MOOR TO SEA PART 3

Thursday 17/09/09.

Minor roads out of Whitby heading west towards Dalby brought me to a bridle path loop that takes in the summit top of Beacon Hill, at this time of day this is exactly what I want, an off-road route over the moors with wide open places in which to pitch my tent. After a mile or two uphill, I came across a wonderful flat piece of springy turf in a sea of uncampable heather, and such are the good things in life! It was a bit early around seven pm but it was just too much of an inviting place and with no pre-knowledge of the way ahead, I wasted no time, this is the place for the night. And after the hassle of the day and the pushing the bike and anxiety of it all I got my head down, brewed up and I suppose it is possible that there was a happier man on earth, but if there was, he was very lucky indeed!

Woke to a fine dry morning, but with only about 40 miles max to do there was little incentive to rush, so I spent an extra hour, just oozing in the luxury of a great pitch, a comfortable pit and another brew, I realise at moments like this that I spend too much time trying to make the most of my time, (doing things) and maybe time needs you to do nothing at all.

Eventually, I stirred myself to the challenge of pulling up the last mile or so to the summit of Beacon Hill, with it's trig point, topo and beacon-holder (well what would you call it, look at the picture and let me know) and a grand view point it is, but as a vantage point to spot Napoleon's forces at the end of the seventeenth century requires a stretch of the imagination, it is a long way to the sea from here and only in perfect weather would it be possible to monitor shipping movements, it is a good day today and I can't see the sea! (I suppose "spyglasses" would have been helpful). From here a wonderful steepening downhill run to Danby, on a perfect tarmac track, so good and enjoyable after the stone littered bridle path of the ascent to Beacon Hill with all it's skittering about. I stopped for another cup of over milky coffee at the Moors Center (I never learn do I?)and then headed over the last miles home stopping briefly at Kildale for can of Coke and a Picnic Bar.

All in all a great ride and the network of routes forming the Moors to Sea Cycleway has many options yet to be tackled the Scarborough end has been completely omitted from this itinerary thus I have reasons and intention to return. This ride covered about 137 miles, with quite a hilly completment, but it's amazingly beautiful countryside and it's on my doorstep, so how can I not become addictied?

MOORS TO SEA, PART 2

This is Wednesday 16/09/09 and after a blissful night in Dalby Forest the morning started with some route finding problems, I found myself hacking through dense woodland pathways uphill and rocky, very hard riding and off bike for quite a bit. But in due course my compass and nose got me to the road on the north of the forest and I was now well on my way, the route quickly moved back into the trees and I recognised parts from my Tabular Hills walk of a year or so ago, I love these incidents of new routes crossing old ones. At Highwood Brow I elected to take the downhill route to Langdale End and then switched over to the Whitby route. Alas as I reached the summit of the ride at Lilla Howe, I got a puncture in my rear tyre, bugger, why is it always the back wheel which means stripping down the panniers and all that jazz! Well I did it and replaced the tube only to find that my replacement, was also punctured, double bugger, I must have picked up a spare not yet repaired from its previous deflation, pratt or what? So I set off to push the bike to Whitby, eight or nine miles away, fortunately mostly downhill! Amazingly after about half a mile I met two bikers going in the opposit direction who offered me their spare tube (size and valves matched, whoopee)! so we upended the bike and started again but to total dismay and consternation this brand new tube refused to inflate, theirs, or my pump made no difference, the valve was faulty and that was that, triple bugger!!! this was a blow, and what are the odds in such a situation of two tubes being useless? We shook hands and went on our opposite ways, two very good people, I should have taken a picture but all my attention was focused on the bike. Well with these two unplanned breaks, it has taken five hours to get to Whitby (Hawsker actually) and find a shop to buy a new tube from. And it was great to get riding again, into Whitby for some food then up out and West to Lingholme Moor for a wonderful camp.

MOORS TO SEA PART 1

It's Tuesday morning 15/09/09 and I'm off on day one of my tour of the variable route that is the Moors to Sea Cycle Network as the name suggests there are quite a few options on the choice of routes to take, basically its east from my home to Whitby, south to Scarborough then back north through the centre of North York Moors back to Cleveland. I was a bit later getting started than I hoped leaving Ingleby Barwick at about 10.30am for the ten mile or so ride to Great Ayton, and the official start of the tour. My plan was as outlined above, but plans often go off kilter and in this case I got to Egton about eight miles from Whitby and turned south instead of heading east to Sleights. I found myself in Egton Bridge and rather than endure a long push back uphill I decided to modify my plan and continue south to Pickering via Rosedale Abbey from there going north to Whitby and then back home by my outward route. All went well and I had a good days cycling through pretty Yorkshire villages, along quiet country lanes and lonely bridlepaths and forest tracks. Weather dry but cloudy and pleasantly warm, a smashing day on the bike. By early evening I was in the depths of Dalby Forest, which alas offered few places to pitch my tent for the night, narrow tracks with steep verges and impenatratable trees! so as the light faded I got more concerned and rather fancied I would be bivi-ing out in my bivi-sac without the benefit of the tent. However just as the light was fading I came to a place in the track which was just wide enough to allow me to pitch and as is always the case the most unpromising of camping spots can provide a first class night's kip, and so it was. Still I had pedalled about 63 miles so was a bit tired and ready for it. My picture is the Millenium Cross above Rosedale Abbey. (I think this is the opposite side of Rosedale Abbey from the famous Chimney Bank, it is however a fearfully steep descent)!