Hi Guys,
Seeing as the forecast was good for today I thought it would be good to have the day off and have a nice little day trip, after ringing round some friends they all had to work ( how sad!!
) So I was "flying solo" for the day and decided to take the camera along as when I'm riding with the group we don't normally bother to take pics.
So I shot off on my Tod along towards Richmond North Yorkshire and headed in the direction of Hawes on the A684, just before I turned off on the B6160 to Kettlewell you could see Castle Bolton peeking over the dry stone wall
The turn for Kettlewell on the B6160
The road climbs up towards Cray and starts to get very scenic, great to stop and have a look at where you have just come from!
On the top just before you drop into Cray
This little waterfall just before the White Lion Inn at Cray is fed by Bishopdale Beck
I rode on the next few miles through Buckden, Starbottom and Kettlewell, then took an unclassified road on the right signposted to Litton
More cracking scenery in Litton Valley
After a few miles you get to a tiny little place called Halton Gill and the road takes a very sharp left and starts to climb up Fountains Fell on its way to Settle - this is the view as you climb up from Halton Gill
The view out to your left hand side of Litton Valley is stunning!
You are surrounded by massive rock formations like this, dead impressive!
In about 10 miles or so, this tiny road spits you out near Settle and I hung a right and headed up the B6479 Horton in Ribblesdale road, fantastic fast, well surface curvy road this, so I pulled the pin and it was Hammer Time!!!
After a great blast up this road it brings you out at the Ribblehead Viaduct, hang a right and you have another fantastic 10 miles or so of some great riding roads, very fast swooping curves that lead you up into Hawes - Yee Haw!! time for the 1,000 yard stare
Now we normally stop at the Penny Garth cafe for grub, but there was too many of those "Ruffy-Tuffy" bikers for my liking
, so I felt like treating myself to a visit around the corner to the Wensleydale cheese factory and tea room.
If any of you guys like cheese, you would love this place, they have a shop that sells masses of the stuff!!
Great choice of cakes in the tea room - I love cakes me
Finally decide on a Latte and a Paradise Slice - Yom-Yom!! didn't touch the sides on the way down!
Out of Hawes on the A684 towards Sedbergh and then took a right turn onto the B6259 across Mallerstang Common towards Kirkby Stephen, when just past Outhgill I came across these ruins - Pendragon Castle, built in the 12th Century ( needs the pointing doing now mind! )
On through Kirkby Stephen and Brough and I took the B6276 towards Middleton in Teessdale which runs past Selset and Grassholme reservoirs, when it struck me just how lucky I was today :-
"Its October, its 14 deg C and sunny, the roads are dry and I'm on a 990 SMT and I have the B6276 in front of me with no traffic on it to demolish!! - Oh Happy Day!!
"
Arty farty shot just above Grassholme Reservoir, now my little Excitable Hyper mate normally blasts past me on his Fireblade here, but he's always on the wrong side of 120 so I don't feel too bad about it
This road then spits you out into Middleton in Teesdale, this is the view looking back
A fuzzy self timer shot ( need more practice! ) of me wondering where my next pie is gonna come from
From here I made my way back through the teeming metropolis of Bishop Auckland and back to home near Yarm.
A great ride out with fantastic weather for this time of year, nice 170 mile round trip, and somehow I always enjoy a ride like this even better when I know that everyone else is still stuck at work!! Selfish, .."Moi!"
Cheers,
Poucher
Seeing as the forecast was good for today I thought it would be good to have the day off and have a nice little day trip, after ringing round some friends they all had to work ( how sad!!
) So I was "flying solo" for the day and decided to take the camera along as when I'm riding with the group we don't normally bother to take pics.So I shot off on my Tod along towards Richmond North Yorkshire and headed in the direction of Hawes on the A684, just before I turned off on the B6160 to Kettlewell you could see Castle Bolton peeking over the dry stone wall
The turn for Kettlewell on the B6160
The road climbs up towards Cray and starts to get very scenic, great to stop and have a look at where you have just come from!
On the top just before you drop into Cray
This little waterfall just before the White Lion Inn at Cray is fed by Bishopdale Beck
I rode on the next few miles through Buckden, Starbottom and Kettlewell, then took an unclassified road on the right signposted to Litton
More cracking scenery in Litton Valley
After a few miles you get to a tiny little place called Halton Gill and the road takes a very sharp left and starts to climb up Fountains Fell on its way to Settle - this is the view as you climb up from Halton Gill
The view out to your left hand side of Litton Valley is stunning!
You are surrounded by massive rock formations like this, dead impressive!
In about 10 miles or so, this tiny road spits you out near Settle and I hung a right and headed up the B6479 Horton in Ribblesdale road, fantastic fast, well surface curvy road this, so I pulled the pin and it was Hammer Time!!!
After a great blast up this road it brings you out at the Ribblehead Viaduct, hang a right and you have another fantastic 10 miles or so of some great riding roads, very fast swooping curves that lead you up into Hawes - Yee Haw!! time for the 1,000 yard stare
Now we normally stop at the Penny Garth cafe for grub, but there was too many of those "Ruffy-Tuffy" bikers for my liking
, so I felt like treating myself to a visit around the corner to the Wensleydale cheese factory and tea room.
If any of you guys like cheese, you would love this place, they have a shop that sells masses of the stuff!!
Great choice of cakes in the tea room - I love cakes me
Finally decide on a Latte and a Paradise Slice - Yom-Yom!! didn't touch the sides on the way down!
Out of Hawes on the A684 towards Sedbergh and then took a right turn onto the B6259 across Mallerstang Common towards Kirkby Stephen, when just past Outhgill I came across these ruins - Pendragon Castle, built in the 12th Century ( needs the pointing doing now mind! )
On through Kirkby Stephen and Brough and I took the B6276 towards Middleton in Teessdale which runs past Selset and Grassholme reservoirs, when it struck me just how lucky I was today :-
"Its October, its 14 deg C and sunny, the roads are dry and I'm on a 990 SMT and I have the B6276 in front of me with no traffic on it to demolish!! - Oh Happy Day!!
"
Arty farty shot just above Grassholme Reservoir, now my little Excitable Hyper mate normally blasts past me on his Fireblade here, but he's always on the wrong side of 120 so I don't feel too bad about it
This road then spits you out into Middleton in Teesdale, this is the view looking back
A fuzzy self timer shot ( need more practice! ) of me wondering where my next pie is gonna come from
From here I made my way back through the teeming metropolis of Bishop Auckland and back to home near Yarm.
A great ride out with fantastic weather for this time of year, nice 170 mile round trip, and somehow I always enjoy a ride like this even better when I know that everyone else is still stuck at work!! Selfish, .."Moi!"
Cheers,
Poucher
, with lots of police
