That was an awesome week of riding!

152 miles of unadulterated FUN miles in the last week.

Regrouping after Silsden

It started with two days in North Yorkshire starting from Skipton for the Rough Stuff Fellowship AGM rides. We had members from Newcastle, Scotland (George Berwick), the distant south, Wales and of course a strong presence from northern members. We got pretty lucky with the snow, finding roads that had been cleared and since the snowdrifts hadn't yet started the big melt, it was mainly ice free.

Bolton Abbey

Day 1 (gpx file) was a lovely road ride onto the moors above Silsden to take us to Ilkley for lunch before returning via Bolton Abbey & Embsay steam railway. Lots of lovely hills to enjoy and stunning views.
 

'Harold'

Old LMS tourism adverts

All kinds of bikes do Rough Stuff riding

Day 2 (gpx file) took us to Airton via some brilliant off road tracks skirting Flasby Fell through Cragg Wood and lots of swooping up & down N Yorkshire roads through pretty Bell Busk, Gargave, Broughton & Carleton in Craven by a very churned up disused railway.  Seeing the little lambs with plastic ponchos on to stave off the cold weather was by far the highlight.

Bridleways are my ideal riding terrain

It was lovely to meet new faces, see members I dont get to meet with too often and also enjoy the brilliant food that Rendevous Hotel had to offer.


On Wednesday I did my first ever Audax - a total of 70 miles from Marple across Cheshire round the dairy farms beyond Tatton.
I'd planned on swapping the tyres on my hybrid for skinnies, but the night before saw one or two technical mishaps and I ended up taking my 60s tenspeed. I had thought 15kmph was a generous lower speed limit... until half way through.

A slow lunch, paired with a steel steed with unfavourable gearing meant I ended up spending much of the time riding solo and that  really hit my time. I spent some of the ride keeping up with one or two packs of road clubs, but I couldnt keep up with them comfortably. When riding solo, navigating really slowed me down; stopping at every junction to double check my route and keeping eyes open for the controls.
At 50 miles I was sure I wouldnt make the time limit, I was totally disheartened, alone and wondering just why I was doing this. By 60 miles and the last stretch being the off-road option, I was beaming away, flying along the lovely Middlewood Way, listening to the birds and giving it all I had, not for the time limit, but for the elation of flying along.

The last hill was hard, but the last checkpoint, the pub was at the top, which spurred me on. I made it with a minute to spare!!!
A kind gentleman offered me a drink and we spent the next hour chatting about audax rides and routes - he started last year and it was useful listening to his stories and enthusiasm. I didnt catch his name, but do hope he can make some rides out with RSF soon as he sounded keen. 
I've put some more rides in my calendar - ones with slightly more generous lower speeds (just to be on the safe side). Still undecided if I should swap the hybrid tyres and go on that.

Yesterday S & I got the tandem out to have some easy fun with the RSF Family group.  Young Theo is now showing some good progress on his new bike and our youngest member was busy sleeping away on the back of his mum's bike despite it being off road!







Today I headed for the Calderdale Hills with 15 other RSF riders from the Yorks & N Peak S Pennine groups. Calderdale borders on those two areas as well as Lancs. The area overshadowed by Britain's highest motorway, the M62. It was lovely to be led around an area I'm not very familiar with.
It was also nice that there was no biting NE wind that has been the bane of many rides for what has felt like months.

The impressive dam at Baitings Reservoir

Typical northern moorland views

Sowerby Bridge

Wainhouse Tower

Thanks to all those who have organised the rides I've tagged along to this week & the good company along the way. It's been brilliant.

Winter is hanging on tight

This time last year we had a heatwave, in fact March was our summer.  But I think this year I'm hardier than I have been before. The cold conditions have not kept me off my bike or away from the hills. I must be living up to the tradition of the Rough Stuff Fellowship ahead of my appointment as Lancs Area Secretary - which I think means I can't chicken out on rides when the weather is bobbins.

Blacko Tower from Clarion House

For those people at work who said that I have a 'healthy glow' this week - it's just wind-burn from cycling & walking in minus conditions with wind speeds in the 30s and gusts in the 40s.






Two Rough Stuff rides, two hill walks and some grotty commutes have kept me in check this week. I have been toying with the idea of aiming for some Audax achievements this year, so I'm getting myself in gear.

Last week I took a day off to play in the hills over Rossendale & Bury, discovering bridleways I didn't know about before. From up so high you can see the weather coming in to get you! We got lucky only had a short bust of snow.

Spring had threatened to spring early this week...












But that all changed... 

Entwistle

Newchurch in Pendle

 It does make for lovely scenery though.

Pendle Hill

Descent to Downham

Whalley Nab, Waddington Fell & Clitheroe Castle

Llangollen

Llangollen, Denbighshire was the destination of the second weekend trip for 2013.  After the success of the Lakes, the weekend had a lot to live up to. 

Friday morning, laughing about being off work, we set off and had our lunch break in Chester. I've never been there before and had heard much of it's charming Roman walls. We walked along the walls to the River Dee (the river we would be stopping next to all weekend) to the castle.


We lunched at The Falcon. I was happy to discover it was a Sam Smith's owned brewery - 6 different Sam Smith's brews on tap. I will need to go back when I'm not driving!

We set off again destined for the tallest single drop waterfall in England and Wales, Pistyl Rhaeadr Falls. The road twisted and turned until we reached the end of the valley, stopped by the waterfall. The place was deserted, even the tea shop was closed.

The climb to the top had lovely views, not to mention patches of ice and icicles on the waterfall.  You can stand right on the top of the falls, in summer I suspect this would be an amazing picnic spot.

Saturday morning we woke bright and early to a beautiful sunrise, eager to get some peddling miles in. 

River Dee

I have wanted to visit the famous Telford Pontcysyllte Aqueduct since the first time I saw it on tv, so I peddled along the Llangollen Canal (Route 84) smiling into the sunshine. 

 














Stephen was much braver than me - he cycled most of the way across, where it took me until almost at the end to brave putting any pressure on my pedals. It was giddying!

We cycled down to Chirk, around the castle, then back on ourselves to a lovely lunch in a Victorian style tea room. We were seriously under-dressed for the place - I wonder if that's why the waitress kept giggling at us (not convinced my jokes are that good).  We admired the vintage Raleigh bikes before we set off for the long climb ahead.


We climbed up afew miles, to be rewarded by a view of the aqueduct we had just left, the viaduct and road bridge in the distance...

count the bridges... view from Garth

...we thought it was the top of the hill.... it wasnt ...

but when we rounded the corner at the top, the view that enfolded was better than we could have imagined.

I looked at the time, 3.30pm - I knew this would be a worthy sunset spot, so we spent two hours off-roading at the very tops over Trevor Rocks, watching our shadows lengthen.

 




















We watched the clouds come in... and thankfully some colours develop as the evening chill moved in. 

We had the road to ourselves by this point, so enjoyed a carfree/carefree freewheel down to the bottom of the valley on the twisty road. A perfect end to a day in the saddle. 





On sunday, we enjoyed a walk to Horseshoe Falls and then a wander round the town, enjoying plenty of the tastes on offer and picking up a Llangollen patch to sew onto the pannier. An ideal place to explore over a long weekend. 

RSF Tandem Guild Wheel Run

The tandem has had it's first proper Rough Stuff Fellowship ride. It has been christened (though still doesnt have a name yet).
Our RSF winter rides tend to be more in the Western areas of Lancashire (where it's a bit flatter) to avoid any adverse Pennine Winter Weather that might make a winter ride need to be cut short.  Although west Lancs winter rides can be very muddy, which can feel a lot like hill climbing... not on the Guild Wheel! The 21 mile route is well surfaced and signposted, so anyone can enjoy the route. 
Stephen & I have done the GW a couple of times already, so to make things more interesting we cycled to and from the meet, making a 45 mile round trip.

The lunch stop near Catforth

cyclists infront & more behind

For a cool, grey Northern day we had a great turn out and there were smiles for the whole ride.  Finally someone from my work took us up on the invitation to join a ride and I'm pleased to say that she was still smiling by the end. Phew.

Brian's pic of us all

One rider had come all the way from Derbyshire for the day! 

Other riders had cycled from Chorley and Southport. Cycle routes to the Guild Wheel are great from all directions (Sustrans mapping shows the National Cycle Network routes)

Brian's pic of S, me near the Docks

Brian's pic of W Lancs lanes

we said our goodbyes

After a leisurely few hours, we took the tandem back to the hills.  Last time we tried an off-road route home, which was not rideable on the tandem, so we tried a new route (to us) following part of the Lancashire Cycleway and were rewarded with some beautiful evening sunshine.

Lancashire Cycleway

It's slightly uphill

sunset looking towards Ribble Valley