Dales Roof Run

The Ferrets who were at the first stop at the Worth Valley Railway centre in Oxenhope were (from L-R); Stue (STUEY), Dave, Nigel (AKY), Kit (Mrs CLIVE), Lainey (Mrs STUEY), Steve & Debbie (STEVEG) and Julie & Rob (CANARY).  Clive was taking the shot.

The meet up for this run was Holmfirth, and this was where everyone except Stue & Lainey gathered, all but Clive & Kit having come through various severities of rainfall on their way there.  We would certainly like to welcome Dave, Nigel's guest, who did a sterling job of keeping up with the ride, with little impact on the pace, on his knobbly-tyred trailie!  Well done mate, and we do hope that you enjoyed the day - despite being a self-admitted fair-weather biker!  Stue & Lainey joined us at Hebden Bridge and the weather remained kind to us all until after lunch as we were drawing near to Hawes.

In fact, Dave's bike was probably the most suited to the first section of the ride, from Holmfirth across country around Huddersfield and Halifax to our first break in Oxenhope.  Although planned to avoid having to suffer passing through the centres of the two cities, it was perhaps, in hindsight, far too complicated and tedious a route.  It wasn't helped by one of the planned roads turning out to be 'private', thus necessitating a short detour.  In future, when heading north from Holmfirth, we'll just bite the bullet for the sake of speed and brevity.  However, we still got to enjoy the excellent views afforded from the high ground, with the chance to sightsee more out of the way villages and to take in the splendid view of Scammonden Reservoir as we passed around its shores, and the spectacular bridge as we passed high above the M62.  What wasn't quite as enjoyable was the persistent high winds blowing across from the west.  Somewhat unfortunate conditions for a ride planned to take in plenty of high ground!!!

Expecting to meet Stue & Lainey at the Worth Valley Railway Centre, an on-the-fly decision by Clive to take the high road to Keighley out of Hebden Bridge, as opposed to the main valley road, nearly scuppered Stue's decision to back-track along the route to meet up with us earlier.  They just happened to catch a glimpse of the group as it turned off prior to where they were waiting for us, and it wasn't long before they'd caught up, and Steve (excellently performing Sweeper duties) reported that another bike had joined the group.

The first chance of the day to really stretch the legs of the bikes was rising out of Ripponden and along the Blackstone Edge road down into Mytholmroyd.  However, the strong winds made this a tad more fraught than usual.  As we passed White Holme Reservoir we were doused in spray from the wind blown surface, so much so that it convinced us for a while that it was beginning to rain again.

Having detoured for the wonderful views of Hebden Bridge from the top of the ridges that hem it in, and returned to the main Haworth road, we once again could up the pace as much as the wind would allow, and before long we were dropping down through the hairpins into Oxenhope and parking up in the Railway Centre's car park. 

The Worth Valley Railway station in Oxenhope is a must-see, and certainly a wonderful break - a most nostalgic and magical experience.  Across from the platform, and over the tracks was a rather fetching display of Snow White and the twelve dwarves - well, in fact, they were garden gnomes, but the arrangement evoked the message well enough.  A lot of volunteer work has been put into the place in recent years, and it exudes the care and attention that's been lavished on it.  They now have a permanent Buffet Car acting as cafe - a real buffet carriage complete with original tables and seating - serving beverages and sandwiches, and in which you can sit at lovingly restored tables, looking out onto the platform and its many inhabitants .... such as Rob ....

.... and Stue .... Nigel and Dave

.... and Steve.

And where were the ladies?  Well, in the rather more comfortable surrounds of ... the Ladies, where they were intrigued by the original and working gas light fittings, and the somewhat disconcerting sign!  This prompted Kit to describe the event as obviously being 'Fanny by Gaslight'!  Compared with this extravagance, what the gents got in the way of human comfort was somewhat more basic - evincing fond memories of school pastimes, such as attempting to urinate over the wall into the girl's playground, and the suchlike!  Ah, those halcyon days of childhood. 

But, what really did top the experience and bring back a flood of almost forgotten memories, was the rhythmic shuffling thud felt through your feet that you knew heralded the unseen approach of a real steam locomotive.  The pinnacle of human achievement in the symbiosis of form and function, of engineering and art, the arrival of one of the few machines that exudes a life and character of its own.  As she drew herself and her carriages into the station, billowing steam and filling the valley with the sounds of her laboured breath, the place took on a magical animation all of its own.

Where there had been silence, peace and solitude there was now a cacophony of activity, with people spilling from the carriages and waiting rooms to take a closer look at the engine, or to rush and queue for drinks and snacks.  The driver and engineer were busy checking her over, and reversing the red and white lanterns for the return journey, checking her water level, and all manner of special preenings and mystical rites that attend any such stop.  And like a revered goddess or queen, the engine sat hissing and clanking, soothed by the attendant attention.

We will not begrudge her the time that she helped put our schedule back by, for the reward of having seen her was sufficient, and in part the longer break was needed after the rigours of the first section of the ride.  So it was that we readied ourselves for the next section of the ride up to Kettlewell, and our lunch break, some hour later than planned.

From Oxenhope we dropped down into Wharfedale, through Keighley and onto the new Aire Valley road, and after a few miles the turn north through Silsden and Addingham to at last break into the Yorkshire Dales.  Past Bolton Abbey we picked up some pace, despite the overtaking fodder of Bank Holiday traffic, and sped deeper into the Dales towards Burnsall, and by the time we were passing Grassington we were on more open and quieter roads bound for Kettlewell.

Thanks to Stue & Lainey's excellent and very kind reconnoitring, we parked up outside the excellent Bluebell Inn where we all had excellent food and drinks, and whiled away even more schedule time in chatting, gossiping and other usual banter.  The staff at the Inn put a number of tables together for us, so that we could all eat together and the level of service was without fault.  Highly recommended.

It was as we arrived at Kettlewell that the hints of the subsequent turn in the weather became evident.  Rain fell gently and intermittently whilst we were there, although at our departure the sun peeped out from behind the clouds.

The next section to Hawes, via Newbiggin, was a shortish one, and given the almost empty roads and fast nature of most of them, it wasn't long before we were entering the village for our next leg stretch.  However, by the time we neared Hawes the rain had become more persistent.  Although not heavy, it did not ease up, and the sky was a morbid black to the west of us.  It was wet enough to deter us from taking any photos and to make the break quite short.

It was decided to miss out the section stopping at Kilnsey Crags and then backtracking over to Malham, given the obviously continuing and likely heavier rain and the fact that we were already an hour and a half behind, so a direct route was opted for on the original route south out of Hawes, over the very high ground that Beggarmans Road takes you, but then with a direct run passed Kilnsey Crags to our finish in Skipton.

And so it was that we climbed rapidly up onto the hills, and onto what can rightly and accurately be described as the roof of the Dales.  Even with the constant light rain, and the grey cover of clouds, the air was clear enough to allow the spread of the panorama of dales below us to be seen in all its glory.  From upon high, we were led down into Deepdale back to the Grassington road at Buckden.  The run south to Skipton, back through Kettlewell, past Kilnsey Crags and on to Threshfield and Rylestone, was attended by increasingly heavier rain.  The weather had well and truly turned, and our thoughts were now to hot baths, and the like, more than cutting up the bends.

At Skipton we drew up to the Devonshire Starbucks, where we knew we'd be able to park and find excellent drinks, and where we could have a brief respite from the weather, and say our farewells to each other, which is exactly what we did.

Certainly an excellent convivial day packed with just about every riding type you can imagine, from the slow and tricky to the fast and furious, the day was enjoyed thoroughly by everyone.  And this is what will stay in the memory long after the wet and at times treacherous roads have been forgotten.

All photos courtesy of Clive

Page Updated

28/06/2008 23:54