Route 67 or is it 66 ?

 

Monday again and the carer arrived to sit with Mum for four hours. What should I do? Had to be a bike ride as will not have as much chance to go out when I’m back at work. Flushed with the success of my ride to Thorp Arch I decided on going in the opposite direction and head out for Spofforth.

The confusion over the route number stems from the signs I came across.

This one is at the Deighton road end and told me 66.

This sign about half a mile or so one said 67.

The track is the bed of an old Railway Track so is flat and for a lot of the way runs through avenues of trees. It does occasionally open out to revel farms and fields. It is a busy time of the year and as on my last ride came across some working farm machinery.

This time the distance I covered was 5.8 miles and now my bum is less sore than after other rides but I’m still very unfit and I have stop often.

My excuse is to take photo’s, this ivy might come in useful in a montage? ………

……….. or just an excuse to stop a while.

Lots of seats like this along the way.

Again I was please with how far I had gone but when I arrived home I found my face was very very red. After a shower I went over to my daughters and my face was still red so was calling me beetroot.

The next ride I take will be either this one or the Thorp Arch one but this time will go a bit further either to a cafe on the Thorp Arch retail park or somewhere in Spofforth for a coffee. We’ll see……..

Head in the clouds

One of the places I wanted to see when I went away recently was Ribblehead viaduct. Its the longest and most famous viaduct on the Settle to Carlisle railway. The first time I went there the weather was great but only stopped at viewing point away from it and another layby a bit nearer to it. Don’t know why we decided to drive on instead of going up to it. So a couple of days later we went back this time the weather wasn’t so good just a bit cloudy, so we walked right up to it. The cloud was fairly low as so the view through the arches was blocked about half way down. Again we went back to the car. Yesterday we went back again, no longer stay in that area but drove up for the day. As the weather at home was glorious had high hopes of getting a good shot through the arches. We had decided that what ever the weather we would at least walk up the path at the side and if it was good walk a good way along that route.

  Well we arrived around lunch time and surprise surprise the cloud was down and the viaduct was just visible through the cloud. So went set off towards the bridge in the damp of the cloud and walked up the steep steps up the slope. Looking back the mist was been blown around the arches. That would make a good photo I thought but as I was getting left behind and was loath to put bag down and take camera out. So I thought I’ll get on the way back, famous last words.

As we moved on and reached the top of the slope the cloud got lower and lower and so we decided to set of back to the car as didn’t seem much point carrying on with nothing to see.

We did see an old building at the side of the path just over a wall so we did go see that and I took some photos. Here’s my impression of the abandoned building.

 

Route 66

This morning(weds) the weather was good so the bike came out again. Having got a GPS app for my iPhone which records where you ride too and how far you have gone. So I set this going and set of into town. Wandered around there a bit paid some bills and stuff and then set of to ride up the old railway track to Thorp Arch retail park.

The route itself isn’t the most interesting path but it as a pleasant run. Sets off from Freemans way and then under the A1 towards the race course. 

Then carries on with trees on either side with the occasional field.

 

Old railway bridges

 

before finishing at the Thorp Arch retail park. This is only a section of this cycle route 66. Will have to look into trying some more of it. But for now I was feeling chuffed that I had managed to ride 6.7 miles according to my phone app.

Hell’s Granny

Its been nearly a year since I last wrote in my blog, although lots has been happening. The biggest thing was becoming a granny to twin girls in January. This I might do a “first year” blog later. Another event was getting a new camera in march, a Pentax K5 which I’m very pleased with. In my silence I have been away a few times to the Yorkshire Dales and a few days out here and there. I intend to cover some of these trips in later blogs.

Over the last few years I have been getting more and more round in shape. So much so I’m becoming wider than I am tall or so it seems. After a few false starts with healthy eating, yet again I’m determine to get fit. The food bit is doing ok as I discovered the Hairy Bikers “ Hairy Dieters” book and have found I can still eat tasty food. My main problem is lack of exercise. So last Wednesday I bought a bike, drastic I know. After a few little trips just down the road and to the local shop, I was ready for my first Photo bike ride.

So it was helmet on and into the saddle. Dunno if I mentioned before but I’m very unfit so my first ride was only to Kirk Deighton about a mile and a half away (starting slowly).

My first stop near the Cricket Ground and to take photographic evidence that I was on a bike ride.

A view from the above gate,

A bit further on and up the hill towards the church. Yep I was walking but only because I wanted to take a photo, honest, not because I was out of breath.

I continued on foot through the churchyard. 

A view from the other side of the church yard and the more modern graveyard.

  I then headed back to the road and passed the church out of the village down the hill.

 

Then I turn round and headed back. Took this photo and a few others as an excuse to walk up the hill.

Then rode back the main road way and had a wander around town and  coffee at a friends before heading home.