Back to the Pennine Bridleway - Day 3 скачать в хорошем качестве

Back to the Pennine Bridleway - Day 3

Apparently my videos of this trip are not "selling" this route very well. Maybe this one will give more support to the poor old PBW - I think the pleasure/pain ratio was much more favourable on day 3 even though we were pretty far gone when we finally creaked into the campsite at Barnoldswick. Then there's the mileage - 25 miles in a single day - still shameful but it's nearly double the score from day 2! Actually, I liked day 3 very much! I hope that some glimpses of that pleasure can be seen in the video in between all my grumbles! We tried to get an early start. My tiny tent, a Vango Neon, was dripping with dew and condensation after the temperature had dropped so much in the night. The Neon is often criticised for condensation problems, but Jay had the same issue and I noticed that the dampness outside and inside the flysheet started before I had even gone to bed. The problem with such a small tent is that the clearance between fly and inner is tiny and it is hard to prevent contact and dripping between the two. When dismantling it in the morning the water inside the flysheet soaks the inner, but at least the thin fabric dries quickly. May was at work in the shop before we left at 7.45 and we bought a minimum of essential food in case we didn't find another shop - it was Sunday. She was ever so friendly - it had been a great place to camp, lacking only a shower (there's no tap either - but there is a potable spring at the farm). The stage over the moors and reservoirs was absolutely delightful, although the ancient trackway (Gorple Gate) was much steeper than I had anticipated - but bigger hills give better views. Clough Head was a lovely spot to spend time on a calm sunny morning. Then I fell off! Before I knew it I had done a complete somersault! It is a pity I wasn't filming with the drone! I think I must have just hit the side of a rut - anyway, no harm was done and I got straight back on, but the experience may have made me a little more cautious descending the hairpins. I was dismayed to see this path is already badly fitted in places - we need to take care of our paths! The climb through the woods out of Thursden valley was a killer - I can't imagine riding that! It was exhausting just dragging the bike! When we reached the road I was desperate for some energy. As we rested Jay was delighted to see a cavalcade of vintage tractors passing a nearby farm. The Brontë Way and a section of Pendle way which took us to Wycoller were almost restful after our previous exertions. We met 2 "real" mountain bikers who were very doubtful that Jay would make it on the rocky tracks, but with care and prudent dismounting he got through. As we pushed up out of a steep dip 3 energetic mountain bikers passed us; climbing the other side one had steering trouble, one ran out of steam after a few yards and the 3rd struggled on till he stopped and fell off - that made us feel much better about ourselves as we walked on to the next bit we could easily ride. The final section through fields became a tedium of gates - we could never really get going before we had to stop again. What's more, riding across grass is just a bit harder than riding on hard surfaces. I nearly made a navigational error and took a trail to Earby because my GPS route (from Komoot) finished a stage there. Jay corrected me in time (the next stage would have backtracked along the same route); I made the same sort of error error 2 days later when Jay was not there to put me right! We crossed the Pennine Cycleway (a largely on-road route) 3 times on this day. Had we taken that route instead I think we could have completed the stage in about 2 hours (based on day 3 of my PCW ride which I filmed last year). I think that shows how much harder the PBW is for a mediocre cyclist - after all, it was designed for horses and on some of the tracks hooves would work much better than wheels. So, on this night we are at Barnoldswick and we are approaching the Yorkshire Dales. I have started studying the route ahead to see if I can finish this task - and looking at forecasts, campsites and railway stations. But I just can't work it out - so much depends on what the route is like on the ground. Today I am pleased and surprised we made it to Barnoldswick. I will have to take tomorrow as it comes! Thanks for watching! Don't miss the next exciting (?) installment!