The Joy of 'Road Closed'

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Ben

New Member
Out for a spin in the Dales yesterday, from Wensley got to the bridge that crosses the Ure at Middleham (a fairly striking castellated construction) to find 'Road Closed' signs up.

But, upon cycling onward to investigate I found that though the whole bridge surface is gone a temporary bridge for pedestrians (and dismounted cyclists) has been erected. And this is nearly always the case when there are roadworks - isn't it immensely satisfying to be able to get past and carry on while cars have to perform awkward seven-point turns and work out how to get to X? And the number of disgruntled motorcyclists in Middleham poring over their maps!

So if you are planning on using the A6108 before the end of March remember the bridge is closed unless you are on a bike (and actually I think even a bike trailer would be difficult to get across).
 

Tony

New Member
Location
Surrey
Had that with an audax in Essex.....nice!
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
Ben said:
Out for a spin in the Dales yesterday, from Wensley got to the bridge that crosses the Ure at Middleham (a fairly striking castellated construction) to find 'Road Closed' signs up.

So if you are planning on using the A6108 before the end of March remember the bridge is closed unless you are on a bike (and actually I think even a bike trailer would be difficult to get across).

I've yet to find a road closed by a road closed sign closed to cyclists and pedestrians. Last year Stamford Bridge's bridge was closed but it was possible to park at the 'wrong side' and push my bike over a footpath to start the Three Bridges Audax there. I've even had 'ignore the road closed signs' as part of the route instructions on an Audax.
 

Brock

Senior Member
Location
Kent
A nasty dangerous little rat run lane that I endure on my commute turned into a beautiful peaceful meander between the hedgerows when they closed it for works at one end. Three weeks of bliss, saw foxes and various other fauna trotting around on it, people happily walking their dogs, other cycle commuters with huge beaming smiles. I would've loved to have been able to shove a pickaxe through a water main or something when they re-opened it again. Back to the normal constant noisy flow of short cutting WVMs and school run mums overtaking dangerously because they're a bit late.
Makes you realise how pleasant life could be if people didn't feel the need to drag two tonnes of stinking steel along with them everywhere they go.
 

John the Monkey

Frivolous Cyclist
Location
Crewe
Brock said:
Makes you realise how pleasant life could be if people didn't feel the need to drag two tonnes of stinking steel along with them everywhere they go.

That's such a fabulously quotable statement.

It reminds me of a friend of mine who was moaning about what a pain her commute is (traffic is awful, it crawls all the way there, she's always worried she'll be late).

3 miles in distance for each leg - such an eminently bikeable distance that it makes me want to weep.
 

Fiona N

Veteran
vernon said:
I've yet to find a road closed by a road closed sign closed to cyclists and pedestrians...

That was my experience and I was in the habit of ignoring the road closed signs and carrying on but in September last year a local back road which crosses the motorway really was closed as when I got to the bridge - there was a gap :smile:

The rain in January also gave some entertainment - roads closed due to flooding. I had to try and remember the original road contour and figure out just how deep the water was going to be. Of course, watching the 4x4s come through was the easiest thing - best use of a 4x4 from a cyclist's point of view :thumbsup:
 

Fiona N

Veteran
John the Monkey said:
It reminds me of a friend of mine who was moaning about what a pain her commute is (traffic is awful, it crawls all the way there, she's always worried she'll be late).

3 miles in distance for each leg - such an eminently bikeable distance that it makes me want to weep.

Last year I briefly used a 'women's only' gym (verdict - pathetic for exercise but a nice social outing) after my usual one had a fire and closed for a few weeks. The guy running the new place is a sort of life coach / motivator type always hyper and incredibly patronising; one of those guys with big useless muscles who thinks he's fit (when I heard his girl friend relating the account of an ascent they made of a local hill, you would have thought they were at 8000m on Everest). Anway, one day he was moaning about the fact that while he runs a gym he never gets the time to work out as it's always so late when he gets home as the traffic's so bad ...etc., so I said 'why don't you cycle in' - a pleasant 10 mile ride - and he said 'that's not the sort of exercise I want to do'. It turns out this is because he's a no-carb diet fanatic and is afraid that he'll lose muscle if he does aerobic exercise :blush:
 

andrew_s

Legendary Member
Location
Gloucester
vernon said:
I've yet to find a road closed by a road closed sign closed to cyclists and pedestrians.
It may be the case in England, but would be less advisable in foreign parts, where you aren't used to how things work.
In the France I ignored a road closed sign at the turn-off for the Grands Goulets (heading for la Chapelle en Vercors), and climbed 350m up the hill to be confronted with a completely impassable barrier. 10cm square rod mesh, ground up to the overhanging rock face, and projecting about 4' beyond the edge of road wall over the void. I ended up going round by the Combe Laval, the Col de la Machine and the Col de Carri (1202m), doing 43km, 1000m climbing instead of the remaining 7km, 250m climbing if I'd been able to get through.
 

simoncc

New Member
I've made a discovery this morning. Tatton Park opens its small gates at 8am and its vehicle sized gates at 9am. This morning I had a car free ride throught the park. Very nice.
 
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