Mountain Bike Ride.
The Pensioner.
The first day of November, riding in short sleeves and shorts, if this global warming bring it on. Of course, The Pensioner managed a more pessimistic outlook, “We’re going to pay for this later you know. It’ll be a terrible winter.” Etcétera, etcétera. Getting behind the whole mindfulness thing (this season’s latest psychobabble) and living in the moment, I was content to let the sun caress my bare arms and not even entertain the concept of snow, ice and cold for a few more hours. Oddly, considering it was a sunny Sunday and the last day of the half term holiday, Danby was pretty much deserted, not quite tumbleweeds blowing down the High Street but very few people about.
Eventually, after The Pensioner had locked and unlocked his car a dozen or so times, forgetting to get stuff out, forgetting to put things in, we set off riding - as far as the T junction at the end of the road, where he returned to his car to get his cycling helmet. Take two and we’re off, pedalling steadily up the road to Ainthorpe, then taking the bridleway over Ainthorpe Rigg, now completely sanitised which makes it a lot less fun to ride down but considerably easier to ride up. The descent of Crossley Side is always good to go down, starting as a rocky gully which opens out to a grassy path. Worth the ride up without a doubt. From the corner where New Way meets the Fryup road, we made our way to Stonebeck Gate Farm intending to take the bridleway to Crag Wood but after some discussion decided against it as it would probably involve some mud-plugging and it was too nice a day to be struggling through a morasse. We became road riders for the next few miles, riding through scenic splendour to end up in Lealholm, then Houlsyke, then the painful drag up Oakley Side to the Oakley Walls road. Having a breather after the ascent, we basked in the sun, taking in the view, looking south to the head of Fryupdale, slightly misty in the distance; fog or heat haze?
The siren call of the cafe, paradoxically soundless but nevertheless insistent, lured us onward, retracing our route of a few days ago, past Castleton Pits to Clitherbeck Farm, both agreeing it was not as fast the other day, feeling damp and draggy - or maybe just lacking Monday’s tail wind. The last section down into Danby, The Lord’s Turnpike features some big puddles but the finish is always good, downhill and generally dry, ending practically at the car park, mud-spattered and sweating. Sweating in November? Mud baked on by the sun, not shivering as we loaded bikes into cars; a whole winter like this? Yes please.
It being Sunday, the Stonehouse Bakery is closed, The Pensioner, for whom a ride without tea is as unthinkable as optimism, gaiety and glee, relied on his local knowledge and we retired to Castleton Tea Rooms for our post-ride calorie replacement. Still rather less full than would be expected, it being such a marvellous day; is there some other way of spending a sunny Sunday we don’t know about? And would it be more fun than riding a bike?
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