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Grassy Boggy Fields

Less than a week after the epic Peebles weekend, with most of the regular group failing to recover or saving themselves for a 100 miler on Sunday, we have Geoff, Dave B and Kev's mate John to bring us up to 9. Setting off from Lartington north east of Barnard Castle we encountered our first bull of the day without incident and climb steadily over fields and farm tracks, Dave bravely clearing our way of bullocks, cows and sheep.

Feeling under the weather we lose one of our number before descending into Bowes and crossing the A66 where the group opt for the slightly longer road route to avoid the river crossing and keep their feet dry, wimps! So with dry feet we pass through Bowes on the road and climbed back up a grassy bank to the Pennine Way and stopped for lunch; the sun going in while we did so making it feel less then warm in the cold wind. Continuing down over the relatively dry moor south of the A66 we rested briefly at a natural limestone bridge (God's bridge) before reaching the A66. Passing underneath we begin another grassy hill, grassy boggy descent and yet another grassy hill at the top of which Geoff decided he could only take so much of a good thing and opted for the direct track down the ridge over Bowes Moor back to Lartington so the 8 becomes 7.

We continue riding down the Pennine way where Judith got plenty of practice clipping in and out of her new SPD's as we crossed a multitude of lovely wet drainage ditches cut into the peat, nicely front wheel shaped as several of us found out. With Judith and Nichola in front we tackled a short rocky descent to bring us around between and down the side of three small reservoirs. In the fields lurks our second bull of the day which Judith and Nichola bravely cycle towards until it decides to stand up and they realise that it is not a cow, take a 90 degree change of course and take off up the hill leaving us to catch them up before the bull decides to take offence to us disturbing his ladies. Hitting the road briefly on the way up to the final boggy grassy bit around Goldsburgh Hill - a sometime haunt of the climbing section - we admire the view out over the somewhat bleak landscape to the north and east. Up one last hill we enter the military ranges where they have graded tracks and we are able at last to make a long fast descent which you don't have to peddle down. This makes everybody forget the earlier grassy bits, honest. The short run back around Lartington brings us up through the village and back to the cars roughly 25 miles and five and a half hours later - but it felt like further!

Paul Curry

Last Modified: 7 May, 2003