When this trip was planned, I was all up for doing a C2C with lots of off-road. The MTB would get lots of use, and I would have a grand adventure, showing the pioneering spirit and all that.
Well, it didn't quite go to plan.......
Day 1 - Ravenglass to Coniston
Everything was packed and ready to go, up early, a hearty breakfast and off I pedalled to the station to catch the first train down to Ravenglass. It was gently raining, and it looked like it was going to be all day, which would test my waterproofing at least.
On the train the view from the window was not encouraging. Grey skies and very low cloud covering the top of the fells did not bode well, the fell tops are not a place to be when visibility is nil. It was still raining when I disembarked at Ravenglass, which is a lovely little place and home to the Laal Ratty narrow-gauge railway to Eskdale.
Despite trying to keep things light, I reckon the bike now weighed just over 20kg and I was carrying another 4kg on my back. This was to become painfully (at times) apparent as the day went on.
After a coffee, I set off on the grand adventure in good spirits. The first sections had some tough climbing but it was all rideable, even the bridleway sections across the fields. There were a couple of fords that were a bit of a bother, but otherwise all went absolutely fine for the first 10 miles of my 20 mile day as I arrived at Hardknott Pass. Hauled myself up the first section to the cattle grid and then turned right onto bridleway. This was where the dream started to be shattered.
I had to climb up some rocks, then I managed a bit of riding before a 20%+ slope presented itself. I could not ride it, so it was haul-and-push time. There was about a mile of this and it took some time to get up to the top, where I had hopes of being able to ride again. It was not to be.
That was the path that lay behind me.
This was the path that lay ahead. What path? Exactly. It follows the fence roughly, but there was no riding to be done. I was hacking my way through a bog, where you'd suddenly plunge in over your boots and the bike went in nearly to its axles. My feet and boots were soaked in no time at all and I was way behind where I thought I would be on time.
Once I finally got to the top, I really should have thought about re-routing, but I decided to stick to the plan. I should not have done this. There was still no riding to be done, more boggy ground, my shoulders were aching from all the push-and-carry. Then there was another unrideable bridleway that I think even a horse would have told you to sod off and I finally made it to another river crossing.
Ah. It was a series of large, slippery boulders with a wire strung across. It looked a bit dodgy to walk across, never mind getting 20kg of bike across with me, so what alternative was there? On the map there was a bridge to the north, probably at least a mile away following a footpath. That must be a better option. The path started OK, but soon entered an area where there had been lots of tree felling. Progress was painfully slow now, having to lift and climb with the bike over and under various trees, but eventually I made it to the bridge, across it and back to some tarmac. YAY!
I was feeling pretty knackered by this point and I didn't have much water left. I ate the last of my food, but I has spent so much energy already that I just hoped it would let me get over the last obstacle. Walna Scar Road. I rode what I could, but it soon became 20%+ with large loose stones, so it was back to push-and-carry. It's nearly 2 miles to the top and time was really against me. Everything hurt and I just wanted to get to the end. At least coming back down had only a couple of bits that I had to walk and I made it into Coniston with brake pads burning just before the chippy closed at 8pm
nearly 8 hours after I had set off. Tommorrow was slated to be a 35 mile day and the weather was looking very bad indeed. I decided I would have to call this off as it had gone way beyond a sensible idea, it was looking dangerous now and was not fun any more.
I phoned for the Parental Support Vehicle to collect me. They were shocked how long the first day had taken, but agreed that I was making the right decision to call it off.
Day 2 - rest day
This day was full of pain and assessing what I had injured. Knees were sore, 3 new cuts from pedal-pins, shoulders and upper body hurt like hell, but surprisingly, the legs were not too bad. I also had some hotel bookings that I was reluctant to cancel and waste the money, so we came up with a new plan. Lets do some road cycling to link up the hotels. I could plot a short ride on the first day to see how I felt, and continue after that if all was well
So, back at home the Defy was quickly prepared as a "sport tourer" since it had mudguards on already and I was going to be carrying much less. The gearing was currently higher than I would have liked, given that I was still carrying an extra 5kg into the hills, but I wasn't in a rush and I could always walk anything ridiculously steep.
Day 3 - Hawes
The plan had been to meet up with relatives in Hawes anyway, so I got a lift most of the way and they dropped me off with about 15 miles to ride. Oooh, the legs were a bit reluctant to get going, but once warmed up I was feeling OK. Weather could not have been more different and the views I was being treated to were quite spectacular!
Rode into Hawes about an hour later, feeling so much happier. Met up with the PSV and relatives, and had a nice pub dinner before heading off to the YHA and a bed for the night. All was well with the world again.
Day 4 - Hawes to Grinton
Up bright and early for breakfast, but there was absolutely no rush to get going as I only had 22 miles to ride to get to Grinton and the Dales Bike Centre. I set off up the left side of the valley away from the main road. I went this way deliberately to go and see a bike shop that was advertising guided tours. When I found Stage 1 Cycles in Askrigg, it was perhaps the smallest bike shop I've ever seen. Mike the owner was super friendly though and we had a good natter about the area and what kind of tours he did.
Still, time to press on and just round the corner awaited a surprise 17% ramp. Ouch! Then I was onto "the straights" which were pleasantly downhill for a couple of miles towards Aysgarth and then Castle Bolton. Ooh, Bolton Castle has a tea room. Perfect! Hang a left to the castle!
It's a great place, and I'd like to pop back for a proper look round it at some point, but the "tea room" served up a brilliant venison burger and chips, washed down with a lovely coffee. I could get used to this touring lark
After a good rest, I spotted a short cut that would avoid me having to go down just to come back up again. Turns out to be a tarmaced lane that is gated off from traffic and leads across fields. No problem, and it links up to exactly where I head left to climb onto the moor. And what a climb! I walked up this one, multiple 15%+ was not going to be ridden again, but once up that it was easy going until I turned left to cross the live-fire ranges of Catterick Garrison. Now it was 2.5 miles of climbing, and I was determined to ride it all. A couple of breather stops were needed as I would have really liked a lower gear, but suddenly I was at the top ready for a fantastic rollercoaster descent to Grinton that made it all worth while
The top and warning signs
I head down there next.
And you arrive here, at the Dales Bike Centre. I liked this a lot, quiet countryside, a nice room for the night, a cafe and a bike shop!
Day 5 - Grinton to Osmotherley
Early rise and an good breakfast at the on-site cafe set me up well to tackle the longest day I had planned, 35 miles to Osmotherley. I had originally planned to avoid the main road, but according to the OS map, it was much flatter than the road I had chosen, and it looked really quiet, so I went that way. Once at the A road to Richmond, it looked really quiet too, so I just carried on.
Then came a lovely downhill run to Brompton-on-Swale, then passing through one of those villages that have a cricket pitch in the middle.
I was also cheered up by this while looking for somewhere that was still open to get some lunch.
But there wasn't anywhere, and this flat ground was making miles disappear rapidly, so I figured I'd just get something at Osmotherley instead. Once a few hills were climbed, and the Col d'Osmotherley conquered, I settled for a bag of chips and checked into the hotel. Here I found that the advertised bike storage didn't exist, and I'm willing to bet the drying room didn't either. So, lock the bike up outside and it's a good thing that the PSV is arriving tonight as they are staying with me for the next 2 days.
Day 6 - Osmotherley to the Lion Inn
Another nice breakfast and it was time to start another long trip. 30 miles to the Lion Inn, Englands highest pub. The weather looked a bit changeable, but the morning at least was dry and I set off from Osmotherley to start as I would finish - uphill, to the left.
It's not a bad climb and once at the top you are rewarded thus.
Not a lot to photo after that really, as it was back to the flatlands working my way around the top of the moors to approach the Inn from the shortest and (hopefully) gentlest climb. At about halfway I arrived in Great Ayton to meet up with the PSV for a lunch stop.
Once refreshed, I headed out for the final 15 miles. I had included an off-road route in my plan, not knowing if it was rideable by road bike, but I had an option to bypass it if it wasn't. It turned out to be OK, a bit bumpy and some loose stones to be careful of, but a useful couple of miles that avoided a needless 20% climb.
Now it had started to rain, and the climb to the Inn was ahead. After some steep sections, it seems to flatten out. Except that it doesn't, it stays at about 5%, so you're slogging along in a low gear in the rain with a headwind, and the legs were really feeling it now. Seemed to take forever to get round to the Inn, but once there that misery was forgotten. Stashed the bike in the beer cellar and settled in with a hot chocolate in the room, awaiting the arrival of the PSV for dinner! Not long after I arrived, the heavens opened for about an hour
Day 7 - Lion Inn to Pickering
And so, a mere 18 miles remain on our plan. Mostly downhill to Pickering to meet up again at the North York Moors Railway. A straightforward ride, starting in the rain and mist, and ending in no rain and a nice warm day
A quick change of clothes in the PSV and it was off for a train ride. The NYMR runs steam trains as much as possible, and our loco was the Sir Nigel Gresley, wow!
There's a small museum at the Grosmont end of the line and a couple of things caught my eye. This, probably refurbishable, bike from the 20's
And this track inspection bike, which has a fantastic jury-rigged "that'll do" look about it Do you think they'll let me have a go?? 
Not sure I fancy the climb out of the station though
And so my tour ended. I am counting the C2C as unfinished business and I will try plotting another off-road version, but the route will be a lot different if I do. In the meantime I will gladly plan another road tour next year, as I've really enjoyed this one and I have learned some more things.
Hope that hasn't bored you too much!
Cycle on!
Well, it didn't quite go to plan.......
Day 1 - Ravenglass to Coniston
Everything was packed and ready to go, up early, a hearty breakfast and off I pedalled to the station to catch the first train down to Ravenglass. It was gently raining, and it looked like it was going to be all day, which would test my waterproofing at least.
On the train the view from the window was not encouraging. Grey skies and very low cloud covering the top of the fells did not bode well, the fell tops are not a place to be when visibility is nil. It was still raining when I disembarked at Ravenglass, which is a lovely little place and home to the Laal Ratty narrow-gauge railway to Eskdale.
Despite trying to keep things light, I reckon the bike now weighed just over 20kg and I was carrying another 4kg on my back. This was to become painfully (at times) apparent as the day went on.
After a coffee, I set off on the grand adventure in good spirits. The first sections had some tough climbing but it was all rideable, even the bridleway sections across the fields. There were a couple of fords that were a bit of a bother, but otherwise all went absolutely fine for the first 10 miles of my 20 mile day as I arrived at Hardknott Pass. Hauled myself up the first section to the cattle grid and then turned right onto bridleway. This was where the dream started to be shattered.
I had to climb up some rocks, then I managed a bit of riding before a 20%+ slope presented itself. I could not ride it, so it was haul-and-push time. There was about a mile of this and it took some time to get up to the top, where I had hopes of being able to ride again. It was not to be.
That was the path that lay behind me.
This was the path that lay ahead. What path? Exactly. It follows the fence roughly, but there was no riding to be done. I was hacking my way through a bog, where you'd suddenly plunge in over your boots and the bike went in nearly to its axles. My feet and boots were soaked in no time at all and I was way behind where I thought I would be on time.
Once I finally got to the top, I really should have thought about re-routing, but I decided to stick to the plan. I should not have done this. There was still no riding to be done, more boggy ground, my shoulders were aching from all the push-and-carry. Then there was another unrideable bridleway that I think even a horse would have told you to sod off and I finally made it to another river crossing.
Ah. It was a series of large, slippery boulders with a wire strung across. It looked a bit dodgy to walk across, never mind getting 20kg of bike across with me, so what alternative was there? On the map there was a bridge to the north, probably at least a mile away following a footpath. That must be a better option. The path started OK, but soon entered an area where there had been lots of tree felling. Progress was painfully slow now, having to lift and climb with the bike over and under various trees, but eventually I made it to the bridge, across it and back to some tarmac. YAY!
I was feeling pretty knackered by this point and I didn't have much water left. I ate the last of my food, but I has spent so much energy already that I just hoped it would let me get over the last obstacle. Walna Scar Road. I rode what I could, but it soon became 20%+ with large loose stones, so it was back to push-and-carry. It's nearly 2 miles to the top and time was really against me. Everything hurt and I just wanted to get to the end. At least coming back down had only a couple of bits that I had to walk and I made it into Coniston with brake pads burning just before the chippy closed at 8pm
nearly 8 hours after I had set off. Tommorrow was slated to be a 35 mile day and the weather was looking very bad indeed. I decided I would have to call this off as it had gone way beyond a sensible idea, it was looking dangerous now and was not fun any more.I phoned for the Parental Support Vehicle to collect me. They were shocked how long the first day had taken, but agreed that I was making the right decision to call it off.
Day 2 - rest day
This day was full of pain and assessing what I had injured. Knees were sore, 3 new cuts from pedal-pins, shoulders and upper body hurt like hell, but surprisingly, the legs were not too bad. I also had some hotel bookings that I was reluctant to cancel and waste the money, so we came up with a new plan. Lets do some road cycling to link up the hotels. I could plot a short ride on the first day to see how I felt, and continue after that if all was well
So, back at home the Defy was quickly prepared as a "sport tourer" since it had mudguards on already and I was going to be carrying much less. The gearing was currently higher than I would have liked, given that I was still carrying an extra 5kg into the hills, but I wasn't in a rush and I could always walk anything ridiculously steep.
Day 3 - Hawes
The plan had been to meet up with relatives in Hawes anyway, so I got a lift most of the way and they dropped me off with about 15 miles to ride. Oooh, the legs were a bit reluctant to get going, but once warmed up I was feeling OK. Weather could not have been more different and the views I was being treated to were quite spectacular!
Rode into Hawes about an hour later, feeling so much happier. Met up with the PSV and relatives, and had a nice pub dinner before heading off to the YHA and a bed for the night. All was well with the world again.
Day 4 - Hawes to Grinton
Up bright and early for breakfast, but there was absolutely no rush to get going as I only had 22 miles to ride to get to Grinton and the Dales Bike Centre. I set off up the left side of the valley away from the main road. I went this way deliberately to go and see a bike shop that was advertising guided tours. When I found Stage 1 Cycles in Askrigg, it was perhaps the smallest bike shop I've ever seen. Mike the owner was super friendly though and we had a good natter about the area and what kind of tours he did.
Still, time to press on and just round the corner awaited a surprise 17% ramp. Ouch! Then I was onto "the straights" which were pleasantly downhill for a couple of miles towards Aysgarth and then Castle Bolton. Ooh, Bolton Castle has a tea room. Perfect! Hang a left to the castle!
It's a great place, and I'd like to pop back for a proper look round it at some point, but the "tea room" served up a brilliant venison burger and chips, washed down with a lovely coffee. I could get used to this touring lark
After a good rest, I spotted a short cut that would avoid me having to go down just to come back up again. Turns out to be a tarmaced lane that is gated off from traffic and leads across fields. No problem, and it links up to exactly where I head left to climb onto the moor. And what a climb! I walked up this one, multiple 15%+ was not going to be ridden again, but once up that it was easy going until I turned left to cross the live-fire ranges of Catterick Garrison. Now it was 2.5 miles of climbing, and I was determined to ride it all. A couple of breather stops were needed as I would have really liked a lower gear, but suddenly I was at the top ready for a fantastic rollercoaster descent to Grinton that made it all worth while
The top and warning signs
I head down there next.
And you arrive here, at the Dales Bike Centre. I liked this a lot, quiet countryside, a nice room for the night, a cafe and a bike shop!
Day 5 - Grinton to Osmotherley
Early rise and an good breakfast at the on-site cafe set me up well to tackle the longest day I had planned, 35 miles to Osmotherley. I had originally planned to avoid the main road, but according to the OS map, it was much flatter than the road I had chosen, and it looked really quiet, so I went that way. Once at the A road to Richmond, it looked really quiet too, so I just carried on.
Then came a lovely downhill run to Brompton-on-Swale, then passing through one of those villages that have a cricket pitch in the middle.
I was also cheered up by this while looking for somewhere that was still open to get some lunch.
But there wasn't anywhere, and this flat ground was making miles disappear rapidly, so I figured I'd just get something at Osmotherley instead. Once a few hills were climbed, and the Col d'Osmotherley conquered, I settled for a bag of chips and checked into the hotel. Here I found that the advertised bike storage didn't exist, and I'm willing to bet the drying room didn't either. So, lock the bike up outside and it's a good thing that the PSV is arriving tonight as they are staying with me for the next 2 days.
Day 6 - Osmotherley to the Lion Inn
Another nice breakfast and it was time to start another long trip. 30 miles to the Lion Inn, Englands highest pub. The weather looked a bit changeable, but the morning at least was dry and I set off from Osmotherley to start as I would finish - uphill, to the left.
It's not a bad climb and once at the top you are rewarded thus.
Not a lot to photo after that really, as it was back to the flatlands working my way around the top of the moors to approach the Inn from the shortest and (hopefully) gentlest climb. At about halfway I arrived in Great Ayton to meet up with the PSV for a lunch stop.
Once refreshed, I headed out for the final 15 miles. I had included an off-road route in my plan, not knowing if it was rideable by road bike, but I had an option to bypass it if it wasn't. It turned out to be OK, a bit bumpy and some loose stones to be careful of, but a useful couple of miles that avoided a needless 20% climb.
Now it had started to rain, and the climb to the Inn was ahead. After some steep sections, it seems to flatten out. Except that it doesn't, it stays at about 5%, so you're slogging along in a low gear in the rain with a headwind, and the legs were really feeling it now. Seemed to take forever to get round to the Inn, but once there that misery was forgotten. Stashed the bike in the beer cellar and settled in with a hot chocolate in the room, awaiting the arrival of the PSV for dinner! Not long after I arrived, the heavens opened for about an hour
Day 7 - Lion Inn to Pickering
And so, a mere 18 miles remain on our plan. Mostly downhill to Pickering to meet up again at the North York Moors Railway. A straightforward ride, starting in the rain and mist, and ending in no rain and a nice warm day
A quick change of clothes in the PSV and it was off for a train ride. The NYMR runs steam trains as much as possible, and our loco was the Sir Nigel Gresley, wow!There's a small museum at the Grosmont end of the line and a couple of things caught my eye. This, probably refurbishable, bike from the 20's
And this track inspection bike, which has a fantastic jury-rigged "that'll do" look about it
Do you think they'll let me have a go?? Not sure I fancy the climb out of the station though
And so my tour ended. I am counting the C2C as unfinished business and I will try plotting another off-road version, but the route will be a lot different if I do. In the meantime I will gladly plan another road tour next year, as I've really enjoyed this one and I have learned some more things.
Hope that hasn't bored you too much!
Cycle on!
