May Becks & Fylingdales Moor
Date 27 October 2011
Distance 24.1
May beck is a well known picnic spot for locals and visitors alike. There is ample car parking available with several pleasant woodland & moorland footpaths in the area.
Fylingdales Moor is of course the home of the Fylingdales Early Warning station which is or perhaps was run jointly by the RAF and the American Air force. For many years the skyline was dominated by three huge 'Golf Ball' which contained who knows what type of radar equipment. These were demolished some years ago and replaced with a single pyramid like structure which my Grandchildren have always referred to as Cinderella's palace. (Goodness knows why). Visually, Cinderella's Palace looks insignificant compared to the Golf Balls but that is progress I suppose.
Fylindales Moor has another claim to fame. It was near here on 1st October that the winner if the first international balloon race landed. The pilot was an American serviceman, Col Frank P. Lahm. He had flown his balloon, the 'United States' from Paris, a distance of just under 400 miles in about 22 hours.
Distance 24.1
May beck is a well known picnic spot for locals and visitors alike. There is ample car parking available with several pleasant woodland & moorland footpaths in the area.
Fylingdales Moor is of course the home of the Fylingdales Early Warning station which is or perhaps was run jointly by the RAF and the American Air force. For many years the skyline was dominated by three huge 'Golf Ball' which contained who knows what type of radar equipment. These were demolished some years ago and replaced with a single pyramid like structure which my Grandchildren have always referred to as Cinderella's palace. (Goodness knows why). Visually, Cinderella's Palace looks insignificant compared to the Golf Balls but that is progress I suppose.
Fylindales Moor has another claim to fame. It was near here on 1st October that the winner if the first international balloon race landed. The pilot was an American serviceman, Col Frank P. Lahm. He had flown his balloon, the 'United States' from Paris, a distance of just under 400 miles in about 22 hours.
Rosedale
Date 25 October 2011
Distance 44 miles
The weather today was a lot cooler than we have had for some time, Our route took us through Egton via Aislaby and then up onto the moors towards Rosedale. As we gained hight we ran into light fog with just a hint of drizzle but once we began our decent into Rosedale it cleared somewhat although it was still a bit on the cool side, however a bacon butty at a local cafe soon had us raring to tackle Chimney Bank where I was treated to the unusual sight of John dismounting almost as soon as I did and walking most of the way to the top. After a photo stop we then carried on along the railway, passing Sherrifs Pit and on to the Lion Inn at Blakey where we met two other cyclists, who certainly looked the part. Their bikes were probably worth worth more than my car but they didn't have a bike lock between them so John and I locked all four bikes together before going in for some refreshment.
Leaving the Lion we had a glorious downhill run to Danby reaching speeds of over 40 mph at one point, but legs were getting tired and the climb up to the beacon was made on foot. Here, we turned for home via Stonegate, Egton and Aislaby after another fantastic day out.
Goathland & Egton
Sun 18 Sept 2011
28 miles
Another Great day out with John. We cycled from Whitby to Goathland via Grosmont, Esk Valley and the old horse drawn railway track. After a coffee break we set out for Hunt House & the Roman Road before making our way to the Horseshoe Inn at Egton Bridge for a beer. Afterwards we took the lane to Aislaby and on to Whitby
John Cross
Wed 14 Sept 2011
20 miles
This ride was intended to be out to Old Wifes Neck, then on to York Cross before making my way to the Pickering Road and down Blue Bank on my way home. Unfortunately I took the wrong track and had myself a mud bath. Not wanting to repeat the experience I carried on across some very rough moorland in order to reach the Scarborough Road . On the way I had to encounter bogs, thorns and a ravine. I even found myself on a clay pidgeon shooting range at one stage before joining the A171 at Pond Hill. Its all good fun though.
20 miles
This ride was intended to be out to Old Wifes Neck, then on to York Cross before making my way to the Pickering Road and down Blue Bank on my way home. Unfortunately I took the wrong track and had myself a mud bath. Not wanting to repeat the experience I carried on across some very rough moorland in order to reach the Scarborough Road . On the way I had to encounter bogs, thorns and a ravine. I even found myself on a clay pidgeon shooting range at one stage before joining the A171 at Pond Hill. Its all good fun though.
Scarborough.
46 miles
18 July 2011
This run out was a bit of a milestone for us both. It was the first time I had achieved over 40 miles since my early days on a bike. Our route was simply along the old railway there and back the same way, so we had no severe hills to contend with. I did have a problem with the bike on the way back which resulted in the freewheel becoming a fixie which meant if I stopped pedaling it could have caused some damage to the derailier. As it happened I got home ok and had a new freewheel fitted the follwing day.