England : North Yorkshire Brass Monkeys - York - Saturday 14th December 2019

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Slioch

Guru
Location
York
We don’t have many winter Forum rides. Anyone fancy joining me for an informal ride just before Xmas?

The route I’m taking is 62 miles with 1,300 feet of ascent, possibly two cafe stops depending on demand, and no big or scary hills en-route. The route will be a mixture of quiet country lanes and off road cycle routes – all on tarmac.

Leaving York station at 9.00am we’ll head north along the cycle path beside the river past Beningborough Hall, crossing the Ouse at Aldwark Bridge, and continue north along quiet lanes to Boroughbridge where we can take a mid-morning coffee stop after 20 miles.

We’ll then head west on more quiet lanes through Bishop Monkton and Markington before turning south to Ripley before joining the Greenway off road cycle path to Starbeck, then down the hill into Knaresborough where we turn onto the quiet road beside the River Nidd. With 40 miles in the bag there are numerous cafes along here, so a lunch stop may be on the cards.

We then continue south through Little Ribston before turning east on the last leg back to York. With a bit of luck we should pick-up a nice tail-wind to help us along. We pass through Cowthorpe and Tockwith, and pass the battle site memorial at Marston Moor. Continuing through Askham Richard & Askham Bryan we reach the A1036 on the south side of York, where we follow a reasonable on-road cycle lane back into the City and to the station.

I’m aiming to get back into York between 4pm & 5pm depending on the usual ride variables, so lights would be sensible.

Here’s a link to the proposed route. Anyone fancy joining me?

We’ll be riding as an informal group of like-minded cyclists, so responsibility for safe riding/liability etc sits with the individual.
 
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Buck

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Looks a good route and actually goes past where I used to live as a child.

Count me in as a provisional - I’ll just need to check the home diary and travel plans etc.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
It sounds a nice route but I will effectively be hibernating at that time of year, so I'll give it a miss! :laugh:

(I'm already thinking that a forum ride in October might be the end of them for me for this year. Maybe one more in November if we get a spell of mild weather. After that I think it will be short rides and a few local flattish metric centuries for the MCaM challenge until we get to March, when I will probably run my Garforth imperial century ride again.)

Anyway, have fun y'all! :hello:
 
Looks a nice route, and most of it would be new to me. Stick me down as a possible - sorry to be nesh but I do enough riding in bad weather as part of my commute, so I'll only turn out if the forecast is dry.

Assuming a decent forecast my main issue would be how to get there for 9am. In the summer I'd ride over from Cottingham, but I don't fancy a 4.30am alarm call in December...! Getting a train would still require a 5.30am alarm and then putting my faith in the worst performing train company in the UK to get me there on time.

My best bet might be to stick the bike in the car and meet you all a short way into the ride, somewhere more conducive to abandoning a car for the day than York station. If anyone has tips on the latter they'd be gratefully received - I'm thinking Clifton Park/Rawcliffe area?

Cheers.
 

Pale Rider

Legendary Member
Looks a nice route, and most of it would be new to me. Stick me down as a possible - sorry to be nesh but I do enough riding in bad weather as part of my commute, so I'll only turn out if the forecast is dry.

Assuming a decent forecast my main issue would be how to get there for 9am. In the summer I'd ride over from Cottingham, but I don't fancy a 4.30am alarm call in December...! Getting a train would still require a 5.30am alarm and then putting my faith in the worst performing train company in the UK to get me there on time.

My best bet might be to stick the bike in the car and meet you all a short way into the ride, somewhere more conducive to abandoning a car for the day than York station. If anyone has tips on the latter they'd be gratefully received - I'm thinking Clifton Park/Rawcliffe area?

Cheers.

York Park and Ride at Rawcliffe is the answer.

There is a Park and Pedal scheme which doesn't really apply, but it does indicate you are allowed to park your car for free and depart by bike.

In other words, anyone can use the free parking and not buy a bus ticket.

Bear in mind the car park closes in the evening.

This ride should finish in plenty of time, but a handful had to sprint back on one of the York-Humber Bridge rides which got delayed a few years ago.

https://www.itravelyork.info/park-and-ride/cycling-with-park-and-ride
 

Spiderweb

Not So Special One
Location
North Yorkshire
York Park and Ride at Rawcliffe is the answer.

There is a Park and Pedal scheme which doesn't really apply, but it does indicate you are allowed to park your car for free and depart by bike.

In other words, anyone can use the free parking and not buy a bus ticket.

Bear in mind the car park closes in the evening.

This ride should finish in plenty of time, but a handful had to sprint back on one of the York-Humber Bridge rides which got delayed a few years ago.

https://www.itravelyork.info/park-and-ride/cycling-with-park-and-ride
Thanks for that info, I had no idea there was a cycle option at the park and rides.
For everyone’s info the car park closes at 22.45.
 
York Park and Ride at Rawcliffe is the answer.

There is a Park and Pedal scheme which doesn't really apply, but it does indicate you are allowed to park your car for free and depart by bike.

In other words, anyone can use the free parking and not buy a bus ticket.

Bear in mind the car park closes in the evening.

This ride should finish in plenty of time, but a handful had to sprint back on one of the York-Humber Bridge rides which got delayed a few years ago.

https://www.itravelyork.info/park-and-ride/cycling-with-park-and-ride

Brilliant, thanks Rob - that's the perfect solution.

I've used the park and cycle option at Grimston bar with my daughter to very good effect - it made a lovely day out in sunny York all the more enjoyable for the added element of adventure of cycling in and out along the rather pretty cycle paths on that side of York.

Being a bit thick, it never occurred to me that there might be such facilities all around the city, rather than just in the one spot!

Will you consider coming on this ride do you think?

Cheers.
 

Pale Rider

Legendary Member
Brilliant, thanks Rob - that's the perfect solution.

I've used the park and cycle option at Grimston bar with my daughter to very good effect - it made a lovely day out in sunny York all the more enjoyable for the added element of adventure of cycling in and out along the rather pretty cycle paths on that side of York.

Being a bit thick, it never occurred to me that there might be such facilities all around the city, rather than just in the one spot!

Will you consider coming on this ride do you think?

Cheers.

It will be a good ride in good company so I am considering it.

I think I'm in the weather wusses camp, if it looks reasonable I will turn out.

We, as in us and several of the contributors to this thread, have ridden in heavy rain on the patch, so none of us are complete shrinking violets.

If bad weather happens upon us, so be it, but I'm reluctant to set out in it.

By the way, I emailed you the requested pic from our last ride.
 
OP
OP
Slioch

Slioch

Guru
Location
York
@EasyPeez . Re' the Rawcliffe Bar park and ride, that's a great place to meet as the route passes the car park. There's a "bus station" type building in the car park, so we'll swing in there to meet you if you decide to come. It's only a 100 yard detour off the route. It's approx' 20 mins from the station to the car park, so if we leave at 9am we'll be there 9.20 ish.

One word of warning though, the entrance to the car park has a height restriction barrier type thingy, so if you are carrying your bike on top of the car you'll need to take it off before driving in. I nearly came a cropper there once :whistle:.

Re' the weather on the day, most of the route we will be following is unlikely to have been gritted, so if the weather forecast is for ice/snow then I think it would be sensible to rearrange it for another time - maybe towards the end of January? Appreciate people may have made travel arrangements etc, but I would rather put the groups safety first.

If the weather is a bit pants on the day but there's no ice, then I'll look at a plan B shorter route. I'll have a look at this over the weekend and post it up. We can make a democratic decision on the day over which route we'll do.

But fingers crossed the weather will be ok-ish, in which case the full route will be fine.
 

Pale Rider

Legendary Member
Thanks for that info, I had no idea there was a cycle option at the park and rides.
For everyone’s info the car park closes at 22.45.

One of the decisions park and ride operators make is whether to offer free parking and a paid bus or paid parking and a free bus.

There is VAT on parking charges but not on bus tickets, so that is one consideration - less tax with the free parking model.

More money is collected from a car load of passengers because each one must buy a bus ticket.

Against the free parking model is you may find your facility abused by drivers who just want somewhere to dump their car.

The staff at the scheme in Durham are told to keep an eye out for drivers doing that, as in several cars turn up and the occupants all leave in one.

The free parking model is handy for the tiny number of drivers who want to park and ride a bike.

Who'd have thought park and ride tariffs could be so interesting?
 
Re' the Rawcliffe Bar park and ride, that's a great place to meet as the route passes the car park. There's a "bus station" type building in the car park, so we'll swing in there to meet you if you decide to come. It's only a 100 yard detour off the route. It's approx' 20 mins from the station to the car park, so if we leave at 9am we'll be there 9.20 ish

Noted, thanks.

I'll PM you my number so we can make contact on the day should anything unforseen arise, and I'll be sure to let you know by the day before at the latest whether I'm coming or not.

Cheers.
 
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