Not as sunny a day as it was for James' great ride in early March and only 7 of us out (and sadly no ladies), but it was warm and dry and we flew round the 54 miles after an earlier start.
Bransdale was even quieter than usual as the NYC signs indicated a road closure at the head of the valley, but thankfully there was no such thing. The views, birdlife and flora were as delightful as ever. Having had a coffee in Helmsley, we voted to forego the temptation of a drink at the idyllic Cockayne church and went for the shortcut (not) winding lane, and without the flock of sheep this time. The unspoilt traditional farm buildings in this valley are very notable.
At Gillamoor we stopped to admire the unusual subscription sundial and then took in the glorious view across Farndale from the corner by the church. From here it was on to Low Mill and Church Houses, where we had lunch in the garden at the Daffy caffy, with sunshine starting to appear. Again we had a puncture incident on the gravel, but it was soon fixed, followed by a seat problem.
Mike was in awe of the locality, as it was his first time cycling here and was keen to climb Blakey Bank, so we split into 2 groups with Greg and Chris following him and a loose arrangement to all meet up in Hutton le Hole. Unfortunately the mobile and internet reception were poor so we never managed to communicate and we weren't sure who got to Hutton first. It turned out we did and we carried on the planned route up to Bank Top and down Rosedale Chimney Bank, which tested our braking skills. A sign at the top said "Cyclists Dismount" but we coped.
Trevor was delighted with the ice cream parlour in Hutton and gave us a treat. Just as we were ready to leave, Greg found us, having waited for us previously at the Hutton junction. Mike and Chris had decided to cut it short and returned to Helmsley, although to be fair, Mike had done the Rosedale bit the previous Saturday.
From Hutton we were relieved by a relatively flattish and faster return via Kirkbymoorside, Wombleton and Harome.
It was one of our hilliest rides for a while, gaining c 5,500ft, but definitely worth the trip out and thanks to those who made the effort.
Graham