The romance between my bike and I has definitely blossomed following a weekend away cycling in the Yorkshire Dales. Staying in the little village of Askrigg in the parish of Wensleydale (yes, as in the cheese) we were situated in a small valley, surrounded by two gorgeous moors.
With endless stretches of land surrounding us and uncannily quiet roads, I couldn’t have chosen a better place to get practicing on my new bike! We arrived on the Friday afternoon and as the room wasn’t yet ready we figured we might as well make the most of our time. As soon as we hit the road, we were mesmerised by how smooth the road surfaces were – every push to the peddle inflicted a fluid glide and in seconds we were cruising. Then we reached the little village of Hawes and were greeted by a massive sign reading ‘Le Tour De France – Saturday 5th July’ and it all made sense!! Not only had we unknowingly chosen one of the exact locations in the Yorkshire Dales which the tour is to pass through but were spoiled by brand new road surfacing in preparation for the event – perfect!
After a casual 20 miles exploring this beautiful part of the country it was time for a beer! We were staying at the rustic, 18th century pub, ‘The Kings Arms’, famous for its doubled role as the ‘Drovers Arms’ in the BBC Series, ‘All Creatures Great and Small’. A four o’clock pint, which we eventually christened ‘4sies’ sat by the pub’s gorgeous open fire immediately became a daily (and clearly cycling-critical) aspect of our weekend routine.
And just when you (and I) thought this was a lovely lazy weekend exploring the Dales with a picnic and basket-fronted bike, the cycling got serious – I quite literally transformed from Miss Marple to Chris Froome in the space of a morning. Raining and ridiculously windy when we opened the pretty tartan curtains of our warm and cosy room, we figured we’d battle against the elements regardless and got out on the road – and it certainly was a battle. We had planned on doing a 30 mile morning ride with a nice coffee half way through. So, after 16 miles of cycling we took a turn for Muker – and what a turn it was! We were unknowingly climbing Buttertubs Pass – a climb included in Britain’s toughest 100 climbs and featuring as one of two King of the Mountains climbs in Stage One of the Tour De France!
Exhausted but proud to have accomplished it (without stopping), I could almost feel the warm sensation of coffee trickling down my throat. However, it was long before this became a reality as we realised the nearest town was miles and miles away across another exhaustive series of climbs and as the wind and hail got stronger we thought it sensible to head back. Turning my bike around, the frame hit me hard against my waist and it was at that point we realised we’d hit a storm. Getting back on board I had no idea how hard it was staying balanced on a bike against powerful winds (particularly descending an enormous hill with an ice-cold, hail storm exfoliating your face!) We made it back all the same and the coffee in Askrigg’s gorgeous little tea-room couldn’t have tasted any better – neither could the scrumptious, homemade fish and chips and pint of lager I later devoured!
Our final route was in and around the picturesque town of Kirkby Lonsdale and the ride was much more Miss Marple-esc. 25 miles in the blazing sunshine felt like a breeze – particularly as the route was nice and flat. After planning to stop off in a nice little café for lunch before heading back home (to work and reality) we found ourselves in the motor-cycling hub of the Yorkshire Dales – Devil’s Bridge. Hoards of motorcyclists surrounded a butty van so we joined the clan and grabbed a fatty and delicious bacon sandwich and a milky coffee – a far better choice than a flimsy and overpriced croque-monsieur!
All in all a great weekend! Lots of cycling and lots of lovely food. What better way to spend the weekend than exploring the countryside, eating lovely pub grub and gulping gallons of fresh air and beer? There isn’t one.
Until next time x
Lets Go Ride a Bike 