Ride from Beaumont College to Talebrigg Hill, Bank Holiday Monday, 28th August 2022

‘Heights’ was the apposite name of the highest point ( 210m) of the Cyclists Touring Club ride on the Bank Holiday weekend. To rescue this place from the depths of obscurity, it is better described as being between Park Hill and Talebrigg Hill on the fellside to the west of Middleton (to the south of Sedbergh).

In any case, this remote and as yet unknown destination proved sufficiently attractive to eight club members for them to get together at Beaumont on a calm and sunny Sunday. Or perhaps it was just a better option than the predicted Bank Holiday traffic jams .

With the latter in mind, the ride route sought out the by-ways to the coffee stop at Farleton View fisheries. Capernwray, Priest Hutton, Cinderbarrow and Hilderstone took us traffic-free to Holme, from where it was but a short hop to coffee. Here, we met up with another six riders for a chat.

Realising it was nearly midday, we continued under the busy Kendal by-pass to Preston Patrick and thence the lane to Gatebeck, marvelling at the various hues of late summer greenery on the patchwork of fells ahead. The gradual climbing continued past Holmescales and under the welcome shade of the tree-lined lane to the crossroads at Old Hutton. A steeper but short climb took us over the M6 and into a fellside of stone walls and gently- undulating lanes, passing the huge wind turbines, ‘at rest’ in the calm conditions.

‘Heights’was attained before the steep descent to the junction at Egholme Farm, and the gradual stepped descent to Kearstwick and Kirkby Lonsdale. Regret was voiced at the continued closure of the stricken bridge at Rigmaden, which would have been the route of choice to the lunch stop at Casterton. We will have to wait another twelve months to get a replacement . Instead, extreme caution had to be taken to weave a path amongst the hordes of day visitors at Devil’s Bridge, to arrive unscathed at Casterton Golf Club café.

Clouds arrived to provide more temperate conditions for our outdoor feasting and chatter, before heading for home through Whittington and Arkholme, with between 50 and 60 miles on the Garmin for most of us.

If you are searching for a steady-paced ride with a friendly group, the CTC welcomes new riders. Find our range of weekday and Sunday rides on our website www.ctclancaster.org.uk

Len howard

Club Secretary