Three remaining days-off, so definitely another ride out tomorrow
Where to??, I have no idea, yet
Decided, ridden, reported............................................
Bike selected; CGR (with an ulterior motive, revealed later)
Weather; Sunny (imtermittantly), windy - but not like yesterday!!
All photographs taken today, unless captioned otherwise
Down Castleford Road, towards the M62
No need to take the usual 'primary', at the traffic-lights, that control access at the slip-road (as it was closed, for road-works)
Under the m-way, past the new Haribo factory
Pass 'Voysey Row';
https://www.williamhbrown.co.uk/property/ref-CAF107715
And, what must be that H&S agents nightmare.............
'DiggerLand'
Up to the site of the old Mining College, a wonderful building, now gone
Into Hightown, passing Castleford & Normanton District Hospital (sold for housing)
Through Castleford itself
Out onto Barnsdale Road, crossing the River Aire, & the Canal (really just a 'cut' to avoid the Weir & serpentine bends in the river)
All the way along Barnsdale, over Allerton Crossroads, up 'Mary Pannal', heading past Ledston Luck Business Park (ex-colliery)
Over the roundabout, at Peckfield Bar (the crossing with the A63, Leeds - Selby road)
Sadly, I'd mistimed again, so had presumably missed
'60103 Flying Scotsman', at the Ridge Bridge
The bridge did rattle a bit, & move, when a couple of artics went over it, as I was stood there
Further up. I diverted off the new section, that leads up to the M1, at jct 47, by continuing on the old 'Ridge Road' that joins up with the 'Great North Road' just prior to HookMoor,
I didn't go into Aberford this ride, but headed right (north-west) onto Collier Lane, towards Lotherton Hall
Passing the Hall, I entered the District Of Selby, & North Yorkshire again
'The Crooked Billet' & Lead Chapel were passed, as was Dam Lane, up into Saxton
The steady drag was commenced up onto Towton Moor
A brief stop was made, at the Memorial Cross
http://www.battlefieldstrust.com/resource-centre/warsoftheroses/battleview.asp?BattleFieldId=46
Then onwards into Towton itself
A group (presumably, as they were being addressed as a group) were in the car-park, of the
Rockingham Arms, looking like they off on the
Battlefield Trail
As it was, I headed down, what was the pre-TurnPike road, as evidenced by the name'
The 'TurnPike' was started in 1740, according to;
http://www.tadhistory.org.uk/OLRTAP/index.html
2016 Photograph
The
'OLR' was, what would at first site, be the archetypal farm/field access track, but then again, that's all it is now really
Various informative signs are around the
'Battlefield Trail', with the first one denoting the discovery of mass-graves nearby, & the strip-farming still evident in the mounds/depressions of the fields
At the highest point, there was a spllt, with the Battlefield Walk, now taking a circular path, to head back towards Towton Cross, via various other important points (like the
'Bridge of Bodies')
I followed the
'OLR' (or what should be it, via my memory of the OS sheet)
It started off, as just a gap in the hedge, with a steady descent, changing to rock-steps, as it was seemingly at the bed-rock (it is in limestone quarry territory)
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1871049
I'd not call it a full blown 'Hollow-Way', but it was on the verge
The steps would have been an issue, on the 'blue'
Ribble, with its '23' section tyres, but the CGR runs on '28' (Schwalbe Durano)
When all of a sudden, it opened up, into a little wooded area, with a bridge over the Cock Beck (the one that flowed red in March 1461)
It was so very peaceful, with barely a sound, even the wind up in the trees over the field was barely heard
The only downside was the imprint in the mud, of a MX/Enduro bike tyre
The upside was, that it was probably quiet enough to dispose of the bike, & the body, if he'd returned
After spending a few minutes, just enjoying the silence, & probably categorising it as my 'Number 2 Peaceful Place' (after the PackHorse bridge at Dob Park, north of Otley), it was time to leave
Climbing back up the other side, was much the same, but without gravity assistance, a '23' (possibly?, on a 12-28, 10-speed cassette) was okay for the ascent
It would certainly have been a test for a team of Horses, heading northwards, that may have last been changed in Sherburn-in-Elmet (circa 8 miles), at the Red Bear
http://
www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4092859
On the top, it was a rejoin of Chantry Lane, which I last saw at Towton, just after the Crooked Billet, as a bridleway/farm-road
Which then, became the modern day (ie; tarmac-ed)
Old London Road
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/292944
Through the edge of Stutton, over the A64, with a decent into Tadcaster, where I'd not been since the Tour de Yorkshire started there (Stage 2, & the Womens race)
I had a bit of a mooch round the back-streets, & a ride along the river-bank to the weir
Back into to the town-centre, then a 'stiffening of the sinews', & a circuitous trip home
Onto the 'Tadcaster TurnPike' (A162, or is it the 'FerryBridge TurnPike' here?) I followed that, past the impressive gates into Grimston Park
A left turn onto Raw Lane, too me towards Ulleskelf, with its ever so gradual descent (1-in-30?)
Over the railway bridge, & the right fork for Church Fenton was taken, rather than the loop into Ryther & Cawood
Sadly the hedgerow at the Windmill made it all but impossible to photograph it
No such problems at Church Fenton (the old RAF airfield), as it has a shiney new sign on show
Back past the Gypsum plant, & onto the Bishopdyke Road, by Sherburn station
A steady-speed ride down the Bypass, to South Milford, & the sight of another connection to days gone by, with thought of the 'London Road' sign on a (now disused, since the roundabout) branch of the 'Tadcaster TurnPike'
From here, it was a fairly routine route home
Right (west) at the roundabout with the Selby road (A63), which is even referred to as 'TurnPike' on the milestones
2009 Photograph
A left, onto Rawfield Lane, to head back towards Fairburn, & another meeting with the 'Great North Road', as I passed over, first the 'new' A1, then the now downgraded 'old' A1, & finally a couple of hundred yards on the 'GNR' (right in front of the houses & village School
Home, via Newton Lane, past the RSPB centre, meeting Barnsdale Road again, at Allerton Crossroads, & home in the reverse order of the start of this elongated tale
I hope it entertained/informed/enlightened at least one person
If so, it was worthwhile writing it
Circa ; 40 miles, & the route is here;
https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4599151.html
and then along the A162.
) and onto Barwick Road.
)
) We split at Measham.
) and @13 rider and @graham bowers both bagged metric centuries, but to be honest the mileage doesn't matter, it was just a cracking CC ride so a big 
