The Breadlad.
18th September 2018 route
Tropical storm Florence, which was downgraded from Typhoon Florence spent the last couple of days battering the land of the free and home of the brave and now, although depleted from the trip across the Atlantic, it is due spit its last gasps on the land of the lager and home of the Greggs. Using portentous triangles, the forecast warned of wind around the fifty miles an hour mark, danger to property, life and limb, flying livestock, witches with red shoes and “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore Toto” We definitely were not in Kansas but we were in Kildale, watching huge trees swaying ominously as we engaged in the usual car park faffing. Lesser men would have stayed on the settee and let’s be honest, they all did, except for me and The Breadlad, who always prefers saddles to cushions. A cunning plan was hatched in the car park, ride out and up against the wind and return with the wind behind us, not really cunning, pretty standard for this weather and wind direction.
We left the car park and made our way on tarmac to Bank Foot farm and the drag along the old rail track to the relative shelter of Battersby Plantation, this mile or so from Bank Foot is always deceptively hard, slightly uphill and into a headwind, today we had a canny bit of wind. Attempts at drafting The Breadlad were thwarted by his bijou body, so we suffered the whole way along the track. Fire roads though the plantation were used to get us to the bridleway which goes from Clogger's Hall to Jackson’s Bank, a ‘shortcut’ to the moor top we have used occasionally, very occasionally as it happens. One of those tracks which somehow become blanked from the mind for five years or so until someone says “let’s go up this way; it wasn’t too bad” then you begin to ride and realise why you don’t use this route regularly. Our attempts at pedalling faltered within feet leaving us pushing and carrying up an ever-steepening, slippery track, onwards and upwards, until, some time later, we arrived on Urra Moor, where the full force of the wind made itself known. Despite the wind it wasn’t a bad day, the drizzle from earlier had blown away and the sun came out, so why the two walkers on the track looked as though they were trekking up K2 is a bit of mystery, full waterproof kit, hoods tightly fastened, walking poles, big bags, they seemed a bit taken aback to see a pair of shirt sleeved mountain bikers appear ahead of them, laughing like lunatics while attempting to stand up against the wind.
Due to the cunning plan, the wind would be predominantly behind us now, for the next eight miles or so; we were blown over Round Hill and along to Bloworth Crossing, aptly named today. This lonely spot was once an actual rail crossing where the keeper, who lived there, was prevailed upon to open the crossing twice a day, apparently it was such an unpopular posting for employees it was nicknamed Siberia. Nothing Siberian about today, I think we even managed to get a bit of a sweat on as the wind pushed us up the track toward Burton Howe. Following the edge of Ingleby Moor to Tidy Brown hill, we had a side wind, gusts blowing us across the track. At Tidy Brown Hill, we turned north east, what is still one of my favourite tracks on the moors, from here to the Baysdale road, a superb double track, fast and flowing, today improved by an awesome tailwind. The road was reached in record time.
The drop down the road to Kildale is usually worryingly fast for someone on the verge of middle age, today the twists and turns meant we were battered by the wind from all directions, we spent as much time going sideways as down, discretion being the better part of valour and all that, our descent turned a bit leisurely. Shortly after, we were in Glebe Cottage Tearoom surrounded by American walkers who seemed to be enjoying the North Yorkshire countryside as much as their native Colorado.
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