A group of 10 of us completed the WoTR over 2 days this weekend. We all work together and are probably split into half of us being regular cyclists and the other half having trained up for the event.
We were lucky to be supported by a colleague in a van who sorted all the logistics transferring bags between overnight stops, so the ride was road bikes with no luggage.
We arrived in Morecambe on Thursday evening and stayed at the Balmoral Guest House. Firstly, what a shoot-hole Morecambe is! The town is mostly boarded up and looks awful. Still the B&B was very nice and Viv and Dusty are pleased to store bikes in their garage. I’d definitely recommend staying here. Fish and Chips and a couple of pints saw out Thursday.
We set off from the official start with the obligatory group photo just before 9am on Friday with the weather forecast being a Met Office weather warning of heavy thunder showers for the north of England along with swirling southerly and easterly winds. Great!! That said, the weather as we set off was fine.
Our first day took us to Boroughbridge after 89miles. This was a tough day with several climbs. The main climbs (out of Settle, Appletreewick to Greenhow and Brimham rocks) are all tough, with the climb out of Settle being a real nasty bugger with 25% sections on it. 3 of our party had to walk up the steep sections. But what made day 1 hard were the shorter and less steep climbs that make the route very undulating along the way.
The route is however, stunning. I’m not a massive fan of cycle lanes but the ones between Morecambe and Lancaster at least get you off the main road and get you 5 or 6 miles in before you turn onto country lanes. We avoided the off road section between Clapham and Austwick by dropping back onto the A65. This is ok as it’s only a quarter of a mile.
We stopped at the Red Lion pub in Burnsall 51 miles in for lunch which was cracking. Decent sandwiches, proper chips and several pots of tea, all consumed sat outside as the forecast downpours had not yet materialised.
The descent into Pateley is definitely not one to attempt a speed PB.
By the time we got to Ripon the bad weather finally arrived, so the last hour was in torrential rain.
We managed to store our bikes in a local factory who we know through our work, and then walked the half mile into Boroughbridge.
We stayed in the Crown which is part of the Best Western chain. After a long day we took advantage of the pool, steam room and sauna facilities, before taking on board a cyclist’s tea of curry, naan bread and a few pints of lager (a few too many if the truth be told!).
With a few rough heads, we set off for Bridlington about 9am on the Saturday. The hard work on the Friday would now be rewarded by a pretty flat second day, but still 83 miles to do.
We managed to start with a decent speed and made good time to York, although the average speed dropped off in the cycle path sections before York. The weather was lovely so we took advantage and had a café stop in York just after the Minster.
The rough tracks between Dunnington and Stamford Bridge should be avoided if possible. We had planned to avoid it but missed our detour turning.
We stopped for lunch in Pocklington, some using the Deli style sandwich shop and some using the Chip shop at the bottom of the market square.
The climb out of Pocklington isn’t much of a climb, certainly nothing compared to anything on the first day. It was around here that we were rewarded with a special treat. A car of 4 women pulled up alongside us and the women in the front passenger seat decided we needed perking up a bit so she showed us her breasts. It worked. Thank you whoever you are – although I suspect you’re not a cycle chat contributor!
By the time we got to Driffield we realised we were nearly home and with plenty of time left in the day we decided we were to stop for a pint on the way at the next pub we saw with a beer garden. We had to wait until Burton Agnes at the Bluebell. A cold pint of cider sat in the sun barely touched the sides and could easily have been followed by a few more, but we thought better of it and left it at just the one. Just as well, as there is a short climb out of Burton Agnes before the last few miles into Bridlington.
Bosh. Job done. Day 2 was easy, and our concerns that we should have spread it out over 3 days were put aside.
We’d had problems finding places to stay in Bridlington, so our party was split into two groups, half in the Ivanhoe and half in the Sea Shells. Both were excellent and offered secured bike storage and were run by very friendly families.
Bridlington is a good night out and was very lively on a Saturday night, and is a completely different world compared to Morecambe. Anyone who does the route east to west must be utterly depressed when they arrive in Morecambe.
In summary, a great route, excellently signed all the way, a good mix of flat paths, testing climbs, rolling descents and flat and fast roads.
We’re now planning on doing the route again, but attempting to do it in just one day. We’d estimate you’d need 15hrs of daylight in the day allowing for stops, so in reality it’ll probably be next year, but I’d welcome any comments on the feasibility of doing it in a single day?
