ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I have been exchanging ideas with @Sea of vapours about the route of this year's Yorkshire Dales ride from Settle and between us we have come up with another variation which will hopefully be as popular as the previous 2 incarnations.
Take a look at the threads for the 2011 ride and the 2015 ride for inspiration, scribble the date in your diaries, and sign up for the ride below. (We are keeping Sat 9th July as a reserve date in case foul weather stops play on the 2nd. It is a very exposed route and we would not want to be 500+ metres up in a thunderstorm!)
The full route is going to be very tough, but we have designed the route so you can skip 2 very hard climbs after the cafe stop in Hawes and take a shortcut back to Settle via Ribblehead and Horton-in-Ribblesdale if that suits you better. There is also a second shortcut if anybody ignores the first but then finds that the third tough climb of the route over-tires them. (In fact, this shortcut still involves a steep climb, but it would be better than struggling to finish the main route.)
We aim to start by riding from Settle to Little Stainforth and then crossing the Ribble to Stainforth via a small bridge which @Sea of vapours reports is currently undergoing repairs. We think that it will be passable on the day of the ride, but he will check a few days before to make sure. (If the bridge is not available then we will have to head straight from Settle to Stainforth on the B6479.)
We will climb over from Stainforth to Littondale past the lower slopes of Pen-y-ghent. The climb is quite a tough one, but not as hard as the alternative climbs from Settle or Langcliffe would have been.
We will ride down Littondale through Arncliffe to Wharfedale where we will turn left and head north through Kettlewell and on to Buckden where we will turn left again and ride up lovely Langstrothsdale Chase.
Our next climbing challenge will be Fleet Moss. I don't think it is quite as tough from this side as it is coming from Hawes, but it is still going to be hard work.
Fabulous views from the top of Fleet Moss, then a great descent to Hawes.
***************************** A WARNING! *****************************
The descent of Fleet Moss towards Hawes frequently catches riders out. Caught out as in - resulting in an impromptu trip on the Yorkshire air ambulance, hospital, a very spoilt day. PLEASE TAKE CARE!
There is an initial descent which lets you build up speed very rapidly, but then the road starts to flatten out. What you cannot see from the bike is that the road then very abruptly drops away in front of you.
The first time that I did this descent, I was unaware of the problem until I found myself flying through the air on my bike with the road falling away beneath me. How I kept control when I landed, I don't know, but someone else on the same audax ride was not so lucky and ended up in hospital. There have been many others. I REPEAT - PLEASE TAKE CARE!
**********************************************************
Just be sensible and you will be ok!
We are going to have a cafe stop in Hawes. It was very hectic there on our last Settle ride, but it is the only sensible option for our stop. We will just have to put up with the crowds!
If you feel like taking a shortcut back rather than doing the next couple of hard climbs, then you can simply turn left up the B6255 out of Hawes and do the long drag up to Ribblehead where you can turn left again onto the B6479 and do a long descent to Settle.
Those with more energy (and less sense!) can stick with me round to Garsdale Head where we will climb up 'The Coal Road' and over to Dent station. I have never done it in this direction but many people have told me that it is a very hard climb, and it certainly looked it when I descended it a few years back!
If the Coal Road causes you problems then you can take bailout option #2 after the descent from Dent station. We will be turning right at Cowgill and heading down Dentdale towards Dent village. You could opt to turn left instead and climb up to Newby Head Moss where you turn right onto the route of shortcut #1 and follow that back to Settle.
We will not be going into Dent itself, but will instead turn left at Coventree and do the stiff climb up Deepdale. Again, I have not ridden the route in that direction before, but I am looking forward to it. We will be riding up from the valley in the distance to the point where I stood to take this photograph and then doing what should be a glorious descent down Kingsdale to Ingleton.
We will take the quiet road from Ingleton to Newby Cote where we will part company with Sea of Vapours. He lives a bit further on down that road, but we will be turning right and crossing the A65. After that we return to Settle via Clapham station, Eldroth and Giggleswick.
The full route is 114 kms (71 miles) in length and has 4 hard climbs and a few easier ones. The route taking the second bailout option from Cowgill is 104 kms (65 miles) and it has 3.5 hard climbs. The shortest route is 92 kms long (57 miles) and has 2 hard climbs plus a long drag up to Ribblehead.
Map showing full loop in red, second bailout in amber, first bailout in green:
Elevation profiles of the 3 options:
More details will follow, including GPX files of the three routes.
Sign up below. Anybody with enough fitness to at least tackle the shortest version is welcome. We will ride at the speed of the slowest rider, and will probably only average about 13-14 kph/8-9 mph, including stops.
WATCH THIS SPACE!
Take a look at the threads for the 2011 ride and the 2015 ride for inspiration, scribble the date in your diaries, and sign up for the ride below. (We are keeping Sat 9th July as a reserve date in case foul weather stops play on the 2nd. It is a very exposed route and we would not want to be 500+ metres up in a thunderstorm!)
The full route is going to be very tough, but we have designed the route so you can skip 2 very hard climbs after the cafe stop in Hawes and take a shortcut back to Settle via Ribblehead and Horton-in-Ribblesdale if that suits you better. There is also a second shortcut if anybody ignores the first but then finds that the third tough climb of the route over-tires them. (In fact, this shortcut still involves a steep climb, but it would be better than struggling to finish the main route.)
We aim to start by riding from Settle to Little Stainforth and then crossing the Ribble to Stainforth via a small bridge which @Sea of vapours reports is currently undergoing repairs. We think that it will be passable on the day of the ride, but he will check a few days before to make sure. (If the bridge is not available then we will have to head straight from Settle to Stainforth on the B6479.)
We will climb over from Stainforth to Littondale past the lower slopes of Pen-y-ghent. The climb is quite a tough one, but not as hard as the alternative climbs from Settle or Langcliffe would have been.
We will ride down Littondale through Arncliffe to Wharfedale where we will turn left and head north through Kettlewell and on to Buckden where we will turn left again and ride up lovely Langstrothsdale Chase.
Our next climbing challenge will be Fleet Moss. I don't think it is quite as tough from this side as it is coming from Hawes, but it is still going to be hard work.
Fabulous views from the top of Fleet Moss, then a great descent to Hawes.
***************************** A WARNING! *****************************
The descent of Fleet Moss towards Hawes frequently catches riders out. Caught out as in - resulting in an impromptu trip on the Yorkshire air ambulance, hospital, a very spoilt day. PLEASE TAKE CARE!
There is an initial descent which lets you build up speed very rapidly, but then the road starts to flatten out. What you cannot see from the bike is that the road then very abruptly drops away in front of you.
The first time that I did this descent, I was unaware of the problem until I found myself flying through the air on my bike with the road falling away beneath me. How I kept control when I landed, I don't know, but someone else on the same audax ride was not so lucky and ended up in hospital. There have been many others. I REPEAT - PLEASE TAKE CARE!
**********************************************************
Just be sensible and you will be ok!
We are going to have a cafe stop in Hawes. It was very hectic there on our last Settle ride, but it is the only sensible option for our stop. We will just have to put up with the crowds!
If you feel like taking a shortcut back rather than doing the next couple of hard climbs, then you can simply turn left up the B6255 out of Hawes and do the long drag up to Ribblehead where you can turn left again onto the B6479 and do a long descent to Settle.
Those with more energy (and less sense!) can stick with me round to Garsdale Head where we will climb up 'The Coal Road' and over to Dent station. I have never done it in this direction but many people have told me that it is a very hard climb, and it certainly looked it when I descended it a few years back!
If the Coal Road causes you problems then you can take bailout option #2 after the descent from Dent station. We will be turning right at Cowgill and heading down Dentdale towards Dent village. You could opt to turn left instead and climb up to Newby Head Moss where you turn right onto the route of shortcut #1 and follow that back to Settle.
We will not be going into Dent itself, but will instead turn left at Coventree and do the stiff climb up Deepdale. Again, I have not ridden the route in that direction before, but I am looking forward to it. We will be riding up from the valley in the distance to the point where I stood to take this photograph and then doing what should be a glorious descent down Kingsdale to Ingleton.
We will take the quiet road from Ingleton to Newby Cote where we will part company with Sea of Vapours. He lives a bit further on down that road, but we will be turning right and crossing the A65. After that we return to Settle via Clapham station, Eldroth and Giggleswick.
The full route is 114 kms (71 miles) in length and has 4 hard climbs and a few easier ones. The route taking the second bailout option from Cowgill is 104 kms (65 miles) and it has 3.5 hard climbs. The shortest route is 92 kms long (57 miles) and has 2 hard climbs plus a long drag up to Ribblehead.
Map showing full loop in red, second bailout in amber, first bailout in green:
Elevation profiles of the 3 options:
More details will follow, including GPX files of the three routes.
Sign up below. Anybody with enough fitness to at least tackle the shortest version is welcome. We will ride at the speed of the slowest rider, and will probably only average about 13-14 kph/8-9 mph, including stops.
WATCH THIS SPACE!
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