Friday Night Ride to Tan Hill - Northallerton, July 5th 2013

[andrewc]

That looks pretty!  I may try that instead of going home via Kirkby Stephen next year.

[Andrew Br]

AndrewBr admiring Wensleydale:

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/30024450@N04/9233844406/]

Never mind Wensleydale, look at my f*cking red trousers hubs.

[Deano]

That looks pretty!  I may try that instead of going home via Kirkby Stephen next year.

You had the bike for it. And one of the advantages of the ride is that we go up to the pub at night, when the wind drops, then get a howling tailwind back to Darlo.

Mind you, my calves are still aching after that descent - owing to arse-related issues, I had to hold myself out of the saddle on any rough bits, including the three-mile track. A bit tricky on fixed.

[tom_e]

There's some horribly spaced out photies of me up there. Ah well.

Had a good ride and a fun impromptu cowherding session.  Not sure my fellow herder on the gate (Andrew Br?) was too sure as the calf galloped towards him .

Ride back on Saturday was a bit hot for my liking, but made it eventually with several cooling off stops up hills. I took no pictures on the overnight ride because other people seemed to have proper cameras about so I kept the phone tucked away. But took a couple of the track into Wharfedale in case anybody else felt like exploring it as COR in future:

It goes up for a bit on a dead end road:


[Edit:] View off the right of Semer Water:


Then the tarmac runs out after a farm.


And then it gets more loose rocks and heads upward.


So I stopped to eat a pasty. Loose surface:


Unfortunately I obviously needed to let the food go down so I walked the short steep bit, you understand.

Then lots of stuff like this on top:


And finally steeper and more loose rocks again on the descent.


Took a bit longer than I expected because my tyres were a bit too narrow and hard really. It was a nice track but I don't think I could recommend it for a road bike; I fear it would cross that fine line from comedy off road to sense of humour failure.

I think even the steep uphill would ride with proper knobblies, a bit of fitness and a bit of skill. I'll dig out a link for the location.. South from Carpley Green

[Peter]

This thread just gets better and better!

Wow, is this your bridge (at Whorlton and my favourite bridge in the world)?

[mrcharly-YHT]

And then it gets more loose rocks and heads upward.

The worst bits of the track to BC were pretty similar to your photo. 

[Peter]

Thanks, everyone.  When I did Tan Hill as a newcomer to the forum in 2011 it was one of the highlights of my cycling (and social) life.  I'm realy glad you all had the hoped-for great time.  I also had a lovely day out riding and helping on an Audax in the Peaks but it was a calendar change that made the dates clash.  I hope it doesn't happen again - the clash, I mean.

It just occurred to me to start an alphabetical list of Great Dales:-

Arkengarth, Barbon, Cover, Dent, E, Farn, Gars....

Suggestions?

Thanks again

Uncle Peter

East Stones.

Can't think of an "I".

The E was for Edale, but East Stonesdale sounds good.  You can't move for Ws. and West Stonesdale would have to be a candidate, especially in this thread!

I?  how about Inverdale?  Starts with a big mouth, apparently....

[Deano]

Tom: Stake Moss?

[Deano]

Peter, I just spent ages searching for a place named "inverdale" before I realised what you were on about 

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23214821

(In my defence, the entire thing had passed me by)

[tom_e]

Tom: Stake Moss?

That's it (link added).

[LindaG]

This thread just gets better and better!

Wow, is this your bridge (at Whorlton and my favourite bridge in the world)?

My favourite bridge in the world also.

[Peter]

Peter, I just spent ages searching for a place named "inverdale" before I realised what you were on about 

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23214821

(In my defence, the entire thing had passed me by)

Sorry!  I only saw it on text, myself.  I believe there's been some sort of match on today, too?

[Deano]

This thread just gets better and better!

Wow, is this your bridge (at Whorlton and my favourite bridge in the world)?

My favourite bridge in the world also.

I didn't share the info on the ride, but when we were kids we used to stand on that bridge and wait until a car was coming, then vigorously shake the cables to make the bridge sway alarmingly, and stand aside to watch the expressions of the drivers

[Peter]

Tom: Stake Moss?

That's it (link added).

Tom, where were you headed?  (Some people will do anything to avoid Kidstones!)

[Deano]

Wetherby-ish. It was an alternative to Fleet Moss, possibly a little less distance. Probably no easier.

[tom_e]

Yup, near Wetherby. The track was just for fun, I'm sure it's not the quickest way. That would probably have meant leaving the dales east first and running down the flatlands instead. 

Anyway, it drops 140m before it hits the top of Kidstones, yer cheeky thing...

[tom_e]

The worst bits of the track to BC were pretty similar to your photo.

I shall have to get out and try both to be fair then. It's difficult to judge in photos!

[tiermat]

And there was something missing...

You could have chosen a more upto date one of me!

Now I am (sort of) more awake, my memories of Friday.

Leaving the pub at (near enough) midnight, a stream of 16 cyclists setting off into the night, me at the front, leading us through the town.  Deano thought we were going round by the prison, but I thought it might be more (harmless) fun to ride down the high street.  It was! The groups of drunken youths shouting unintelligable rubbish at us from outside every pub made me smile.

Soon we were into the darkness, just after Brompton.  The group, as is usually the case on group rides, split and reformed in different formations throughout the run.  This meant you were never short of a new conversation.

At Scotch Corner coffee was drunk (which made me feel a bit quesy, due to the late night and me being off the caffiene at the moment) and chats were had.  Off back into the night (well pre-dawn) and a fast dash down to Scorton.  At Moulton (about 2 miles before Scorton) I said to Dean "I'll break and get some photos of everyone coming round the corner in Scorton.  This I did, and when I get back home I'll post them.  I then went on my merry way back to NTR, having family obligations to complete that day (swimming lessons and dance rehersals), whilst Mrs T was out at a birhtday bash for one of her friends.  I took the scenic route home, including a dawn ride down a dry Shark Lane!

Home by about 05:05, cup of tea, toast then a nap on the sofa.

One of my favourites, nearly up there with last year's birthday ride.  It's only beaten by that due to us being able to sit on the beach at the end.

[clarion]

How long has Randompunter been a member of the forum?

[Andrew Br]

I didn't share the info on the ride, but when we were kids we used to stand on that bridge and wait until a car was coming, then vigorously shake the cables to make the bridge sway alarmingly, and stand aside to watch the expressions of the drivers

I guess you had to make your own fun in those days................

[phantasmagoriana]

No, that would have taken forever!

Actually, I did briefly consider sending Phanta over the Stang instead, but it was just too complicated with different groups and stuff - and the Stang is much, much harder.

Is it even worse than that horrible track?!

That was definitely the least fun bit IMHO, though everyone else seemed not to be bothered. I was paranoid about getting another puncture from all the rocks strewn about, and also worried about holding everyone up. After some words of advice from mrcharly and slowcoach, I did ride most of it (except the really bad bits). Not the worst COR I've done, but the worst on 25mm slicks I think. The descent down past the farm, when it got vaguely tarmac-like again, was fun though!

[mrcharly-YHT]

Deano reckons its worse than it was in 2011 - I think so too. Now and then I cheated by riding on a grass bit because it really was a bit too rough and skiddy for skinny tyres.

I'd like to try it on 37mm tyres - maybe next year.

[tiermat]

Deano reckons its worse than it was in 2011 - I think so too. Now and then I cheated by riding on a grass bit because it really was a bit too rough and skiddy for skinny tyres.

I'd like to try it on 37mm tyres - maybe next year.

Possibly the only bit of the ride I was fully prepared for (42mm tyres) and I missed it

Next year...

[Andrew Br]

Not Morrisons:-


Not Morrisons by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

Morrisons:-


Morrisons by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

[mcshroom]

Well it's pretty close