York-Humber Bridge, Saturday, 13th July, 2019

[ColinJ]

Count me in Colin. Last year's ride was one of my favourites of the year. Good on you to avoid the clash with FNRttC as I intend to do both.

I wondered if anybody would!

 

[EasyPeez]

Thanks @ColinJ for offering to lead again what is always a fab ride. Sadly this year I will struggle to make it as my daughter has a dance show on that evening. I might be able to dart out early from Hull, intercept you somewhere NW of Howden and then leave the ride early, perhaps around North Cliffe. Will have a think and let you know in good time.

I was going to warn you that it was closing for a long period, thought it was anytime soon, but luckily it's after this ride. I can ride the path & report back if you like? I'll ride it on 23mm tyres & if it's ok on them everyone should be fine
Sadly I'm working on late shifts all that weekend, so won't be able to make the start or finish, but will probably meet up mid ride & ride to/over the bridge with you guys then head to work I'm not too familiar with roads over that side of Hull, but willing to look at any alternatives to the route that you may have in mind

I did it on 25mm tyres shortly after last year's York-Hull-York ride and my key findings were -
- it's very much rideable
- assuming fine weather, the glittering Humber to the right and the outstanding feat of engineering in the middle distance would easily be the scenic highlight of the ride. It's certainly be prettier than following the A63 anyway...
- there's a bit where we'd need to go single file - not because the path narrows but because the gravel gets quite chunky and so following the best line worn through by previous riders is desirable
- my bike was covered in a fine coating of chalky dust afterwards

So I'd say include it, subject to @Soltydog 's more up to date recce, in case anything has changed in the last year or so.

Great news, many thanks. Is the footpath around the farmyard rideable or will we have to get off and push - and on Google Maps it looks about a hundred yards or so, is that correct?

I felt quite bad about taking @Pale Rider that way and wouldn't ever lead a group ride along there, unless everyone was pretty hardcore and/or on MTBs. Certainly don't go that way in the dark. If the group are experienced and up for a bit of slow moving single-file wiggle and bump, it is doable.

 

[EasyPeez]

I know we looked at the TPT between North Ferriby and Hessle but I think it was ruled out because its surface was poor? If we did decide to use it, it would be just in time because I just found a notice on the Sustrans site saying that it will be closed 2 days later for 6-12 months, maybe longer, for safety inspections and remedial work by Network Rail.

I rode it on Saturday and I thought it was smashing. No issues at all.

Cheers.

 

[ColinJ]

I rode it on Saturday and I thought it was smashing. No issues at all.

Cheers.

With what you and @Soltydog say, how about we go for it unless the weather has been bad beforehand, in which case we could do the tarmac path?

 

[ColinJ]

I've just been looking at the map and realise that we will be doing the bridge over the A63 either way, AND the A63 path to North Ferriby. I propose that we aim to ride out from North Ferriby on the TPT. We can come back that way too OR use Ferriby High Rd.

I have edited the route from last year to avoid Swanland in both directions. Take a look at the 2 attached GPX files and see if they make sense to you. The one to the bridge shows the TPT variation and the way back, the High Rd. I remembered about the one-way system in Welton this time!

 

[Pale Rider]

Ridewith GPS seems to have changed so I can no longer see how to turn the gpx file into a readable map.

Avoiding Swanland sounds good.

The area just north of the bridge is hilly, so there's bound to be some climbing to do.

Given we are going out and back over the bridge there is also likely to be some retracing of our route.

 

[ColinJ]

The area just north of the bridge is hilly, so there's bound to be some climbing to do.

Given we are going out and back over the bridge there is also likely to be some retracing of our route.

Yes, we are going to do the same route as last year apart from the bit between Welton and the bridge, so that includes the lumpy bit between Welton and South Newbald. We will retrace between the bridge and Welton, though maybe not doing the TPT in both directions.

Simple map (out via Howden, back via Stamford Bridge):

 

[EasyPeez]

Team! Advice please.

Safe in the knowledge that no one on the July 5 FNRttC from York to Hull, which I'm leading, will see this post* I ask this: is the Nev Cole Way shown on Google Maps cycleable?

My recollection is that we have traditionally gone up a large-ish hill then turned left to go down a similarly large-ish hill then turned right and towards the bridge, which we go over.

A glance at Google Maps suggests we can avoid the going up, which is IMHO usually a good thing, esp with 50 tired cyclists who have been up all night.

So: a bit of "comedy off-roading" is always a laugh but deep slimy stuff for hundreds of yards is best avoided, I'm sure you'll agree. I'm aware there appears to be some form of tarmac pathway that is then replaced by mud. However, this is Google Maps in satellite view. Which is nowhere near as good as an expert, experienced opinion from someone who knows.

What does the team think?

*at least, as long as you lot don't tell them there's a chance we'll avoid the biggest hill on the ride......

@mmmmartin - I cycled it again last night and I have no idea why I thought it was so bad; memory playing tricks.

Last night I was on 30mm G-One tyres, my friend on 23mm slicks. I enjoyed it, he less so - he got off and pushed a bit, but then he is one of the least rugged cyclists I know, bless him.

So in summary, you should be fine, assuming your group are confident, experienced riders. Those on 23/25mm slicks might grumble a bit. There shouldn't be too much mud to worry about even if it's wet, as the track is mostly stone and gravel.

Anyway, the track starts off like this. Loose surface but very rideable -

Narrows a bit, nice views all the way. Just after this pic comes a really lumpy section (it's not loose at that point but there are chunky rocks embedded in the path) - it's rideable with care and only goes on for 30/40 yards or so. My friend got off and pushed.

And then the path ends up like this. Blurring of pic gives an idea of how jiggly it is.

This is the last bit by the farm. In the distance on the left you can just about make out my chum pushing over a little footbridge across a dyke. The corner and descent onto that footbridge is narrow, tight and lumpy of surface, so it would be prudent to take the lead and go very carefully there.

Hope that helps.

Sorry to @ColinJ for the thread hijack.

 

[Pale Rider]

@mmmmartin - I cycled it again last night and I have no idea why I thought it was so bad; memory playing tricks.

Last night I was on 30mm G-One tyres, my friend on 23mm slicks. I enjoyed it, he less so - he got off and pushed a bit, but then he is one of the least rugged cyclists I know, bless him.

So in summary, you should be fine, assuming your group are confident, experienced riders. Those on 23/25mm slicks might grumble a bit. There shouldn't be too much mud to worry about even if it's wet, as the track is mostly stone and gravel.

Anyway, the track starts off like this. Loose surface but very rideable - View attachment 469655
Narrows a bit, nice views all the way. Just after this pic comes a really lumpy section (it's not loose at that point but there are chunky rocks embedded in the path) - it's rideable with care and only goes on for 30/40 yards or so. My friend got off and pushed.

View attachment 469656

And then the path ends up like this. Blurring of pic gives an idea of how jiggly it is.

View attachment 469657
This is the last bit by the farm. In the distance on the left you can just about make out my chum pushing over a little footbridge across a dyke. The corner and descent onto that footbridge is narrow, tight and lumpy of surface, so it would be prudent to take the lead and go very carefully there.

View attachment 469658

Hope that helps.

Sorry to @ColinJ for the thread hijack.

The Fridays have now decided to trek south a bit and go over the little suspension bridge you took me over.

I can see the attraction.

 

[EasyPeez]

The Fridays have now decided to trek south a bit and go over the little suspension bridge you took me over.

I can see the attraction.

Yes, I was back there again last night too - lovely spot.

Presumably they'll still need to choose between the unpleasant A1077 hill or the Humber path out of S Ferriby after crossing the bridge though?

Unless they're going up the Horkstow Rd hill (which is brave on legs that've been pedalling all night, as it's one of the toughest in the area, far steeper than the A1077). and then down into Barton that way.

I came down Horkstow Rd hill last night and nearly got wiped out doing 35mph when a deer jumped out of a hedge right in front of me!

 

[Soltydog]

@mmmmartin - I cycled it again last night and I have no idea why I thought it was so bad; memory playing tricks.

I cycled it years ago & remembered it being bad, but cycled it again Tuesday last week, after it had rained most of Monday & it was certainly passable, I was on 28mm tyres, but would have been happy on 25s. I found the west end of the path at Ferriby worse, as it was quite slippy in places after the rainfall

 

[ColinJ]

I was forgetting that this ride is coming up so soon. For some reason I was thinking that it was the week after my Cheshire ride, not the week before!

I'll return to this thread if anyone posts below, or after the Ribble Valley/Dales ride which takes place this weekend. (If any of you could make it over to Clitheroe for 10:00 on Saturday morning, please feel free to join us for that one. The forecast is looking pretty reasonable and the route is very scenic but not excessively challenging.)

 

[ColinJ]

Hmm, I did find that RV/Dales ride pretty challenging... I'm not as fit as I'd hoped to be by now!

Still, the Humber Bridge ride is a very different beast - a nice relaxing day out, in my case on a singlespeed bike.

I'll keep an eye on the thread for the next week or so and then make a list of participants.

 

[ColinJ]

I have now updated the first post of the thread with details of the route, times etc.

It looks like I will be travelling to and from York by train this year. I anticipate arriving at York station just before 09:00, so I am suggesting an 09:10 start. I'd like to try to catch the 19:15 home, but if I miss that I could catch a later train. I really would prefer not to catch one later than the 20:12 though!

Does anyone else fancy doing the flattest imperial century of their lives, with a double crossing of a massive suspension bridge as a bonus? If so, sign up below!

 

[Soltydog]

I'm in (kind of) I'm working till midnight on Friday, so not a prayer of getting to York for 9am on Saturday. I'll meet up en-route again, either Howden or Gilberdyke area. Due to be at work again Saturday afternoon, but Ive hopefully got the day off, so I'll be riding part, or all the way back to York