Chilly Ilkley - Mike Singleton Ride Report 4 August 13

4th August 2013 ‘A’ ride to Ilkley 7 of us set off for the ride to Ilkley with a slight chill in the air but that was soon alleviated as we ascended Bradshaw Road. The clouds looked ominous as we headed towards Burnley but we were hoping that the forecasted rain would leave us alone until 3.00pm by which time we expected to be well on our way home. Summiting the hill just before Burnley Karl appeared to be struggling a little so we asked if he was okay to continue as there was a tough days cycling in store, Karl assured us he would be okay & true to his word he managed the ride in stile. We passed through Burnley conscious of our white, Bolton emblazoned, shirts being spotted by the natives in the town where the Wanderers had left with a point in yesterday’s first match of the season, but we escaped without incident; maybe the townsfolk where still slumbering (or practicing their banjo’s). Leaving the town in our wake the sun appeared by the time we got to Colne & we were beginning to feel the heat, our route kept us on the main road, rather than the hillier route towards Lothersdale (the planned route had enough hills in it without adding more) & over the steady climb to Crosshills where we veered left then crossed the busy A629. This is where the real hills began, initially a short but steep rise up Priest Bank Rd, crossing the Leeds & Liverpool canal, then a very pleasant ride along Skipton Rd, with its gently rolling hills & magnificent vistas. We then passed through Silsden which also has a short but steep hill, before crossing Bolton Rd. onto Brown Bank Road which has yet another steep hill, this time of much longer duration. We waited briefly at the summit taking in the impressive views whilst we waited for all our gang to join us before making the long & fast descent to the main A65 Rd. into Ilkley. We plumped for the popular cyclist’s café in the small square in Ilkley; we knew it was the popular cyclist’s café because it was full of cyclist’s! There wasn’t enough space in the cafe for us all to sit down but this wasn’t a problem as the sun was now baking hot & the outside tables offered an alfresco brunch for 4 of our group. With bellies full & tales of our days ride exchanged with our fellow cyclist’s from Harrogate, who seemed rather impressed how far we had ridden, we did a short tour of this rather pretty & upmarket town before retracing our route out of Ilkley. The A65 is a rather busy road so to alleviate the traffic we opted for the very quiet lane that runs parallel to it (actually it’s a road… Ilkley Rd.), then through Addingham, followed by a right turn then up another steep hill before rejoining the A65, still busy with traffic but offering superb views of the surrounding Yorkshire countryside. This whisked us into the centre of Skipton which was buzzing with people, the main road closed to all traffic as it was filled with market stalls & I spotted another event taking place alongside the canal, again thronging with people. Skipton is a town that really has found the magic formulae for attracting people, it’s attractive, has lots of individual rather than nationwide stores & holds frequent weekend events making it a thriving town in these days when so many towns are in steep decline. Out of Skipton & onto more busy roads until we reached Thornton in Craven, where we turned right to Barnoldswick rather than continue to the previously visited Burnley (They were sure to be out on the streets by now). This route is really rather special, great lanes & fantastic scenery, but there are hills & lots of them, they might be relatively short but they’re steep, out of the saddle steep & the accumulated days climbing was beginning to take its toll, the descents are also rather technical ensuring that great care be taken at each & every twist & turn. Although our hoped for rain deadline had by now very pleasingly passed, the skies were beginning to accumulate clouds so we knew it was on its way. We were heading for Whalley where we were all looking forward to a refreshing cup of tea/coffee & a slice of cake but at one junction, where we turned right towards Barley, Pete expressed some concern that we were heading back to Burnley & all those hills we had just climbed were in vain. Uh oh, had the illegitimate device (GPS) struck again? Would we end up ploughing our way through a farmers field? Would we end up back in Burnley? ….. where I would now be more fearful of my companions anger rather that the Burnley hordes. I have to report that….. the illegitimate one is a little less illegitimate today . Through Downham, up more hills, then drop down into Whalley where we were undecided whether to go to the café on the main road or the usual Abbey, we plumped for the Abbey but once there discovered it was closed for the day. So, back to the café, which is now an Italian Restaurant! And they don’t do cakes but do expensive desserts. They do coffee, but it’s in very small cups, not cyclist’s sizes, & they charge extra for hot milk, me thinks we won’t be going there again. Anyway it was JUST enough to re-energise us for the climb home; as we left Whalley it was just after 4.00pm & we had still only seen the very odd flurry of rain so we were very pleased with the day’s weather, it didn’t in fact rain properly until we reached Blackburn & it had stopped by the time we reached Darwen. At this point Richard decided to take a short rest & head home afterwards at his own pace, a tough day for all but more so for Richard who has only recently rejoined our ‘A’ rides… well done Richard. The rest of us continued up Bull hill & down Blackburn Rd., where it began to rain again, heavily, we then gradually all went our separate ways, I rode alongside the Iron men for half a mile along Chorley Old Rd. (I don’t think the crowd were cheering me) as I neared my turn-off. 101 miles recorded, 6,660 feet ascended which now holds the record for the hilliest Clarion route during my membership. A cracking days cycling, great scenery, LOTS of hills, smashing company, fantastic weather, what more could you ask for?