Today's ride was probably the best day's cycling I've ever had. I was expecting the spectacular roads and scenery of the Lake District to be the highlight of the trip, but I was wrong. The best bits were the high moorland roads of the Pennines and Cleveland hills, mostly less steep but perfectly formed for cycling.
Day 3 was our longest day (60 miles), but most of the hard work done on the initial 12 mile stretch from Kirkby Stephen to the highest point of the trip, Tan Hill Inn.
There had been some prevarication about which way to go - we had a choice of the higher route via Tan Hill, or a lower route through Swaledale. I had opted for the apparently easier route through Swaledale, but the Packhorse man we saw in the morning described that road as a "rollercoaster" with just as much up an down as Tan Hill, and it seemed a pity to miss out on the highest pub in Britain, so we changed our minds at the last minute.
What a ride. The long climb to Tan Hill was knackering (I had to stop for a breather at one point as Mark and Matt passed by) but well worth it. The Tan Hill Inn is located in the middle of nowhere, on a high moorland road at the junction of the Pennine Way, and is a wonderful place. We were a tad early for beer, but teas were welcome as Mark warmed his feet by the roaring fire whist enjoying AC/DC on the pub stereo. Mark seemed to be surprised to have cold feet, having cycled to 1732 feet in his sandals.
After a lengthy stop, it was back on the bikes for the fantastic descent down the moorland road to Reeth. The road surface was excellent, the gradients perfect, the views magnificent, hardly a car to be seen (and those that were on the road could be seen from miles away) and my GPS recorded a top speed of 39.1 miles an hour. Even the uphill bits were a joy, and never have I freewheeled up steep hils so fast with the momentum from the downhill bits. I've always found that on every holiday or trip I have been on there is one moment, camping spot, view, ride, climb, summit or walk that makes it all worthwhile, and this was it. Perfect.
From Reeth it was onwards to Richmond by the Swaledale Road (not as busy as we had been led to believe), and into Wetherspoons for lunch. Wetherspoons may not be to everyone's taste (including mine), and attract a largely homeless clientele, but at least they are cheap and the food OK. Next stop after Richmond was Danby Wiske for beer, before the surprisingly steep climb to our overnight stop at the lovely village of Osmotherley. I was convinced I had been to Osmotherly before, when walking the Cleveland Way, but didn't recognise it at all, so clearly my memory is failing.
Osmotherly is blessed with 3 pubs, so a pre-dinner recce was required. In the interest of research I had a pint of something golden in the Golden Lion, discounted the Queen Catherine (a bit soulless and full of kids) and the Three Tuns looked good for food. So, back to the Three Tuns for dinner and beer, and back to the Golden Lion for more beer.
Day 3 stats
60 miles cycled
3306 feet climbed
5 pubs
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