1997 Yorkshire Dales

DAY THREE
HAWES TO LEYBURN( VIA SWALEDALE)

WEATHER FINE AND SUNNY

EXCELLENT BREAKFAST IN THE WHITE HART BIKES LOADED WE HAD A WALK ROUND
HAWES MARKET.

10:05AM EN ROUTE PLEASANT CYCLE OUT OF HAWES UP TO SEDBUSK, CAME ACROSS TWO OTHER DALES RIDE CYCLISTS THEY APPEARED TO BE TAKING IT MORE SERIOUS THAN US. PLEASANT RIDE DOWN INTO ASKRIGG. IDEA WAS A COFFEE STOP IN THE HERRIOTT VILLAGE, UNFORTUNATELY THE ONLY CAFE WAS CLOSED, EVEN THOUGH THE TEA ROOM WAS AFFLIATED TO THE FEDERATION OF CYCLISTS. SO WE VENTURED ON UP THE FIRST BIG PULL OUT OF ASKRIGG OVER ASKRIGG MOOR TOWARDS MUKER A LONG PUSH, BUT IT WAS A PLEASANT DAY THE VIEWS WERE AMAZING.

WE CAME ACROSS A MAN AND WOMAN AT A CATTLE GRID HALFWAY UP, HE WAS OBVIOUSLY LOST TRYING TO FOLD A MAP DRESSED LIKE A HAPPY HIKER WITH HIS PLASTIC MAP HIS WOOLLY HAT AND FOLDING STICK. WE OFFERED HIM ASSISTANCE BUT HE KNEW BETTER. LIKE COLIN SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW WHO HE WAS TALKING TO. WE PUSHED ON EVENTUALLY REACHING THE SUMMIT. IT WAS WORTH IT FOR THE VIEWS INTO SWALEDALE ALTHOUGH GRAEME DID HAVE TO GET OFF AND PUSH DOWN OXNOP GHYLL DUE TO BRAKE FAILURE. PLEASANT RIDE ALONG SWALEDALE TO LUNCH STOP, KINGS HEAD GUNNERSIDE, COUPLE OF PINTS (BEST PINT BEST SANDWICH AND MOST
PLEASANT BARMAID) BEER WAS" HAIR OF THE HOG" A LUNCHTIME SPECIAL. AS WE SAT WE WERE SURROUNDED BY WALKERS. TWO CYCLISTS RODE PAST, WE WERE TO MEET THEM LATER. IT WAS VERY PLEASANT SAT OUTSIDE IN THE SUNSHINE FELT LIKE WE WERE ON HOLIDAY. WE CYCLED DOWN TO LOW ROW. NOTED A STRANGE PUBLIC CONVENIENCE, TWO BLUE GATES GENTS AND LADIES EITHER SIDE OF A WALL LEADING INTO A FIELD? THE PUNCH BOWL INN, ANOTHER PINT STOP, COLIN WAS PLAYING HELL THAT WE STOPPED AGAIN WHILE ME AND GRAEME WENT FOR REFRESHMENT HE WAS OUTSIDE TALKING TO TWO BRUMMIE CYCLISTS WHO WERE DOING THE COAST TO COAST ON BIKES. HAD A PLEASANT 20MINS ENJOYING THE VIEWS TAKING THE MICKEY OUT OF COLIN.
ALTHOUGH I HAD THE BEST PINT IN GUNNERSIDE. I HAD THE WORST PINT IN LOW ROW BREWERS DROOPS. ONCE REFRESHED A PLEASANT RIDE DOWN THE DALE OVER HARKERSIDE TO GRINTON AND YES YOU GUESSED ANOTHER PUB STOP AT THE BRIDGE INN.WE GOT TO THE JUNCTION COLIN WAS LOOKING AT THE BLUE CYCLIST DIRECTION ARROW, WE WERE LOOKING AT THE PUB. "THE ROAD GOES THIS WAY" SAYS COLIN. "THE PUB IS THIS WAY" SAY MALCOLM AND GRAEME.

ANOTHER PLEASANT PINT APART FROM THE RESIDENT VILLAGE
DRUNK WHO THOUGHT HE KNEW EVERYTHING WE LEFT HIM ON HIS WAY TO CLEAN OUT A BECK.

THEN CAME THE LONG PUSH OUT OF GRINTON OVER GRINTON MOOR. GRAEME APPEARED OK, COLIN WAS OK, I WAS QUIETLY SUFFERING. I DON'T THINK THAT LAST PINT WAS A GOOD IDEA BUT A QUICK MARS BAR AND HONEY BAR FIX AND I WAS OK. WE EVENTUALLY REACHED THE SUMMIT AND WERE REWARDED WITH VIEWS DOWN WENSLEYDALE PLUS A LOVELY RALLY DOWN HILL. A LEFT DOWN A LANE TOWARDS WENSLEY, NEAR CASTLE BOLTON, ALONG THIS LANE GRAEME DID HIS GOOD DEED FOR THE DAY TWO GOATS HAD CHEWED THROUGH THEIR ROPE AND ONE HAD WRAPPED ITSELF AROUND WITH A CHAIN GRAEME CUT IT FREE.

A STEADY RUN DOWN TO WENSLEY, A CLIMB INTO LEYBURN AND THE DAYS RIDE WAS COMPLETE A RELATIVELY STEADY DAY IN PLEASANT WEATHER FOUND OUR DIGS EASTFIELD LODGE (WHY DID I HAVE TWO LOOS IN MY ROOM)

CHANGED AND OUT AT 8PM FOR A NIGHT IN LEYBURN DAMPENED A LITTLE AS WE HAD HEARD THE FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY!!!