The Bah Humbug Ride - 28th of Dec.

[peliroja]

I'll not be there.
Have a good 'un.

Sorry you can't come, Alan. Hope you're keeping the dog at bay... 

[Wowbagger]

Best wishes from Absent Wows. We will be Doing Family Things around my brother's dining table. It could be the last tandem ride of 2008 - but I bet it won't be the coldest!

[peliroja]

Morning! We're having breakfast, tiptoe-ing around my sister who's sleeping on the living room floor.  We're layered up and ready for the Herders' Road!!

[LE]

Have a great ride all 

[woollypigs]

Back home after a great ride and have send the boys on their way after tea at home.

Top ride indeed, 35miles'ish with a little detour over to Wycoller.


This is Peli on the Packhorse Bridge at Wycoller.

There was a wee bit of ice on the roads and plenty of other cyclists out for spin and we were lucky that the car users had decided to go shopping in the sales instead of annoying us on the roads.


Smile

4 and a half hours, with pub stop and a detour, no we didn't get lost, we decided to go and see Wycoller and the ruins of Wycoller Hall which is rumoured to have been the inspiration for Ferndean Manor in Jane Eyre, since Andrew and Steve had never been there. Other than being a bit cold the weather did leave us be.





I had to walk up 5 of the hills because ...

1/ I had indulged in the xmas spirit in true by being lazy, eating and drinking: cake, chocolate, beer, chicken, ham, mince pies, tea, chocolate, beer, mulled wine, christmas cake, oh trifle? Don't mind if I do

2/ couldn't get into my granny gear since Dirty Pia was living up to her name and was very mucky (not that would have helped see point 3 and 1)

3/ Dirty Pia is not built for very steep hills so the front wheel kept coming off the ground. The only way I could keep it down was by leaning that far forward it became impossible to ride.



Here is Peli cutting the cake, outside!, with the blunt end of a spoon (we had to nick it)

Oh and a final note : don't bother with this pub Pack Horse Inn, Widdop, West Yorkshire, HX7 7AT -  pub details # beerintheevening.com as the staff are very rude. Would not let us borrow a knife to cut the cake we bought in their establishment, and didn't serve tea at all !!! A Yorkshire Pub NOT serving tea ? 

Here are all the photos, Picasa Web Albums - woollypigs - Bah Humbug Ri... .

[andrew w]

Yes, I enjoyed that - a lovely route that would be great to incorporate into something longer for a summer ride.  Thanks to Woolly and Peli (and to Peli's mum for the tea and mice pie!).

Andrew

[Steve GT]

Once again many thanks for organising the ride Peli and Wooly. Also thanks for inviting us in for a lovely cup of tea and mince pie.
It was a great route and one I would do again.

[Steve GT]

Great photos as well Woolie!

[woollypigs]

Finally managed to link to Picasa, I hope, so let me know if you can or can't see the images I have linked into the post.

[peliroja]

Thank you Steve and Andrew for accompanying us on a great little ride! It may only be 30 miles, but I think the climbing is on a par with the Hilly 50. They're sharp and vicious in places, and just keep on coming!

For those who want to know where we went, see the gmaps link upthread. We went Colne, Laneshawbridge, Ponden, Stanbury, Penistone Moor, Oxenhope, Hebden Bridge, Slack, Widdop, Trawden, Wycoller, Winewall.

As Woolly says, the staff in the Pack Horse were miserable buggers! Didn't serve any hot drink except coffee, and snapped when we asked to borrow a knife to eat the cake we'd bought there. It "wasn't meant to be eaten in the pub". Put cake in front of cyclists and it's not unpredictable that the'll want to scoff it there and then! Dear me.

That aside, the ride and scenery is lovely on that route. Wild moors, vast views and lots of up and down, including quite a few front-wheel-off-the-ground-moments. I'm now totally jiggered.

[Justin(e)]

Thanks to Woolly and Peli (and to Peli's mum for the tea and mice pie!).

Deliberate typo ??   

Here is Peli cutting the cake, outside!, with the blunt end of a spoon (we had to nick it)

You see, there's your problem - spoons have two blunt ends.

IGMC


edit:

As Woolly says, the staff in the Pack Horse were miserable buggers!  ... It "wasn't meant to be eaten in the pub".

IIRC there was a link on this (or maybe t'other place) for a rating site of UK pubs.  IMHO, you do a service to all by notifying the landlords of areas that they must improve.  Else, they will go the way of so many other public houses.

[GillP]

Looks like a fab ride in true Peli/Woolly stylee. Look forward to joining you when the weather is better, I am less lardy and I have put some hills back in my legs 

[Wowbagger]

That does look like a good way to spend a cold winter's day.

I understand that mice pie is a traditional Mancunian cure for whooping cough.

[andrew w]

Thanks to Woolly and Peli (and to Peli's mum for the tea and mice pie!).

Deliberate typo ??   

Whoops!    Definitely an unintentional typo - it was a very nice hot mince pie!

[Jurek]

All that looks like you had a top day out (All bar the Pack Horse ).

[peliroja]

We did have a good day. I think the pub thinks it can get away with bad service because it's miles from anywhere, and the food looked good (so said the meateaters). Its Beer in the Evening rating and comments aren't too hot.

[clarion]

The food at the Pack Horse certainly used to be good, but then, so did the service!  Just shows how quickly things can change.  That's really annoying, cause I often stopped there on rides and walks.