Hello and advice Brighouse

[ColinJ]

Hi again Jacqui. You managed 24 miles today so you'd be okay with this one too! Here's my suggestion...

Do your ride to Sowerby Bridge and then continue along the Calder Valley Cycleway to Hebden Bridge. Go to the front of the railway station (there is a cafe there if you want refreshments).

The 906 bus runs on Saturdays and Sundays at this time of year and stops in front of the station. The service uses mini-buses which have bike racks on the back and the station is a designated bike-loading point. Get your bike secured to the rack and ask for a ticket to Widdop reservoir. (If you do this on a Saturday, the driver will probably be someone I know named Andy - if it's him, tell him that ColinJ sent you! ).

Enjoy a 25 minute bus ride out to the reservoir. You then have an easy scenic 8 mile ride back that is mainly flat and downhill, with just a few relatively easy uphill sections. Make sure your brakes work well though because some of the downhills are steep!

Either ride home from Hebden Bridge the way you rode out earlier or catch the train back to Brighouse.

PS

Widdop Reservoir is a lovely spot in sunny conditions. A bit bleak in bad conditions though, so save the ride for a nice weekend.

Here's a picture of me with fellow CC members Calum and Alun taken at the reservoir last year...

.

The bus stops at a car park just off to the left of the photo.

 

[Jacqui]

Thanks Colin That sounds great ,will try and organise that one.

 

[Steve H]

Thought I'd felt my ears burning!

Hi Jacqui - welcome to Cyclechat.

I've been cycling around Brighouse around 3 times a week for a couple of months now. Slowly building up the miles and getting used to the traffic.

I started mainly going along the canal. To start with just going to Elland, then on to Sowerby Bridge and more recently on to Hebden Bridge and back. It's a great flat route, completely traffic free and good for building up the miles.

I'm trying to introduce more roads and hills now. Unfortunately the best way to avoid the busy traffic is to get up very early during the week or any time in the morning at the weekend. I've got a couple of routes on mapmyride.com that I can send you if you are interested.

With regard to the CTC - if you look at the Huddersfield CTC website they have a list of different events. On the first Saturday of the month they have their "Easy Ride". This is an everyone's welcome, ride at the pace of the slowest, and nobody gets left behind session. It's run in conjunction with Kirklees council and is all about getting us newbies to get involved. If you enjoy it and can ride a bit more you can then join them on their Sunday all day rides or Tuesday evening rides.

More recently I've been trying to do some mountain biking. There is a good route around Ogden Water that I've done a couple of times and last weekend a trip around Baildon Moor. There's no traffic on these routes, but they are a bit technically demanding.

 

[ColinJ]

Thanks Colin That sounds great ,will try and organise that one.

I went to the station today and saw a selection of minibuses coming and going and noticed that some of them had the bike racks and some didn't. I know that Andy reads most of my posts on here so I'll just try something...

Andy - does the 906 always have a bike rack on the back? I wouldn't want Jacqui to ride out here to catch your bus and find that it didn't have the rack fitted! Also - how many bikes can it take and is the rack ever full?

(If he doesn't spot this I'll email him tomorrow!)

 

[Jacqui]

Hi

Had company today and we made it to Hebden Bridge and back along the canal all the way including underwhat I call the bridge of doom as even pushing I was not very happy .

Steve the maps would be appreciated so can I build up a range of routes. Won't be doing any mountainbiking but my bike coped ok along the canal to Hebden which is a lot rougher than the Brighousse side isn't it . I imagine it is very muddy some of the time.


Saw a heron catching a fish which was fab and lots of cute ducklings and goslings .

jacqui

 

[ColinJ]

Hi

Had company today and we made it to Hebden Bridge and back along the canal all the way including underwhat I call the bridge of doom as even pushing I was not very happy .

Steve the maps would be appreciated so can I build up a range of routes. Won't be doing any mountainbiking but my bike coped ok along the canal to Hebden which is a lot rougher than the Brighousse side isn't it . I imagine it is very muddy some of the time.


Saw a heron catching a fish which was fab and lots of cute ducklings and goslings .

jacqui

Good effort Jacqui!

I'm not sure which bridge you didn't like but a friend of mine cycled along the towpath drunk once after a party and headbutted a bridge and ended up in the canal!

The heron is a local attraction, but I was put off it slightly last year when I found out that it doesn't just eat fish, it also eats...



















... ducklings!

As for the goslings, here are some Canada Goose goslings snapped on the towpath last week:

 

[shippers]

Aaaaahhhh, Canada Goslings! Who would imagine they grow up to terrorise children trying to feed ducks in the local park..?

 

[ColinJ]

Aaaaahhhh, Canada Goslings! Who would imagine they grow up to terrorise children trying to feed ducks in the local park..?

Or terrorise female photographers who try to take pictures of their young!

 

[Steve H]

Hi Jackqui - as promised here are a few routes around Brighouse that I ride every now and again.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-kingdom/brighouse/301127099415945834

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-kingdom/halifax/673685995963

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-kingdom/brighouse/597126796336189562

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-kingdom/halifax/309127211465618506

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-kingdom/halifax/760127139414986287

Let me know how you get on with them or if you discover other good ones.

Steve

 

[Jacqui]

Thanks Steve

I do the Clifton one which is not too busy with traffic most of the time . I extended it via Robert Town and back past the Grey Ox which is a bit of a sneaky hill but no doubt people just sail up it . The Scammonden one looks interesting I might try for that one at some point.

I did explore the greenway from Wyke but dug up in parts and I did not feel that safe on my own where as along the canal there seems to be more people around .

A couple of times I have ridden along the valley towards Hipperhome then towards Halifax ( at the back of Shibden ) down into Halifax and onto the Hebble trail ( I think that's what is called ) then back along the canal.


Felt pretty tired today after two longish rides in a row but know I still need to up the distances. I also have a knee problem which niggles a bit . I am pretty sure my seat is not quite high enough but worried about changing it and making it worse .


Colin the goslings are just adoreable the ones we saw were just before hebden on the grass between the main road and the canal . The very protective mum frightened the life out of three blokes who wouldn't have looked out of place on the Rugby field .


I am also now looking at dugling eating herons in a new light . The highlight last year was a see a king fisher dive catch and eat a fish but not a single kingfisher so far this year .

Thanks again for your help and advice .

jacqui

 

[ColinJ]

I rode round Scammonden with aJohnson and Kestevan last weekend but we did it in the opposite direction. We did the steep hill at Deanhead as a descent but you'd be going up it. I have a few photographs from up there, hang on...

View over Scammonden Water towards the bridge over the M62

View over Scammonden Water and M62 towards Sowerby Bridge and Halifax

Steep Deanhead climb

View over Scammonden Water from the bridge

It's quite challenging cycling up there but I like it!

 

[Steve H]

Thanks Steve

I did explore the greenway from Wyke but dug up in parts and I did not feel that safe on my own where as along the canal there seems to be more people around .

Yes the Spen Valley Greenway is in a bit of a mess at the moment. Yorkshire Water are laying a load of pipes along it. Re-opening it has been delayed from April to June. I rode it a couple of times last year with the kids. Normally it is fairly popular and therefore feels a lot safer. I know what you mean at the moment though - the bits that are open aren't quite as popular and therefore they feel just a bit dodgy.

We did the steep hill at Deanhead as a descent but you'd be going up it.

Yes Colin - I found this hill a real killer. Thought I'd done all my climbing getting up to Scamondon from Brighouse. I thought it was flat or downhill all the way home. When I came across this hill the first time round I was shattered. Had to stop 3 times on the way up this hill. Ah well, next time I'll beat it!

 

[Jacqui]

Hi probably should be on different thread but you have been so nice.

Noticed funny scraping noise on way home today and now found two spokes broken and wheel wonky and scraping on brake blocks . Is a hybrid Merida and wonder if along the canal was too much for it or I am too fat for it or what is the problem.

Am wondering if the whole enterprise is flawed but people have given me money so need to keep training.

Should I get a sturdier wheel for canal riding etc the one that is broken is a light weight aluminium. ( I do know I should have resisted the offer of cake yesterday but we were so cold and so wet).

Any ideas appreciated.

PS Colin the bridge is the long one just out of Sowerby Bridge very dark and very drippy almost a short tunnel of doom really .

 

[bauldbairn]

Hello Jacqui and Welcome to the CC forums.

 

[BearPear]

Hi again Jacqui - you should re-post your wheel question in the know-how section to get people's attention (and help!)

I too have been through the tunnel of doom - teeny tiny path and a zippy rider do not go together, I dread to think what would happen if you met someone coming the other way!!