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Cyclists - your experiences on the road

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M&NEJ

M&NEJ

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TheBigD said:
An easy start to the day with the first 10ish miles along the former railway line via Lancaster (Castle?) before turning off and heading through undulating countryside to Settle.
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If you left Lancaster Castle on a right-hand bend down to the river-side (river Lune) then passed a Sainsbury's store followed by a skate park then you would have been passing the former Lancaster Green Ayre shed (Sainsbury's) and site of Lancaster Green Ayre station (skate board park). This was the "little" North Western Railway (later Midland route) eastwards towards Skipton, with 2 restored bridges over the meandering river about 6 miles out, at the Crook O'Lune beauty spot. Maybe you passed my son and me walking the other way yesterday (he wasn't feeling energetic enough to get the bikes out!).
 
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SCH117X

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Sounds like a good start @TheBigD - the weather systems often change as you cross the Pennines. Interesting that you had a slight tailwind as 10 miles south east of Pateley when the sun finally appeared yesterday (their was a belt of cloud acoss the east from a line roughly Newcastle to Taunton) there was a very chilly easterly.
 
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dcbwhaley

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Ediswan said:
Curious. I always do exactly the opposite, start with the valve position. That way, the last bit, when the bead is tightest, I don't have to wrestle with the valve stem at the same time.
(I agree about keeping the bead well seated.)
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Yes. I always do it that way. Much easier to get levers in if the valve is out of the way
 
TheBigD

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A far easier day today. A tough couple of climbs out of Pateley Bridge up to Brimham Rocks (19% & 18%) then undulating for the 10 miles to Ripon via Fountains Abbey. The flat for the next 50+ miles. There are some lovely quiet roads for cycling between Ripon and Boroughbridge and on to York, though York itself is a pain due to all the tourists! Then more quiet roads and back lanes through to Pocklington. I may have to come back and cycle more of this area.

We took a diversion (see up thread) to avoid the Aldewark Bridge closure, however, a random guy we were talking to at breakfast informs us there is now a footpath route through a golf course just before the bridge which people are now allowed to use to avoid the lengthy diversion.

And we also avoided all the showers forecast which was a nice bonus!
 
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SCH117X

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TheBigD said:
a random guy we were talking to at breakfast informs us there is now a footpath route through a golf course just before the bridge which people are now allowed to use to avoid the lengthy diversion.
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Um... pretty certain their is no golf course thereabouts and even if there is its hardly going to cross the river.
 
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TheBigD

TheBigD

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SCH117X said:
Um... pretty certain their is no golf course thereabouts and even if there is its hardly going to cross the river.
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After reading your post I did a bit of googling and it seems he was right...
 

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SCH117X

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EDIT _ Aldwarke Manor does have a golf course and there is a bridge over the river on the estate but its not obvious how it would be reached looking at this Google satellite image
https://www.google.com/maps/search/aldwark+manor/@54.0610227,-1.299072,1969m/data=!3m1!1e3

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

Found the route in Strava, defaulted to walking and even then the route planner goes via the eastern roads unless points en route are picked
1684097523933.png
 
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TheBigD

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Just arrived in Bridlington. All safe and sound despite a very close call at a roundabout in Driffield. Only technical issue on the whole trip was that I managed to lose a handlebar plug and had to spend 50p in a cycle shop! Had a headwind for most of the day, a brisk northerly, but the Wolds countryside made up for it. 3 lovely rides and good weather so all is good!

Now over to Northern and LNER to get us back home!
 
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SCH117X

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Well done! Pity the headwind but then yesterday I presume you had a helpful tailwind at times. I've only tried the climb to Brimham from the Pateley direction once and ended up walking up only to shouted at for being lazy by some yob on the back seat of a car..er whose being lazy?
 
TheBigD

TheBigD

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SCH117X said:
Well done! Pity the headwind but then yesterday I presume you had a helpful tailwind at times. I've only tried the climb to Brimham from the Pateley direction once and ended up walking up only to shouted at for being lazy by some yob on the back seat of a car..er whose being lazy?
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The irony was obviously lost on him!

No shame in walking part of it. I've walked plenty of hills in the past.

Yes, we had a tailwind most of yesterday. To be honest we have been lucky with the weather. We've avoided the rain and had generally decent conditions.
 
Techniquest

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Congratulations on making it to the end! 50p for a bar plug sounds quite reasonable, I assume you got it to either save water getting in or protecting the bar tape?
 
TheBigD

TheBigD

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Techniquest said:
Congratulations on making it to the end! 50p for a bar plug sounds quite reasonable, I assume you got it to either save water getting in or protecting the bar tape?
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Thanks, it was an excellent ride. Would recommend it but with the caveat of know what to expect between Settle and Pately Bridge.

We plan to do the John Muir Way next...
johnmuirway.org

John Muir Way

The John Muir Way is 134 miles coast-to-coast route across Scotland's centre, from Helensburgh on the Clyde to Dunbar on the North Sea. The route is suitable for walkers and cyclists, and can be tackled in sections.
johnmuirway.org johnmuirway.org

Handlebar plug was to stop the tape unravelling. I was expecting to have to buy a pack of 2 but he had a load in a glass jam jar on the shelf. You can tell it was an independent and not a chain store!
 
Techniquest

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I'll have to look at that later, time pressures before work don't allow me to study that properly. However it sounds like it should be a good ride, and without looking at the route even I'm curious about doing it myself. Over multiple days, of course!

I tried putting new bar tape on recently, only my second ever time, and didn't manage to tuck enough of the tape in for the plug to hold it. I tried I guess!

Absolutely ideal with that cycle shop, and you have reminded me that I recommend Llyn Cycles in Pwllheli. Part cycle shop, part toy shop (if it makes it work in the modern era, then fair enough!) but the guy in there happily sorted out the air in my tyres. Somehow they'd lost air after not being used for 2 weeks, but he sorted it for me without issue and happily chatted away. I was more than happy to pay £12.95 for a portable pump with the valve type I required, and I would absolutely go back there when I next visit the area. Which will probably be on a 197 in the next couple of years!
 
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SCH117X

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I tried the golf course alternative to Aldwark Bridge on Sunday.No direction signs and it is accessed by following a track towards the river from the left hand side of the approach to the Bridge from the west. There is a wooden table with benches next to the river at the end of the track which is currently also being used for bridge repair traffic. There is an immediate obstacle in a kissing gate having to be navigated - my hybrid was a tight fit and I doubt it would have got through with one or more panniers on. Thereafter is grassland between the river and golf course with only a faint impression of where people have walked. I opted to do the same given its designation as a public footpath rather than bridleway until two wheels tracks became clearly evident. The bridge over the Ouse has a steeply curved approach with a step up onto the bridge so once again dismounted and wheeled the bike over the bridge to find as I suspected an equally steep decent so I did not get back on the bke until it was relatively level. There were signs warning of the ramps being slippy in wet weather.

I subseuently tried the Myton on Swale route from the east. The bridge was better and readily cyclable but their is a step to navigate on the approach from the west.The track all too quickly deterioted to one that was seriously overgrown, no doubt aided by the rain and sun in the last couple of weeks, with nettles and other stinging plants abound ready to attack a leg on the down stroke. I walked carefullly through until a clear track appeared. That unfortunately did not last and a gate had to be naviagted to contine on an overgrown section almost all the way to a farm from where the surface improved.
 
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Nice one yesterday, cyclist in full go faster lycra, no helmet, riding the wrong way down a one way road, both hands off the handlebars while texting two handed, I wonder whose fault it would've been if he'd got squelched
 
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py_megapixel

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ExRes said:
Nice one yesterday, cyclist in full go faster lycra, no helmet, riding the wrong way down a one way road, both hands off the handlebars while texting two handed, I wonder whose fault it would've been if he'd got squelched
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Clearly shouldn't be using the phone while cycling, nor riding the wrong way down a one-way street unless a contraflow lane is in place. But what does what he was wearing have to do with anything?
 
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AM9

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py_megapixel said:
Clearly shouldn't be using the phone while cycling, nor riding the wrong way down a one-way street unless a contraflow lane is in place. But what does what he was wearing have to do with anything?
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I think you missed the point of the message, it's the lycra that is the real offence. ;)
The other things are no worse than many car drivers do, - and they are more likely to hurt others than themselves.
 
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