SHORT NOTICE! Flat metric century ride from Garforth via York, this Saturday (13th Nov, 2021).

[Domus]

No can do, senior management broke her wrist last night. Nursing duties for me.

 

[ColinJ]

We should pass it on the current iteration of the York - Humber Bridge ride, unless we turn off the Solar track earlier - can't remember.

We go beyond Naburn and turn off for Deighton/Escrick about 1.5 km further on.

We will probably call in at York station just to use the toilets, but prices were very high last time I bought something there. Perhaps we will stop off at Naburn? We will probably be carrying enough that we wouldn't need to buy anything, but a mug of tea and a few biscuits could go down well.

No can do, senior management broke her wrist last night. Nursing duties for me.

Yikes - GWS, Mrs D!

 

[ColinJ]

It still looks like the weather will be ok. A cross/headwind will make the road north a bit of a slog but once we turn east towards the toll bridge then south towards York we will be helped by it. A cross/headwind again later for the ride back towards Garforth. Dry and mild, so pretty good for the time of year.

It looks like it will just be the two of us this time unless anybody spots this final mention of the ride.

 

[ColinJ]

I must be really thick, but I can't see the way into the back of York station shown on the Sustrans route 658 guide! On Street view I can see after Scarborough bridge where the path comes down onto Leeman Rd with the Royal Mail buildings on the left, and I can see a route round to the right under the railway bridge to the railway museum. I'm sure that we can find a roundabout way to the station but Sustrans seemed to suggest a more direct way which doesn't appear to exist... Can someone tell us the best way, preferably avoiding a tour of the one-way system!

 

[T4tomo]

red line is the road route. if the Hotel back entrance is open you could cut through their grounds (green line)

There isn't another way around due to the railway tracks. Traffic will be stationary anyway - its York. if not there are pedestrian crossing if you want to get out of the traffic flow

 

[Littgull]

@ColinJ
An other option could be to ignore a toilet/coffee stop at York station and carry on for approx 4 miles to the 40 mile mark at Bishopthorpe. A short diversion off our plotted route turning left along Copmanthorpe Lane on to Main Street finds this little gem that gets great reviews on Trip advisor https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...ishopthorpe_York_North_Yorkshire_England.html
I will only need a coffee or a tea as I'll bring my own food but it looks a good stop off.

 

[ColinJ]

There isn't another way around due to the railway tracks

Actually, I just zoomed in on the satellite view and there IS a path parallel to the tracks!

But... the cafe that @Littgull has just reported finding does look tempting, so apart a potential very quick toilet stop at the station if needed, we will probably just press on to Bishopthorpe. (Vegetarian and vegan options available, plus possible emergency bike repairs at Twisted Cogs next door!)

 

[T4tomo]

ah yes thats into back of the short stay car park!👍

 

[ColinJ]

I have already bought my return rail ticket for tomorrow so I don't have to get stressed with the ticket machine with the train due in.

The machine obviously decided that I am a dwarf (are we allowed to use that word these days...? ) because no sooner had I started using it than it cleared the top half of the screen and condensed everything into the lower half! I could only using it by bending right down and even then it was refusing to accept half of what I typed in...

Somebody had left a return ticket from Halifax to Todmorden in the machine. It is very easy to do if you are getting a receipt. You just pick up your 2 tickets and walk away, not realising that one of them is actually the receipt!

 

[Littgull]

The rail ticket machines can be a right pain! I have become so frustrated with them that I tend to download the e ticket on to my phone now, which I've done for tomorrow. I'll be on the 7.57 am train from Littleborough Colin, so I'll see you 10 mins later when you get on at Todmorden.

Thankfully, the weather is still looking pretty decent for tomorrow. Unlike this afternoon, I got soaked just walking around Rochdale town centre getting a few things.

Looking forward to a good day out on the bikes .

 

[ColinJ]

Thankfully, the weather is still looking pretty decent for tomorrow.

Yes - if it is as forecast then we will have been lucky. I wouldn't have done the ride today!

Unlike this afternoon, I got soaked just walking around Rochdale town centre getting a few things.

I've been waiting for the rain to stop before nipping out to the shops but it looks like I may just have to get my rain gear on!

See you in the morning. I'll check the live train report at about 07:30 to make sure that all looks well.

 

[Blue Hills]

The rail ticket machines can be a right pain! I have become so frustrated with them that I tend to download the e ticket on to my phone now, which I've done for tomorrow..

at the risk of thread drift littgul, is that using the northern rail app where you have to activate the ticket a short while before boarding the train?

 

[Littgull]

Yes, that's it. Although their app is sometimes erratic so I also use Trainline.com.

 

[Blue Hills]

Yes, that's it. Although their app is sometimes erratic so I also use Trainline.com.

ah - I wouldn't use that in a million years littgul - if I've paid for the ticket I want it - imagine the stress of trying to validate it - over a mobile network I presume - sod that. I really don't understand why they use that system - london northwestern will flog you a ticket remotely and then let you download it as a PDF. Simples. I tend to have copies of the tickets on about 3 devices and they are all offline - no signal needed.

 

[PaulSB]

ah - I wouldn't use that in a million years littgul - if I've paid for the ticket I want it - imagine the stress of trying to validate it - over a mobile network I presume - sod that. I really don't understand why they use that system - london northwestern will flog you a ticket remotely and then let you download it as a PDF. Simples. I tend to have copies of the tickets on about 3 devices and they are all offline - no signal needed.

One doesn't need to be online to validate the ticket. It's just a question of clicking "Activate" on the ticket itself which makes the barcode readable.