Summer
Short Tour 2007 -Tan Hill Inn
Tan
Hill Inn, England's highest pub was the base for the
annual summer weekend cycle tour. The weather stayed
cold and wet, aggravated by the exposed and elevated
location.It was so harsh that two sheep spent the entire
weekend trying their best to get into the pub, eventually
succeeding and eating two pairs of leather motorcycle
gloves, left to dry in the porch by a group of motorcyclist
from teeside who shared the dining room with us on our
second night.
Steve Burton planned two excellent routes and we even
saw the sun occasionally.
Tan
Hill Inn
to the Lake District Mountains.. We headed west and were soon taking a wet descent off the high ground
towards the Eden Valley. Gary Philis narrowly avoided a fall on a slippery right hand bend when he just
managed to stay upright and avoid a stone wall. Soon we were negociating the morning traffic in
Kirky Stephen and then a climb around the flanks of Nine Standards Rigg where a left turn took us
along the Valley between the Rigg and Wild Boar Fell.
Soon we were on a long gradual descent, with a following wind through breathtaking uplands which took us all
the way to Sedburgh where we were took a break in a tea shop where tea and cakes where quickly demolished.
We were heading through Sedburgh towards the road to Dentdale when asomeone in a big group of cyclists in
the car park recognised Steve and shouted us back. It was Harry Bond of 60s Cyclo Cross frame and some of
his training pals from Bradford RCC who voiced delight that 'the Calder' where still going strong.
The road from Sedburgh to Dent is a delight. The steep sided Dale wasvery green with all the rain that the
summer of 2007 brought. The heavy clouds lifted slightly as we dropped towards Dent,giving us glimpses
of Great Barbon to the south and and Whernside ahead of us.
We followed the swollen River Dent, with it's many rapids and waterfalls alonside the road as we climbed away
from Dent. Here the road got steeper, taking us under the railway viaduct and up over fells with the bulk of
Ingleborough appearing ahead to our right. At the Ingleton Hawes road we turned north for Wensleydale. Another
long fast drop brought us to the bustling market town of Hawes and here we recharged our batteries with more
tea and cakes.
At Hawes we split into two groups with Tim Moss, Ian Steeper, Stewart Bowering and Gary Philis takling the
vaunted Buttertubs Pass to Muker and Steve Burton, Richard Hancock and John Clayton taking the longer and
easier route down the North flank of WensleyDale to Castle Bolton then over Grinton Moor before dropping
down the technical drop to Grinton where the heavens opened before they got to Reeth for a pint of Timothy
Taylor's Landlord at the 18th century 'middle pub', the Kings Arms.
Eventually everyone was back at the Tan Hill Inn, ready for shower a hot meal and a recounting of the days
events over a beer.
Outside the wind was howling and the rain beat against the windows. We counted ourselves lucky as apart
from the first 20 minutes of the ride and during the drop down to Reeth, we had stayed dry.
On the second day, Steve led us down Swaledale and south through some narrow, deserted lanes accross
glorious countryside, heading for Middleham. As we turned round a corner, as the road left some woodland and
the road dropped to a stone bridgeleading us to an old hamlet on the far bank.Tthe sun shone for the first time
and the river Ure sparkled.
Buttertubs
Pass looking South. The Calder group came North, heading for Swaledale
and the Tan Hill Inn. Stewart Bowering rode
home to Horbury over the Buttertubs, before climbing Fleet Moss out of Wensleydale and down Langstrothdale and Wharfedale.
home to Horbury over the Buttertubs, before climbing Fleet Moss out of Wensleydale and down Langstrothdale and Wharfedale.
