Castle Bolton - Carperby - Redmire

Our luck with the weather was back to normal this week as Sunday was a bit cold and grey compared to the previous few days. At least it didn't look like it was going to rain and the preceding dry spell meant there was unlikely to be much mud.

Four of us set off from Castle Bolton car park, amongst us Dave who had somehow forgotten his helmet and was going to have to take things very easy, especially on the descents. "Fortunately there aren't any tricky descents" we were told, not something I really like to hear.

Leaving the car park we set off due west along the very obvious track. This passes through several gates and splashes across no less than three small fords (which were in fact almost totally dry) before passing though one final gate and becoming a more grassy track that heads off across the moor.

We go straight on at Low Gate and take a sharp left before we get to New Pasture. This takes us down a fairly steep grassy hillside that shows up very well on the elevation profile graph of my flashy new Garmin Edge 500. In fact it shows that up ahead is what looks like a vertical drop!

After 200 yards of pretty steep hillside we arrive at the edge of Ponderledge Scar and what would be - if you went straight on - a vertical drop! Amazing stuff this technology. You have to hook right and come back across diagonally to get down it, but what followed was still full-on steep, though being entirely on grass it wasn't too dangerous or tricky - unless you have no helmet!

A few hundred yards on from the base of Ponderledge Scar we made our first mistake of the day. We should have hung left to stay with the bridleway but stayed straight ahead instead on what was a pretty obvious track. This took us to the wrong side of West End Farm whereupon we were accosted by the farmer who asked us "had we not seen the signs" (we hadn't). In the end he was OK, probably because we're such reasonable people - if we'd have been bolshy we'd have no doubt gotten his goat up (farmer - goat... I should be on the stage). So we cut 100 yards or so left across his farmyard to get back on track - if you're following this route, don't make the same mistake, and if you do, don't get bolshy!

So out of the farm and onto the road at Carperby, just in time to see the Heritage Bus passing through.

A right onto the road followed by a couple of left turns have us on Low Lane which eventually we leave for a track that cuts under the old dismantled railway. There's what is quite obviously an old railway bridge taking the track bed over us a little way down the trail.

The section of track from here on is pretty good, once you get through a few more gates. It becomes quite narrow and "singletrack-y", though it's penned in between a wall and a fence and has a load of twists in it around which may lurk horses or walkers, so we can't open the throttle too much.

Half way along we make a slight detour of exploration, taking a look at a bridleway that leads down to the river (Ure) to a crossing via stepping stones. One of those "something for another day" options that we suss out from time to time. It's not very promising as the bridleway actually doubles as a stream, with plenty of inopportune rocks and low branches thrown in for good measure. We abandon the exploration and get back on track.

Bridleway or stream?

Our nice narrow green lane eventually ends at Low Thoresby and we continue on through Low Bolton and on to Redmire. We turn left up through the village and keep to the main road up and right to begin climbing the lung-busting hill up to the top of Preston Scar. This gains us 500 feet in just over a mile and we're happy to rest in the huge Tank Turning Area at the top for Go Bars and Brazilian Mix.

A slight downhill then, as we continue along the road, but it's short-lived as we turn off to the left onto the track up to Cranehow Bottom and beyond. This is a long, long drag uphill, but thankfully not too steep and not too loose.

At Cranehow Bottom we (I say "we", but I mean "Tony") make our second mistake of the day. "We" decide to try out the track that goes over to The Height Of Brownseat. It's one of those tracks that he's never done before and always wanted to. Well, after a mile or so of heather-bashing with no visible track in sight it ends up in the corner of a moor between two walls. Beyond each wall is yet more heather and still no sign of a discernible track.

Heather bashing.

There are, however, some quite queer animal traps perched at intervals along the wall. Smallish arched cages with an entrance at one end and a spring trap - like a mousetrap but bigger and stronger - in the middle. I set one off with a twig to see what it was like and it disintegrated the twig. Really evil.

We tracked along the wall for a while until it came close to the road, lobbed our bikes and ourselves over it and got ourselves back on track. For Tony & Dave that meant a left on the road then right at the next track along to Dent's House. For me and Sam it was the longer trip, right on the road, down to Ridley Hush then turn left onto the track up to The Heights Of Greets. Second time I've done this climb in 3 weeks and it doesn't get any easier. Drier than last time but still by no means dry, it's an energy-sapping drag up the moss, grass and water covered hillside.

Thankfully it's all downhill after this (well, almost). A full speed pelt down to Dent's House, down that weird track I described last time that seems to somehow defeat your suspension and give you loads of kickback. By the time we got to the end of it I had vibration white finger and cramp in my thighs.

A slight climb now to the top of Black Hill and then it's full speed ahead. Plumetting down the grassy track from the summit for what must be one of the fastest off-road descents around, a few muddy bomb-holes and a large group of walkers being the only cause of consternation as we descended all the way back to Castle Bolton.

We didn't much fancy the tea room at Castle Bolton so it was off to Leyburn and The Posthorn for afters. Friendly service as always, scrambled eggs on toast, chunky scones fresh from the oven and a huge pot of tea. Lovely.

Castle Bolton - Carperby - Redmire
16.7 miles, 2100' of ascent in 3hrs 22mins, of which roughly 1 hour was spent stood still, either eating, being chastised by farmers or trying to find a way out of dead-end tracks.

Castle Bolton - Askrigg - Apedale

10 of us today, the biggest turn out for months on what would prove to be one of our most challenging rides. The weather on the tops proved to be quite extreme and with prior knowledge we might not have set off. Fortunately we’re all properly attired and reasonably competent so the weather didn’t put us in danger and I think we all probably felt a sense of achievement at finishing. The bad weather meant I didn't take a camera along though, so no photos from this ride.

The ride starts by heading due west away from Castle Bolton, a gentle climb on decent tracks at first that become progressively more and more muddy. Thankfully it wasn’t the unrideable mud that we’d encountered at Rosedale a few weeks earlier and a bit of skill and determination could get you through it. The route swings left then follows the hillside round above Carperby and the river Ure, down below in the valley.

Eventually it drops gently away again, past the disused lead mines and towards a large pond/small tarn. Here we had our first fun of the day. The pond, despite looking “normal” was actually frozen solid (solid enough to take your weight) but covered by an inch or two of water which disguised the fact that it was frozen. One of our party decided to ride through it, only to skid on the ice and plough through the water on his backside, getting himself well wet. It was hard not to laugh, once we’d ensured he was ok.

On a bit further then, above Hazel Bank and Woodhall and to our lunch stop, just by a gate where a farmer was busy calling his sheep through. It was quite spectacular watching them come streaming across the moor and funnelling through the gate, their backsides painted every colour under the sun.

One banana and a Go Bar later and we’re off again, a slow, muddy slog uphill towards the road above Newbiggin. By now we were starting to realise what we were in for; the skies had darkened to a dirty grey and the wind was howling quite badly. To make matters worse light rain, turning to hail at times, was lashing us. By the time we reached the junction with the road it was hard to stand upright and the wind-chill was really kicking in. We were less than halfway round and hadn’t hit the most exposed part of the route yet. With this in mind two of our group left us and took the quicker, less exposed way back to the start by road. A little while later a couple more of us wished they’d joined them!

Turning right onto the road we began the long tarmac climb up a road called “Long Band”. Thankfully the wind was at our backs, if it had been in our face I think we’d have abandoned. On stretches of this climb you could actually stop pedalling and let the wind carry you along!

Reward for this punishing climb came though in the form of the best road descent I’ve ever done – probably helped by the fact that the wind was capable of whipping you along at 40k with a minimum of input from your legs! Down, down, down, over 3km of descent of varying steepness and a speed that peaked at 65k, it was a pity when it had to end.

It was a shock to the system too, as the following steep climb up over Whitaside Moor was tackled into the face of the howling gale. The gradient and the wind combined to make the climb largely unrideable, and the constant pushing into the gale started to take its toll on backs, thighs and knees. It was a relief to reach the summit at Apedale Head. Downhill all the way from now on. Not without its perils though, as the wind, mud and now ice all served to throw spanners into our collective works. One of our group hit an ice patch and lost it, almost taking another member with him; no harm done but enough to make you a little more cautious from now on.

A sharp right turn at Dent’s Houses and the icy, muddy, downhill fun continues. I’d just spotted Tony rolling round on his back with his bike on top of him (as usual) and I’d no sooner finished laughing at him when an icy puddle gave way and caught my wheel, pitching me headlong into some unfrozen mud, which made for a softer but very dirty landing. Right at the bottom, on the steepest part of the descent (at which point my GPS log show we were on the footpath rather than the bridleway) I hit yet more ice, this time at speed, and was pitched into filthy mud for the second time, just to make sure I was as dirty as could be. I’m sure there were many other spills on the way down, but as we were quite spread out some will have got away without being seen!

No teashop in Castle Bolton during the winter so we made our way to Leyburn and the Posthorn Tea Rooms. A new personal favourite destination for all-day-breakfasts and tasty crumpets.

Castle Bolton - Askrigg - Apedale
15 miles, 2000' of ascent in 3 hours 45.