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Pennine problems – an oily tour of Northern England
It’s good when a plan comes together, unfortunately this wasn’t one of those occasions. It began when we decided to start our July 2000 camping tour by catching a train to Sheffield. Tickets were booked before we found out that Northern Spirit don’t carry tandems, getting the refund kept Karen busy for a couple of hours!
The alternative Virgin train left much later and from York instead of from our workplace in Brough, which meant a 20 mile ride after work instead of jumping straight onto the train at lunchtime. A pleasant ride saw us in York with time to spare, although there was a last minute panic when the departure platform changed, getting the bike across several platforms was fun in a masochistic sort of way. We arrived in Sheffield in the evening rush hour, only marginally more fraught than the ride through York centre, with the added excitement that we didn’t know the roads.
We set off along the wrong road, uphill of course, stopping only to pick up the meths bottle as it fell off outside a pub full of students enjoying the evening sun. We soon found a downhill turning and had started to enjoy quieter roads when alarm set in as something flew off approaching a junction, panic following as we realised the front brake arm had snapped, luckily there was no traffic and both rear brakes worked. Too late for the shops, and with the nearest campsite little closer than our intended destination, we ‘repaired’ the front brake with a screw and continued nervously down the hill. The ups and downs during the remainder of the evening reminded us just how slowly we could cycle with a fully loaded tandem, and we were grateful for the new block with extra low bottom gear. We even gained some confidence in the front brake, although not very much! It would have been nicer still if the chain had stayed on the granny ring when changing down the gears, but at least the occasional rests were pleasant in the warm sun. In spite of some missing signposts and a quick stop to repair a broken pannier clip, we reached Bakewell in glorious sunshine and passed the pubs with minimal whimpering. A couple of miles further and we reached the campsite at Ashford in the Water, where a shower and a cold pasty made us feel better. As the beer and chilli peanuts from the campsite bar kicked in we felt positively rosy about our adventures, surely tomorrow would be less stressful?
The next day was cool and overcast as we set out to repair the brakes more securely. The hire shop in Bakewell proved a no go so we headed for Matlock where a new set of brake arms and 15 minutes with the spanners saw us set off feeling more confident about stopping again. A quick spicy pasty from a local baker supplied energy for the uphill drag through Starkholmes, as we headed off towards Ashbourne. Lunch was enjoyed in the sun at Carsington Water, where the cycle path around the reservoir was inviting enough to abandon Ashbourne. The track was enjoyable, if a little breezy crossing the dam wall, and we followed it up, down and around until we were attacked by a small rock on a wobbly downhill section. The resulting small hole in the front tyre, and four large ones in the tube, were repaired with the least patched spare and we headed for the cycle shop in Matlock once again, making quicker time down the 1:8 at Warksworth than may have been sensible with a holed tyre and new front brake! Stopping only to finish our sandwiches in the sun by the river in Matlock Bath, we arrived back at the shop, buying a new tube and settling for a Michelin World Tour as the best available tyre. The wind turned behind us for the ride to the campsite, and the day was improved even further when the Co-op in Bakewell sold us some apple pies. Unfortunately, the earlier sunshine deserted us, so we cooked tea and headed for the pub as soon as was decently possible.
We broke camp the next day in dull and chilly weather, and set off into a gentle head wind. Three miles later, a sudden rubbing sound turned out to be the newly fitted World Tour coming off the rim, exposing the tube and causing a blow-out as we came to a halt. At 3.5 miles per tube (a new record for us), cycling is getting expensive. The tyre was re-fitted with that faithful old, patched tube and we continued North over Longstone Edge, somehow managing to by-pass the Bulls Head at Little Hucklow on the way to Bradwell. Continuing with only brief stops to investigate noises which appeared to alternate between the rear drum and rim brakes, we crossed the A625 near the Travellers Rest, which used to be a very good cider pub and still has a campsite nearby, for a nice run through Aston and Thornhill down to Yorkshire Bridge at the South end of Ladybower Reservoir. A stiff climb up to the A613 was rewarded with a break when a Manchester couple spotted our full touring set-up wobbling and sweating up the hill and stopped for a chat. We approached jealousy eyeing their shiny Swallow MTB tandem, and spent the next ½ hour thinking about bank balances, before the hilly A57 away from Ladybower gave us other things to think about, including lots of club riders whizzing past our elbows on their ‘Sunday best’ lightweights. We Left the A57 for a chilly but attractive ride over Bradfield Moors, where the Manchester couple’s warning of ‘plenty of hills up there’ came painfully true. We coped with most, although the 1:4 out of Edwin Beck had us beaten. On through Midhopestone to New Mill where a wrong turn added 2 miles to the journey to the campsite at Thongsbridge. A lovely little site, somewhat spoiled by warnings about a 14 year old local villain targeting the campsite, which meant the Tandem was locked in the disabled loo overnight for safety. Life was vastly improved by cider and biscuits from the camp shop, followed by good hot showers and a quick walk up the road to the Travellers Rest, where we had a very reasonable evening meal.
Monday dawned in a damp sort of way, although the rain stopped in time to take the tent down. Retrieving the bike from it’s overnight home, we serviced the brakes and fixed a broken front spoke, the one in the rear wheel having a later appointment with a very large spanner. We set off into Holmfirth, turned uphill towards Netherthong, changed gear and immediately the front chain came off. Having re-fitted that, we carried on over Holt Head, stopping outside Meltham C. of E. school to photograph a tree turned into a dramatic wood carving. A pasty stop was followed by the drop into Slaithwaite, where we were beaten by the steep climb under the railway bridge. Onwards we pedalled, to Scammonden, over the typically busy M62, around Halifax and Sowerby Bridge and up to Ovendon Moor, where we passed the very eerie wind farm. Then, relying on the new front brake and tyre, we had a fast run down into Oxenhope where another good Co-op supplied tea things and plenty of biscuits, a reasonable rucksack load for the planned quick run to the campsite. Round Haworth and onto the moor to Stanbury, searching for the track heading up the ‘The Heights’ where the campsite was supposed to be. As the bridleway became an un-rideable boulder strewn track, we stopped a passing walker, who re-assured us that there was indeed a campsite up there. A couple of hours and 4 miles from Oxenhope, we tracked down a very pretty farmhouse, right on the tops as you’d expect, where the owner was friendly, the views great and the facilities brilliant. It was well worth the hard work getting there, although they hadn’t seen many tandems before!. After tea, a 1 ½ m walk to the pub for a birthday drink became an ordeal, as Dave had to go back for the money which had been left in the tent. Luckily the pub was good and the campsite owner turned up and gave us a lift back to the site, thanks Gordon.
Another damp morning saw us walking the tandem down the hill, not wanting to risk another puncture. The road proper started off downhill for a change, although the first uphill of the day saw us at the roadside once again, this time with chain link extractor and spare links in hand. Eventually, we arrived at Laneshaw Bridge, where the small ford on our map had become a half mile stream along a wet, slippery and broken surface. Not wishing to push our already stretched luck, we backtracked and found a bench to rest on for lunch, where a quick check of the map revealed it’s age to be eighteen years, plenty of time for that small ford to have grown up into a reasonable little stream. The roads where becoming more rolling and less high, and we headed into Ribblesdale feeling rather more spritely than we had for the last couple of days. However, we’d forgotten about the A65 Settle by-pass, due to another eighteen year old map, and had a very exciting half mile dash before turning off towards the campsite behind the Flying Horseshoe at Clapham Station. Here we met another tandem touring couple, who knew last night’s campsite owner, and we spent a very convivial evening in the pub with them, talking past cycling experiences.
The next day saw us heading through Austwick in warm hazy weather with a tail wind, with Horton in Ribblesdale providing tea and sticky buns at the café, where the owner turned out to be from our original home town of Hull. Continuing past Ribble Head, with only occasional stops to put the chain back on, we turned off at Newby Head into Dentdale, where we had a quick lunch stop and a chat to some Kirkby Stephen cyclists out for the day. They warned us about some of the hills still to come on the way, we were after all heading for their home town. A good run down into Dentdale was abruptly halted by the 1:6 climb to the railway station, we didn’t get very far and even the walk was hard. As we reached the station, we started to ride again, continuing over Shaking Moss to Garsdale Head for a second lunch stop, in cool mist. After an exciting downhill, the weather warmed up again and we turned north for a good rolling run down the valley to Kirkby Stephen, where we did the shopping and had a second tea and sticky bun stop. A quick mile back to Nateby saw the sun shining for our first really warm evening of the tour, the cold cider whilst setting up the tent tasted particularly good!
A lethargic start the next day saw us setting off late, and a painful knee for Dave meant a slow journey with plenty of rest stops. The roads were quiet and pretty over the hills from Brough, along Swimdale Beck and down past Selset and Grassholme Reservoirs, although heavy rain had us sheltering under a tree and it made the last couple of miles slippery. The weather and the knee meant a change of plan, so after setting up camp in Middleton in Teesdale, we abandoned the planned ride to High Force, instead walking into the town for some shopping and an ice cream, before the rain caught us again.
Heavy overnight rain saw us once more packing up a damp tent, although it was bright and warm over breakfast for once and the weather was warm enough for T shirts, until we reached Barningham where the heavens opened and no amount of trees could provide shelter. After half an hour, it stopped and we set off, almost immediately passing a large and very dry looking bus shelter! We headed for Richmond in warm sun, looking for a café but settling for an ice cream instead. A couple of miles later at Brompton on Swale, the need for tea took over, satisfaction was obtained at the café above the four wheel drive centre, where a very good, strong cuppa was had for a reasonable price. That set us up for a quick run across the Vale of York, before crossing the A19 and finishing with a steep climb up into Osmotherley. After a quick shopping stop we headed down the track to the campsite by the Youth Hostel. The knee was still sore although bearable, the new Flite Titanium saddle is another matter but there doesn’t seem to have been any permanent damage, cider and biscuits helped heal the pains! Is it just us that find Osmotherley very nice but slightly strange? Both the Cleveland Way and Lyke Wake Walk pass through here, yet the pubs and shops seem more oriented towards upmarket car drivers than walkers and cyclists.
After another night of rains, we again awoke to dry and reasonably warm weather which later turned hot and sunny, although we were surrounded by black clouds and thunder rolls all day. From Osmotherley, we crossed the A19 to climb to Landmoth Wood, descending to re-cross the A19 heading for Sutton under Whitestonecliffe where we enjoyed lunch in the sun, before continuing to Coxwold for a quick pint in the sunshine. This pleasant relaxation was spoiled soon after as the ride through Newburgh Priory led to a stiff climb to Yearsley Moor where we stopped for a rest and a chat with a local cycling cloud dodger. We dropped down from the moor to the ‘B’ road at Hovingham, heading for Slingsby were we decided to miss the Camping and Caravanning Club site, as we’re members and see plenty of their sites, consequently finding the most expensive site of the holiday, at £11. A shortage of shops meant pub food again for tea, not a problem as this was to be our last night, although we were able to buy biscuits and lager which made up for the rainstorms as they finally caught up with us.
Our last day saw a very early and misty start, away before 8 AM with a light head wind and the mist lifting to become mainly warm and sunny. We headed straight South on the long, straight, rolling road through the fabulous Castle Howard estate, crossing the A64 at Barton and resting at Skirpenbeck for breakfast with 15 miles covered before 9.30! Another quick run through Fangfoss and Pocklington saw us home by 11.00 AM, finishing a very enjoyable tour of around 360 miles, with varied weather and scenery. The hills were much harder than we’d remembered them from previous visits, and we could have done without some of the mechanical problems, which we don’t normally experience on tour. Two days later, whilst riding to work, the rear wheel axle snapped, taking out the rear tyre as well. Apparently, this is not uncommon, although it’s never happened to us before, at least it might explain some of the problems we experienced. All we need now is some more up to date maps!
Dave & Karen,
Market Weighton, East Yorkshire.
This article was submitted by Johnny and published on Jul 18, 2006 in Experiences.
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