Dales/W Yorks ride, 6th August, 2022. From Settle to Settle OR to Hebden Bridge/Todmorden

[Sea of vapours]

Going downhill the speed differential will be (say) 40 km/hr rather than about 80 km/hr.

It's comfortably into the 50mph limit down that bit, and the double white line, pinch points, 14% sign, and 'escape lane' do tend to encourage a degree of caution when driving down it. On that basis, nipping down it at 60kph in the middle of the lane should be OK-ish, with a rather better differential of 20kph, and we'll be on it for not much over a minute.

The A59 is a nice, fast road for the ambulance collecting Carrie from the ford to approach on, so that's a win too

 

[classic33]

@ColinJ, passing on a message seen in Bradford Interchange today, and enquired as to what services are affected.
On the 6th August, trains from Bradford to Huddersfield will be replaced by a bus service. Checking got the answer that all trains, between Bradford, Halifax and Huddersfield on the 6th will be replaced by buses.
Both directions.

You may want to check on your next "Metro Run".

 

[ColinJ]

@ColinJ, passing on a message seen in Bradford Interchange today, and enquired as to what services are affected.
On the 6th August, trains from Bradford to Huddersfield will be replaced by a bus service. Checking got the answer that all trains, between Bradford, Halifax and Huddersfield on the 6th will be replaced by buses.
Both directions.

You may want to check on your next "Metro Run".

Aaargh!

I did actually check the National Rail website earlier today and everything was looking okay... [Checks again]... STILL showing no problems.

Ah... trains from Bradford and Halifax to Huddersfield ARE being replaced by buses, but trains should be running between Halifax and Bradford - phew!

Thanks anyway. I will check again on Friday evening before going to buy my tickets. If for some reason the situation changes and I can't catch the train to Leeds I will have to cycle over to Keighley and catch the Settle train from there. That would use up the surplus energy that I was hoping to still have by the time we got back to Oakworth, which I was aiming to use to accompany SoV to Laneshaw Bridge...

If I had been fitter, I would just have ridden to Settle and saved myself some money and hassle!

 

[ColinJ]

I have bought my rail tickets. (It is cheaper for me to buy 2 tickets rather 1. I used my bus pass to get 1/2 off the fare from Todmorden to Keighley. I then used my rail card to get 1/3 off the Keighley to Settle part.)

Carrie has bought her ticket and is coming.

Julie has bought hers but is almost certainly NOT coming. Only a small chance now.

Still no sign of Kevin so unless he comes back from Scotland today, checks his messages, and decides at the last minute to join us, it will just be the 3 of us.

I reckon that I could navigate the route from memory, but I am putting it on my Garmin anyway.

I'll check the trains at home before I set off and post below if there seem to be any problems. I will check again at Leeds and confirm progress from there.

I got up much earlier than usual today so I stand a reasonable chance of getting to sleep before 04:00 tonight. Given that I will have to be up before 06:30, midnight would be more like it!

 

[Sea of vapours]

That's a shame re Julie, and an interesting choice, to have bought the tickets but not travel.

Do I take it that Kevin is 'off grid' in Scotland, in comms terms at least? I noticed that @colly is keeping busy becoming the local legend of Strava segments in Devon !

I hope Carrie's going to bring a functioning bicycle ....

 

[ColinJ]

That's a shame re Julie, and an interesting choice, to have bought the tickets but not travel.

I suppose she must have bought the ticket straight away and then changed her mind.

Do I take it that Kevin is 'off grid' in Scotland, in comms terms at least?

Yes. Carrie has been trying to get hold of him for days but he must be somewhere without a signal, or has accidentally dropped his phone in a loch!

I hope Carrie's going to bring a functioning bicycle ....

I did suggest that!

She has promised me that she will not attempt to ride across this ford. We will probably now find that it has dried up... (Mind you, even dry, uneven cobbles with big gaps between then would not be great with narrow tyres.)

Hmm, I think the battery gauge on my Edge 200 must be out of whack. It said that the level was 99% but I thought I would see how long it took to get to 100%... Answer, 45 minutes!

 

[Sea of vapours]

Maybe Carrie showed her the elevation profile or climbing statistics for this ride and she noted that you've got the ride starting with an ascent of Langcliffe Scar and then that vicious little climb along Henside Road? Admittedly, that does get the hard climbs done in the first 10km. It seems to me that you get more takers for forum rides when the word 'flat' appears in the title. Next year, we could perhaps call this one 'Flat Dales / Bowland ride including lots of flat bits and avoiding the hardest hills'

 

[ColinJ]

I am on the train to Leeds and should get there on time. There is currently a points failure at Shipley affecting trains to Settle. It is supposed to be fixed by 09:00 in time for my train, the 09:19. Fingers crossed!

I will be texting @Sea of vapours from Leeds at the time the train is due to leave.

 

[Sea of vapours]

Good stuff. Well, not good re the points failure potentially.

It's impressively slow, that train from Todmorden to Leeds.

 

[ColinJ]

Points fixed! May be some delays while lines clear of stuck trains, but hopefully ok by the time I set off from Leeds.

 

[ColinJ]

It's impressively slow, that train from Todmorden to Leeds.

It IS much slower than the train to Manchester! Round about an hour. I will be arriving over 30 minutes before the Settle train because I didn't dare risk the train after this - too little time for the connection.

 

[ColinJ]

We left Leeds on time. I got space on train for bike. E-bike rider got other space. 5 mountain bike riders standing with their bikes and Carrie will have to stand with hers as well.

 

[Sea of vapours]

Most encouraging. See you at Settle station.

 

[ColinJ]

One thing to say for now... OUCH!!!!

Details tomorrow.

 

[Buck]

I hope it’s not a bad “Ouch?!”

I managed to get out for a ride this PM. Weather was nice I hope yours was too?