Your ride today....

[Dave 123]

@Scotchlovingcylist um glad you survived!

Just 12 miles today after a big band of rain.

I think you know my love of cows. There’s a field up near Westlake that’s had a large amount of cows in over the winter. It’s a swamp. No feed in the feed rings. The whole field is ankle deep in wet mud.
I’ve forwarded the pictures to DEFRA as I don’t feel it’s the optimum way to farm. I might be wrong, but I’ve sent them anyway.

It was a bit chilly out.

 

[Grant Fondo]

Nice 15 miler of road, river bank, tracks with the evening sun out for the last part.

Last few miles with the south-westerly breeze at my back was good, minimal effort, 20+ mph following the Dee back into Chester. Nice one.

 

[Jameshow]

@Scotchlovingcylist um glad you survived!

Just 12 miles today after a big band of rain.

I think you know my love of cows. There’s a field up near Westlake that’s had a large amount of cows in over the winter. It’s a swamp. No feed in the feed rings. The whole field is ankle deep in wet mud.
I’ve forwarded the pictures to DEFRA as I don’t feel it’s the optimum way to farm. I might be wrong, but I’ve sent them anyway.

It was a bit chilly out.
View attachment 683033

View attachment 683034

View attachment 683035

View attachment 683036

I once saw a farmer lad whipping cow into be
milked I reported it, it was shocking!

 

[Dave 123]

I once saw a farmer lad whipping cow into be
milked I reported it, it was shocking!

That’ll be for the cream.


I’ll get me coat.

 

[HLaB]

Down to Brogborough for my short ride today 5.5 miles out and 4.5miles back. 27mph one way for a 3/4 of the effort of 22mph the other way.

The main reason why I do such things didn't wait for a photo; after a couple of bites though I did pause for one.

 

[wafter]

Went for an evening pootle to the bottle bank on the Fuji - only a mile or two but I did watch a barn owl hunting by the edge of the valley in the light of my head torch, which was nice

 

[Eurobike]

Due to bad weather and illness, this was my first ride of the month. By now you will know of my hobby of following the Severn Bore by bike, which I had the chance to do again today.
View attachment 682895
Having missed a couple of monster bores this week, I was really pleased that, after struggling out to Epney against a strong SW wind this morning, the forecast three star bore turned out to actually be one of the best I've seen for years. You never quite know how they are going to turn out. Today's strong sou'wester was balanced by an already high river level, and this produced a cracker of a wave followed by a really impressive surge that flooded the fields either side of the river.
View attachment 682896
I like to include a few wildlife shots in my ride reports from time to time. This was certainly my first mermaid sighting:
View attachment 682897
Once the wave had passed, instead of chasing it upstream I made the snap decision this time to get a 50km qualifying ride in for the Half Century Challenge and to kill two birds with one stone. (NB: No birds were actually harmed, though I almost ran over a squirrel). I rode on down to Arlingham, then Frampton via Priding, catching various views of the rising flood water:
View attachment 682898

View attachment 682899

View attachment 682900

View attachment 682901
Had every kind of weather today, but it never rained too heavily or for too long. I ended up thoroughly enjoying myself. 32.7 miles. Still in the Challenge. Hopefully I'll get a second ride in before the end of the month.

Great photos, thanks for posting Donger

 

[Jameshow]

Went for an evening pootle to the bottle bank on the Fuji - only a mile or two but I did watch a barn owl hunting by the edge of the valley in the light of my head torch, which was nice

Think I might try and match your distance it will be touch and go though🤕.... Might see a barn owl too if I time it right!!

 

[Dave 123]

I finally made it up to Dartmoor for a ride. It was a lovely dry day too!

From Nattor I went to Ditsworthy, then up toward Drizzlecombe and over by the old Eylesbarrow tin mine. At Princetown I stopped at Fox Tor café for a bacon butty.
I then retraced my steps for half a mile and went down the widow maker track to Burrator. Through Sheepstor and up the hill back to the van.

13 miles. Lovely!

https://www.strava.com/activities/8780464340

 

[Dave 123]

 

[Jameshow]

Just round Baildon moor - as much as I could do! Really cold which probably distracted from my hip!

 

[HLaB]

Out to Elton to meet some mates, today. That was dry, despite the forecast. I was also expecting a strong headwind after yesterday but had turned to a tailwind. Given that I had raced yesterday I was glad or it. Perfect 👍

In the 5mins I was waiting though the rain started. 👎Given the forecast I expected an hour of light stuff when we set off 😐

We cut over the hard packed bridleway to Bullock Road then followed more hard packed bridleways east of the A1, then cut through a grassed one to Holly Lodge.

And no, we got 2hours of heavy stuff. 👎👎

After the Lodge, one of my mates said he was going back by road rather than soggy grass. I was in two minds at first but it was still raining and given my vision through the glasses was pretty poor before the cafe, I decided to chum him. We went north east through Winwick and Thurning to Barnwell. Apart from being wet that was too bad as it was more of a cross wind. The bit after that through Oundle to Wansford was a block headwind though. It finally stopped raining about 20mins before his house. After leaving him I doubled back to Elton and got a bit of a tailwind before turning back into it on route to Peterborough.

 

[geocycle]

Free cake! Well that was one of the highlights today, more about that later. Still not much spring in Spring and a cold north easterly limited options. Headed north to Kendal in search of lunch but no obvious cafe with bike parking presented itself. Headed out of town up Beast Bank to Scout Scar where the thermos came into its own. Then downhill through woodlands carpeted with wild daffodils to Levens and its lovely village shop. Bought a pie and coffee and then was offered a free tray bake too big to fit in the counter, fantastic! The homeward route was wind assisted which made up for the arrival of drizzle. 84 km with 1100 m of climbing.

Pictures of Kendal from Scout Scar and a lovely old barn.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Bright and early for the start of British Summer Time: broke out the summer bike, wore my new (old man varifocal) summer shades and took the new ultra lightweight summer waterproof with me for insurance.

Set off, and BLOODY HELL IT'S COLD!!!

To start, up the Brickworks into the biting northerly, then down to Whaley Bridge. My plan is to do two of the 100 climbs up, and another couple down.

First up is Peaslows #37, from Chapel le Frith. Its a mystery to me why it features in the list, as it's pretty much featureless, neither particularly long nor steep, no views (except behind) and today includes a brutal headwind.

Suffering complete, I turn up to the side road to Rushup Edge, and to my relief find I can just about fit the two pairs of gloves I'm already wearing inside the emergency crab claw gloves I had the foresight to stuff in at the last minute. Fingers go from agonising to merely cold for the rest of the ride.

Now down Mam Nick #126, a spectacular descent, and down to Hope with the hills resplendent in spring sunshine.

Winnats #33 is the big challenge and very busy as I let a coach past at the bottom (why such are permitted here is a mystery). I ace it with a PB, absolutely nothing to do with what is now a strong tailwind 😉

Through lovely Perry Dale, then Buxton and up to the Cat and Fiddle #70 (descent), down to Macc then home.

98km, 1700m climbing.

I realise now it's probably the longest non stop ride I've ever done. No photos, far too cold!

 

[footloose crow]

Today I encountered a lot of muddy lanes whilst riding a Brevet Populaire (100k audax ride) in Devon. Always good to cross the border into England and see a different country. The views were good but now the bike and I are extremely dirty.