The Pensioner's Legacy

Mountain Bike Ride.

The Breadlad, Richie.

18th May 2017 route

This has to be the ultimate Dale's ride, some brutal climbs but not too many, a whole bunch of descending, big skies and post-industrial vistas. The Pensioner's legacy without a doubt. Today me and The Breadlad introduced Richie to its delights and the weather couldn't have been better. We parked up in the tiny village of Gunnerside, which was packed as usual, there is normally more parked cars than houses.

The first climb comes immediately, starting on tarmac, then hanging a right up the quaintly named Jingle Pot Edge, eventually it levels out, high above the beck, before descending into Gunnerside valley. We crossed the stream and gave the old buildings a cursory glance prior to shouldering our bikes for the climb up the other side of the valley. Riding again we crossed the moon like surface left from the hush mining of the past before finding the path on the other side of Gunnerside Gill. Continually interesting, it culminates with a grassy downhill blast to Barf End. Level tracks take us speedily to Blades, where we climb again, pausing briefly so Ritchie could stave off incipient malnutrition with a doorstop sandwich which made our energy bars look a bit inadequate. We followed a track across Feetham Pasture to Surrender Bridge, then another old mine road to the ruins of the Old Gang Smelting Mill, which was one of the largest lead smelting mills in the area when it was operating in the mid-nineteenth century. Another breather was taken to explore the relics of bygone industry before this relic of contemporary industry gave Ritchie a choice; long and hard or shorter and gruesomely hard: he opted for long and hard.

A few hundred vertical feet later, we were passing through some more ruins, Moor House to be exact, reassuring a somewhat traumatized Richie that the climbing really was all over. A descent of some awesomeness ensues, crossing Melbecks Moor, plunging downwards to an NSP at the Barf End gate (yes, again), where we stood grinning like baboons, telling Richie the best is yet to come. For once we were not exaggerating. Still in gravity utilisation mode, the next section begins down a stony track which turns to a grassy gully before diving into a rocky tunnel beneath some trees, this opens out onto the steep road above Gunnerside’s most famous landmark - the electric gate.

The café, predictably enough was closed but in a practical demonstration that the sun shines on the righteous, another cafe has opened practically next door. Mary Shaw's Cafe, and very nice it is too, especially the sun trap outdoor seating where we sat topping up our vitamin D levels and reliving the ride. Ritchie's verdict, an excellent route except for the climbs. A fair appraisal which could probably be applied to almost every route we do. The hours The Pensioner spent poring over maps, Google Earth and Youtube videos were not wasted, he found us a classic, definitely the ride we will always remember him by.