Mountain Bike Rides
Only a dedicated duo today, me and The Breadlad, Trainee#2 took the day off, preferring to go to the gym and “work on his legs”. Evidently his legs are not working hard enough when he cycles. We’ll have to put more hills in the routes. Another spring-like morning as we left Danby behind, climbing steadily over Ainthorpe Rigg, a little gloopy but we managed without stooping to pedestrianism. A quick breather at the top before we plunged down the other side, the slabby rocks in the top gully surprisingly dry and fast, opening out to spongy grass, spraying water from the tyres as we romped down, too soon we were at the road heading into Fryupdale. We followed this for a while, detouring slightly to check out how the new Yorkshire Cycle Hub building is coming on. To our untrained eyes, a lot to do ahead of the Easter opening date but it looks as though it will be a great facility and an asset to the moors. There’s always room for another cafe.
The track to Woodhead Farm led to a muddy bridleway climbing into the valley on heavy gravity fields, the bridleway turns right and continues steeply upward, Lake District steep, plodding slowly, bikes on back, a meandering path traversing a vertical hillside. It will make a great downhill track though, some sections could (possibly) approach the limit our skills but we will enjoy trying: when everything dries out.
After the steep bit, a more amenable track led us across the moor to the New Way road, which we followed south to the Trough House turn off. The Cut Road path, which passes Trough House and contours around the head of Fryupdale with spectacular views down the valley is one of North Yorkshire’s gems, today made a little more challenging by a thin layer of ice. Pretty much sanitised nowadays compared to the technical rockfest of years ago but still a scenic blast. A short bit of road work took us to another favourite offroad track, a straight downhill doubletrack above Bainley Bank, today slightly muddy to calm us down a bit. Near the end of the track two untethered farm dogs decided a game of chicken with two speeding mountain bikers was more fun than herding sheep, chasing rabbits, biting postmen or whatever they do all day. Bowels suitably loosened, (ours, not the dogs’) we arrived at the steep road which leads to the hamlet of Street. One other unexplored offroad track awaited our attention, a quick glance at the overgrown rabbit run before us ensured it remained unexplored and we followed tarmac speedily all the way back to Danby.
The next day we arrived at Scaling Dam car park to find it firmly barriered and bereft of butty van - for the second time in the past few weeks. It’s a mystery why it’s closed, nothing on Northumbrian Water’s website to indicate what could have precipitated such emphatic action. Even naifs like us are aware that remote car parks are often used for deviant sexual encounters in the evening but ten thirty in the morning? Feeling suitably protected from the attentions of voyeurs and exhibitionists, we parked in the fishermen’s layby and stepped out into a fairly stiff westerly. Stiff enough to ripple the surface of the reservoir and cold enough to shorten our usual faffing and get us on the road to High Tranmire Farm in double quick time. From the farm we battled into the wind for a while until we dropped down to cross Hardale Beck, which gets wider every time we’re here. The steep and usually loose ascent known as The Slagbag rose above us, excuses were made in advance, too tired, too loose, too wet, too windy - in the event they were superfluous, we all managed dab-free ascents, panting, wheezing, cursing and almost vomiting but success was ours.
Downhill to Green Houses, past the excitable spaniel, spaniel singular today, not the usual barking trio. Staying on the road, we climbed out of Stonegate, then down Bank Lane, aiming for the stepping stones over The Esk beyond West Banks Farm. Trainee#2’s prowess at riding stepping stones, fresh from his success at Nettledale, was tested by the sight which greeted us at the river. Two of the central stones were missing and the river in spate, no chance of even walking across today, not unless we fancied being swept all the way to Whitby, arriving in the harbour to be ripped apart by the flesh-eating seagulls. An alternative route via a handy bridge was utilised and we were soon almost puking for the second time today on the ultra-steep track up to Park House Farm, roughly cobbled and approaching vertical we were all successful again, the price of success being a sweating, wheezing trio frightening the animals. Another muddy field descent followed, passing under the railway into Underpark Farm, dodging chickens and ducks waddling about in the slurry. A steady pull along the riverside bridleway brought us to Lealholm, then a few miles into the wind to Houlsyke before more climbing eventually got to Danby Beacon, the last stretch of road up to the beacon gaining some spectacular Strava times with the benefit of a tailwind.
Still bright, sunny and cold, we took a quick breather at the beacon, Trainee#2 bounding about like a hyperactive juvenile, obviously not working hard enough. The singletrack over Roxby Moor was a bit draggy today but still enjoyable. Trainee#2 took a big off, probably from eating the dust of someone almost thirty years his senior, although he blames a spuriously appearing rock. Surprisingly he was unwilling to repeat it for the camera. The car park was still locked and barred as we passed, despite a sign saying it would be closing at three o’clock today, must have been three a.m. There was no other choice but to decamp to the butty van at Birk Brow in search of sustenance.
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