A Haylot Advnture - Mike Codd's Ride 6 May
/I set out with three others from Millennium Bridge at 9:15. We headed by the simplest route – riverside – A683 – Wray, Bridge House Farm for coffee and sustenance. Sitting outside, we put the world to rights for a while, girding our loins for the next part of the ride into the hills.
We had to engage bottom-bottom gear almost from the get-go up School Lane, hitting an early steep section, before the ascent moderated. We continued climbing, then came the stinker after what had already been a hard ascent, passing a house on our left, the road hit a long 15%before levelling out for a superb panorama, where we all stopped for a breather.
Sweeping round from the east, we spotted Fountains Fell, Pen-y- Ghent, Ingleborough, Whernside, Gragareth, Crag Hill. Then to the northwest, we saw cloud and mist over the Lake District fells, where it clearly was raining.
That was the Taster.
Keith left us here with prior arrangements. We three joined Moor Lane, continuing uphill, and stopped again, just past the first cattle-grid, to catch our breath, then continued, descending steeply to cross the Roeburn, then steeply up past the little chapel where a parked car, boot open, displayed large tea-making kettles and teapots - clearly a chapel that people used.
Continuing up on this road (which eventually leads to the Hornby Road) we opened the gate on the right, clearly labelled “Haylot”. This took us downhill, to cross the Roeburn again then through a gate onto a steep ,recently-tarmacked road. The workers had filled the holes well with loose gravel, but not using enough tar, had left it in an unsuitable condition for safe cycling, so we walked for 100 yards, before picking up the climb to Haylot Farm. Then it started hailing, fortunately not heavily.
Undaunted, we enjoyed a rapid descent to cross a feeder stream of the Roeburn, pushing again for a while then ascending to near Winder.
Ahead of the others, I turned left, suddenly coming across the intended turn to Crossgill. Turning round, I saw Tim follow round the corner and come to a stop; Phil, who had been ahead of him was spotted descending rapidly straight on.
After some thinking Tim and I descended through Crossgill, then met Phil coming in on the other road. Ride rescued!
We then descended to cross Artle Beck, then up to The Cragg. I suffered the “bonk” on this ascent, being in bottom-bottom gear up to the top, but managed to stay in the saddle. A quick swig of sweetened cold black coffee sorted it out.
After this, the ride became easier. We descended, past Baines Cragg, turning left down Rigg Lane, through Quernmore, zipping along Bay Horse road to 5-Lane Ends where we took the Chipping road.
Past the Fleece, we turned right and descended across the M6 and through Cleveley Bank then right to arrive at The Barn, where queues of would be diners convinced us we’d go to Daisy Clough on Station Lane. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch, only briefly interrupted when we left our exposed table for a sheltered one, recently vacated, to avoid a passing shower.
We crossed the A6, past Holly farm and then joined the road to Cockerham, then, turning off at Thurnham, approached Glasson, via Jeremy Lane. All were keen to get home by now, so we eschewed tea and cakes in Glasson and took the riverside path back to Aldcliffe, where we dispersed for home.
We rode only 45 miles but climbed 3660 feet – Phew!!
Mike Codd
