I imagine they might make the ascent by bike occasionally testing!
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Oh and phanta. That thing about not having had any merino jerseys shrink - why did I have to open my big mouth :facepalm:
I'm guessing that green jersey is now slightly closer to my size than cub size, but not by much :'(