Slowly slowly catchy monkey

Back in Jan I went out with Stu from the Dales Bike Centre for a cold snowy ride up in the dales and had a blast.  Fitness was lacking but I look forward to coming fitter for the summer so I can keep up with this lot!

It's Grim up North

Not really....its stunning . Saturday 25th January I had a free day to myself so decided to take the van for a spin and combine it with a good walk.  Approximately 8 miles outside Pateley Bridge is Grimwith Reservoir my chosen destination.  I'd not visited it before and really enjoyed the circular walk around the reservoir.  Great scenery, gentle terrain and at 4.5 miles a decent morning walk. I look forward to coming back in the spring when the weather improves. 

The unexpected visitor

So today I got a call from Dave aka Tank...His meeting in Newcastle had been cancelled so was passing our place.  Amazing to see him and give him a quick tour of the local sites. Decided to use Snufkin and do it in style as he needed a run.  Love it when unexpected visits brighten the day and can't wait to see the big man up this way again soon. 

A wonderful Sunday ride

On Sunday 12th Jan I met up with a local chap who's also known as 'Rich'.  T'other Rich has lived in Pateley since August 13 and shares a passion for bikes like me.  Rich took me on a Ride which started at Scar House Reservoir and followed the high ridges above the Nidd Valley all the way back to Pateley.  Being honest I wasn't sure how I'd fare given the inclines involved but after the initial shock of the first climb I really enjoyed the ride.  Hard work yes, but great fun and the fact it was a sub zero morning made the riding very challenging.  Pleased to say I didn't fall but then I did take the downhill parts gently given this was my first 'real' ride in ages. It's amazing to have such dramatic and inspiring landscape on the doorstep and I look forward to making these weekend rides part of my life.  T'other Rich rides a 10 year old Cannondale full susser which suites the landscape around here perfectly.  My On-One hard tail is a little harsh over the bigger rocks but I'm pleased for an inexpensive bike how she performs.   

Birthday

So today the 3rd Jan is my birthday (38!!!).  I decided to take a ride from Glasshouses up to Cold Stones Cut which whilst not far away is up hill all the way for the 5 miles or so.  However after a good start it wasn't too long before I heard the dreaded hiss coming from my front tyre and before I knew it the tyre was flat.  I decided to push on up the hill (on foot) for another 10 minutes or so before fixing the flat.  As I climbed higher the wind got stronger so before I reached the summit I decided it was time to fix the tyre.  This is my first puncture on this bike (Boardman cyclocross) as it's was only my 2nd real ride but I'm not too impressed with the standard tyres despite them saying they have kevlar protection.   So I pulled off into a sheltered spot and proceeded to fix the flat only to discover that it was too cold for my repair kit glue to work and I'd also picked up the wrong pump in my haste to leave the house!  Bugger!.  Nevermind it was a pleasant walk home and I had the opportunity to check out 'Fish Pond' Wood on the way down which was a nice find.  So some lessons learned today....give the tyres another chance before thinking about replacing and to ensure I've got the right kit next time before heading out!!!

 

Our first Campervan Trip - North Yorkshire Coast

Better weather forecast for the 2nd of Jan which meant we decided to take 'Snufkin' our VW T25 Campervan out for the day to the North Yorkshire Coast.  So after some initial checks of the oil and water we packed up the van and set off towards the coast with Thom riding shot gun and Claire in the back.  Snufkin did us proud and didn't miss a beat all day and is a joy to drive (apart from when windy as then it's like driving a boat).  Our first destination was Runswick Bay.  Neither Claire or I had been here before so when we arrived we were greeted with a view of a long golden sandy beach with a lovely little village at the end.  We headed for the beach and had a lovely walk although it did turn into a bit of a climb when the tide came in and cut off the main access to the beach.  Next we headed for Whitby and enjoyed a lovely sunny afternoon browsing the sights and ended up have a fish and chip supper on the seafront in the van.

New Years Day

New Years day 2014.....a very wet day up here and in most places too...we decided to take a ride out to Embsay and took a ride on the Steam Railway to Bolton Abbey.  Thom loved being on the steam train as did we and it was a great day out.  Having a nice warming cup of tea in the Bolton Abbey station next to the open fire was a treat whilst the rain came down outside.  We met the 'Gip' the station dog who was a lovely old fella (16!) who Thom loved. I loved the fact that the railway is manned by volunteers who are all so passionate about their railway and keeping the 'age of steam' alive.

About this blog

The thinking behind this blog is to create an on-line record of the places we've visited, inspiring sites we've seen and to try and record the beauty that's out there on our door step.  Having recently moved to Glasshouses in North Yorkshire we are embarking on a new and exciting part of our lives (we being me Rich, my wife Claire, our 3 year old son Thom, Alf the Lakeland Terrier and Monty the cat)...The blog is really just for our own purposes but feel free to view if you see something of interest to you....