In progress ...
Summary
| Route Distance: 87 km | Estimated Time: 8:42 | |
| Total Ascent: 1243 m | Total Descent: 1418 m |
Elevation Profile
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| From misc |
It's a bit hillier than this but I'm missing some map data, hence the flat-lining.
Route Map
From misc
You Tube
Big screen HD all the way ...
Ride Description
Kirkby Stephen
One thing you notice about Kirkby Stephen is that it is full of Churches. There seems to be more churches of various Christian denominations than people. Given that 'Kirk' means church I suppose that's fair enough. Infact our hostel is anold Methodist church, and has been for over 20 years. It is on the route of four Long Distance Walkers paths including the Coast to Coast and is one of a new breed of independent hostels, sold off by the YHA in 2006.
After saying adieu to The Wizard we breakfasted on anything with carbohydrates in it whilst The Reverend James gave us a sermon from the pulpit about the evils of materialism. We agreed to donate all our worldy possessions to the reverend immediately after washing up.
Not too much faffing today, we jumped on our bikes and lined up for a team photo at which point a very jovial lady sprang into our midst and began regailing us of tales of how friendly the town was compared to where she used to live in southern England. She was charming if not a little erm, 'senior'. She bid us a pleasant journey and KT, Wiggo, The Rear and myself headed up the road towards Reeth some 22 miles east.
Nateby Common
As usual the ride begins with a nice warm up as you climb up Nateby Common. You can do this climb off-road but the bridleway is boggy so it's best just to crack on up the road until reaching the summit at around 500 meters height. From here you are afforded views westward accross the low plains back towards the Lakes, south west to the Howgills, south to High Pike and Ingleborough beyond that. Looking north you can see Nine Standards Rig and eastward, our onward direction, Birkdale Common pans out. The sun was shining and it was time to say goodbye to Cumbria and hello to North Yorkshire. KT and Wiggo are both Yorkshiremen, The Rear and myself hail from t'other side of the pennines.
To Keld
The road meanders up and down along the top of Birkdale Common for a couple of miles before plummeting down towards Keld. We kept our eyes peeled for the source of the River Swale. As it turns out it starts in lots of little becks that make their way down Ravenseat and Birkdale Moors, culminating in two becks that meet at a fork and this fork is where the River Swale begins. So know we're all a bit wiser. At Keld you turn left off the B6270 and head towards the church at Keld (sign posted 'Keld Only'). After dropping down 100 yards or so pick up a bridleway on your right. It immediately crosses the Swale and in no time at all you'll find yourself stripping off and feeling the full force of Catrake Force on your back, very refreshing!
Swaledale
Swaledale is one of the wilder and narrower of the main Yorkshire Dales’ valleys. Its tributary Arkengarthdale can seem even more remote. The River Swale dominates the valley. The hillsides are steep and the valley bottom is narrow making it great for riding and providing some fantastic views which is great as we'll be riding along it for miles and miles and miles! There's lots more intersting information about Swaledale here.
Crackpot
We continued on the bridleway as it follows the river through the cuttings. The scenery is fantastic and the riding easy. This section is probably my favourite part of the ride. We stopped to have a sit on a delapidated old grey Fergie tractor before cracking on through Crackpot, along the valley bottom and then onto a mettled lane that skirts around Ivelet Moor. KT, a virtual local to these parts informed me that we were on the 'old coffin road' - as it was used in times gone by to transport the deceased to Richmond for burial. There were some lovely stone houses enroute, all looking cosy enough to keep you warm through the long winter months wrapped up next to a warm fire. As it happens the weather was reasonbly nice, dappled sunshine and about 65 degrees Farenheit. The road undulates a tad as it is traversed by numerous becks that feed into the Swale, not least Gunnerside Gill. KT tells me there are good bridleways to take around here, sadly we have to crack on on the road. We passed through Healaugh (a former Lewis family holiday venue) before cruising into Reeth.
Reeth
Reeth is at the meeting point of Arkengarthdale with Swaledale. It became the economic hub of the lead industry and grew enormously in the 18th century. Its 18th-century houses and hotels are clustered around a triangular green as are three pubs and a bakery which we availed ourselves of. We had a cheeky half at the Buck Hotel which was staffed by a very friendly lady and served Hambleton Ale. Grand.
It was time to swap van driving duties, so JP jumped into the van and Cleggy donned his best swimming trunks. At this point we'd covered about 35km but still had another 55km to go so we jumped back on the bikes and cruised out of Reeth into the village of Fremington (another Lewis family holiday destination) before crossing the river at Grinton. As we rode through Fremington we spotted a new biking centre.
Richmond
The guide book says "Richmond is a market town on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, England and is the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire. Situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, it is a popular tourist destination." What it doesn't tell you is that it also has it's fair share of drunken chavs gathered around the obelisk in the cobbled square centre. Lots's more interesting historical facts about Richmond here. We didn't have a great deal of time to lounge around the vibrant square or even to pop down to the water falls if we wanted to be in Osmotherley before dark. At this point KT took up the navigation conjugals as last time I managed to get us lost in Catterick and we ended up at a racecourse.
Country Lanes
KT led us through Brompton-on-Swale before taking us to Scorton - a fascinating little village with a raised cricket pitch as it's centre-piece. An excellent idea, all villages should have at least one. We soaked up the warm evening rays before heading off along quiet country lanes lapping up the harvest time aromas as they drifted on the breeze. Just before entering Danby Wiske we were stopped by a train at a level-crossing. At this point we noticed a herd of water buffalo serenely grazing in an adjacent field. It felt almost as incongruous an experience as sighting the Cop Stone on Moor Divock yesterday. There is was, and there we have it. Heads down now for the final push, 15kms through Brompton, over the A19 and a final climb into Osmotherley. The Golden Lion Inn was a welcoming sight.
Osmotherley
...is a great little village sadly overlooked by Alfred Wainwright in his coast-to-coast guide. We treated ourselves to a pre-prandial ale or two before freshening up and sitting down to a slap up meal. Cleggy informed us that this was his first ever three-course meal which surprised us as he's such a big strapping lad.
The rooms were excellent as was the food (although the king prawn starter was a bit pricey for what it was). The walk-in showers were just what tired muscles and an achey back needed, good pressure, big stainless steel shower heads and stone floors. There's nothing like a good shower for sorting you out at the end of a long day in the saddle.
With bellys full and a glowing complexion from the warm Yorkshire sunshine we made our way to bed, "tired but satisfied with days" I think the phrase goes.
One thing you notice about Kirkby Stephen is that it is full of Churches. There seems to be more churches of various Christian denominations than people. Given that 'Kirk' means church I suppose that's fair enough. Infact our hostel is anold Methodist church, and has been for over 20 years. It is on the route of four Long Distance Walkers paths including the Coast to Coast and is one of a new breed of independent hostels, sold off by the YHA in 2006.
After saying adieu to The Wizard we breakfasted on anything with carbohydrates in it whilst The Reverend James gave us a sermon from the pulpit about the evils of materialism. We agreed to donate all our worldy possessions to the reverend immediately after washing up.
Not too much faffing today, we jumped on our bikes and lined up for a team photo at which point a very jovial lady sprang into our midst and began regailing us of tales of how friendly the town was compared to where she used to live in southern England. She was charming if not a little erm, 'senior'. She bid us a pleasant journey and KT, Wiggo, The Rear and myself headed up the road towards Reeth some 22 miles east.
Nateby Common
As usual the ride begins with a nice warm up as you climb up Nateby Common. You can do this climb off-road but the bridleway is boggy so it's best just to crack on up the road until reaching the summit at around 500 meters height. From here you are afforded views westward accross the low plains back towards the Lakes, south west to the Howgills, south to High Pike and Ingleborough beyond that. Looking north you can see Nine Standards Rig and eastward, our onward direction, Birkdale Common pans out. The sun was shining and it was time to say goodbye to Cumbria and hello to North Yorkshire. KT and Wiggo are both Yorkshiremen, The Rear and myself hail from t'other side of the pennines.
To Keld
The road meanders up and down along the top of Birkdale Common for a couple of miles before plummeting down towards Keld. We kept our eyes peeled for the source of the River Swale. As it turns out it starts in lots of little becks that make their way down Ravenseat and Birkdale Moors, culminating in two becks that meet at a fork and this fork is where the River Swale begins. So know we're all a bit wiser. At Keld you turn left off the B6270 and head towards the church at Keld (sign posted 'Keld Only'). After dropping down 100 yards or so pick up a bridleway on your right. It immediately crosses the Swale and in no time at all you'll find yourself stripping off and feeling the full force of Catrake Force on your back, very refreshing!
Swaledale
Swaledale is one of the wilder and narrower of the main Yorkshire Dales’ valleys. Its tributary Arkengarthdale can seem even more remote. The River Swale dominates the valley. The hillsides are steep and the valley bottom is narrow making it great for riding and providing some fantastic views which is great as we'll be riding along it for miles and miles and miles! There's lots more intersting information about Swaledale here.
Crackpot
We continued on the bridleway as it follows the river through the cuttings. The scenery is fantastic and the riding easy. This section is probably my favourite part of the ride. We stopped to have a sit on a delapidated old grey Fergie tractor before cracking on through Crackpot, along the valley bottom and then onto a mettled lane that skirts around Ivelet Moor. KT, a virtual local to these parts informed me that we were on the 'old coffin road' - as it was used in times gone by to transport the deceased to Richmond for burial. There were some lovely stone houses enroute, all looking cosy enough to keep you warm through the long winter months wrapped up next to a warm fire. As it happens the weather was reasonbly nice, dappled sunshine and about 65 degrees Farenheit. The road undulates a tad as it is traversed by numerous becks that feed into the Swale, not least Gunnerside Gill. KT tells me there are good bridleways to take around here, sadly we have to crack on on the road. We passed through Healaugh (a former Lewis family holiday venue) before cruising into Reeth.
Reeth
Reeth is at the meeting point of Arkengarthdale with Swaledale. It became the economic hub of the lead industry and grew enormously in the 18th century. Its 18th-century houses and hotels are clustered around a triangular green as are three pubs and a bakery which we availed ourselves of. We had a cheeky half at the Buck Hotel which was staffed by a very friendly lady and served Hambleton Ale. Grand.
It was time to swap van driving duties, so JP jumped into the van and Cleggy donned his best swimming trunks. At this point we'd covered about 35km but still had another 55km to go so we jumped back on the bikes and cruised out of Reeth into the village of Fremington (another Lewis family holiday destination) before crossing the river at Grinton. As we rode through Fremington we spotted a new biking centre.
Richmond
The guide book says "Richmond is a market town on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, England and is the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire. Situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, it is a popular tourist destination." What it doesn't tell you is that it also has it's fair share of drunken chavs gathered around the obelisk in the cobbled square centre. Lots's more interesting historical facts about Richmond here. We didn't have a great deal of time to lounge around the vibrant square or even to pop down to the water falls if we wanted to be in Osmotherley before dark. At this point KT took up the navigation conjugals as last time I managed to get us lost in Catterick and we ended up at a racecourse.
Country Lanes
KT led us through Brompton-on-Swale before taking us to Scorton - a fascinating little village with a raised cricket pitch as it's centre-piece. An excellent idea, all villages should have at least one. We soaked up the warm evening rays before heading off along quiet country lanes lapping up the harvest time aromas as they drifted on the breeze. Just before entering Danby Wiske we were stopped by a train at a level-crossing. At this point we noticed a herd of water buffalo serenely grazing in an adjacent field. It felt almost as incongruous an experience as sighting the Cop Stone on Moor Divock yesterday. There is was, and there we have it. Heads down now for the final push, 15kms through Brompton, over the A19 and a final climb into Osmotherley. The Golden Lion Inn was a welcoming sight.
Osmotherley
...is a great little village sadly overlooked by Alfred Wainwright in his coast-to-coast guide. We treated ourselves to a pre-prandial ale or two before freshening up and sitting down to a slap up meal. Cleggy informed us that this was his first ever three-course meal which surprised us as he's such a big strapping lad.
The rooms were excellent as was the food (although the king prawn starter was a bit pricey for what it was). The walk-in showers were just what tired muscles and an achey back needed, good pressure, big stainless steel shower heads and stone floors. There's nothing like a good shower for sorting you out at the end of a long day in the saddle.
With bellys full and a glowing complexion from the warm Yorkshire sunshine we made our way to bed, "tired but satisfied with days" I think the phrase goes.
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