I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of months – longer in fact – and not really coming to many conclusions. I wanted to do something to commemorate my half century on the 6th of September. I had a couple of ideas, but most of them would cost money to do, more money them I felt comfortable spending and I’m especially low on money at the moment. Work hasn’t been done really since Christmas – I’ve had three hours all year when last year I probably averaged 10 a month. I’d been rather expecting that level of pay this year and perhaps would have held off on buying the bike if I’d known it was going to be so tight. On top of that I’ve had a couple of bad months for extra expenses. Refunds not being paid on time and extra expenses that I don’t have the savings to budget for. In August I have had to spend an additional £90 on travel to get another subcutaneous cyst removed (same as last year but in a new location). So I really don’t have the money to spend on going out for a meal or a small party – things I like doing with my nearest and dearest. And because I’m functionally not working, I doubt I’ll do anything through work which I thought might have happened. Honestly my main idea was to host a BBQ and invite friends, family and colleagues. But I really can’t afford to do that.
On the other hand, I am time rich, so doing something that will be both memorable and interesting which will scratch one of my biggest itches is entirely doable. One of my favourite things is to go new places, or perhaps more importantly see new things. And as someone who is definitely more comfortable outside of cities, exploring the countryside is something I love doing. This ride will take me places that I have never seen before and assuming that the weather stays dry and the clouds (if any) high the views should be amazing – though I do wish I had a better camera/action-cam/drone/etc… and a bigger battery and FS bike while we’re wishing for things… 😉
So the plan currently is to cycle from home to Settle, board a train to Appleby in Westmoreland with my bike, and then cycle home from there, I have a couple of routes planned and they all work out at roughly fifty miles (~88km). I dare say that on the day the actual distance travelled will be slightly different, but it’s going to be about fifty miles. Since I have been getting used to cycling in Eco mode on the bike I have been able to finish 44+ miles with 20-10% battery left, and while there are some very large hills – climbing ~6500ft over the whole route – there is far more flat or less steep hills that I can keep the assistance level down on. I have high hopes that I can get all the way on a single battery.
Best yet I’m happy with company – I seldom never ride with anyone, not because I don’t want to so much as I don’t know anyone to ride with, and as I tend to ride gravel routes on an eMTB instead of on a gravel bike (or riding MTB trails) I don’t really have a ready-made group to ride with. It also doesn’t help that I don’t really enjoy the type of insanity that most MTB riders seem to enjoy, I like to keep my speed low unless I’m on something smooth and my wheels largely on the ground. I already have one person interested in coming along, but honestly the more the merrier. Though bike space on the Settle to Carlise train might be stickier and working out getting people and bikes to Appleby (and reuniting people with their cars at the end of the day might be harder).
Route
Appleby to Lunesdale: Appleby is in the Eden Valley, between it and the mountain section is a landscape that is more rolling than serious, the route climbs to about 1,000ft (from sea level, start is already halfway to 1k). I expect to do the vast majority of this section in Eco mode, hopefully barely using my battery. This is the easy bit.
The Howgill Fells – or Lunesdale to Lunesdale. Instead of taking the low road we’ll take the high road and not even get closer to Scotland. Long, slow climb out of Lunesdale near Ravenstonedale (the village) and along the north/south ridge of the Howgill Fells summitting West Fell, Hazelgill Knott, The Calf, Bram Rigg Top and Winder. Before descending back into a much lower part of the greater Lunesdale valley at Sedbergh. Maybe a good place for lunch.
After that we’re pretty much onto the home stretch, as this point is a little over halfway – depending a little on route – which in turn will depend on battery life. We’ll go up the dale and into Dentdale and along the Dee, before deciding whether to brave Deepdale or to hit the flanks or Whernside. We can mix the two up as well and do Whernside before going to Ingleton/Clapham/Settle (I think this would be my preferred route as I love cycling to Ingleton from Chaple-Le-Dale, but we can also go from Whernside to Ribblehead/Horton/Settle. Going up Dentdale also gives us the option of using a train for Dent -> Settle if we’re struggling at that point though I don’t want to do that if at all possible.
Which should get us back to Settle in time for a little bit of food and then home (though if it’s just me and my friend we might go to my place direct).
But this plan got me thinking, why not walk fifty and maybe swim fifty too… I can probably get the fifty done by walking in September but as an extremely body shy person I haven’t swum voluntarily since about 1997/8 when I needed to prove I could swim for Raleigh International, but I know swimming is good for you so trying to swim at least fifty miles before I hit 51 might be a good challenge for me.
Anyway, I will leave this post at that point. If any of my thousands of readers 😉 would like to join me on my trip do get in touch. You’ll need a bike (gravel, MTB or eBike (with a range of about 50mi)) and enough bits and bobs, food, snacks, etc to keep you going to ~50 miles. Plus, enough money to get from Settle to Appleby either in the morning or evening.
Route details:
I’ll try and get the GPXs of some of the planned routes uploaded so you can import them into your favourite planning app, these have been made in the OS app. But roughly speaking, start at Appleby station and then follow minor roads and bridleways south to Bowerdale, take the bridleway that follows the ridge not the one by the beck, and head for Sedbergh, going via the summits mentioned above and ending at Winder before coming out onto Howgill Lane. Go into/through Sedbergh then to Dent. Route changes at this point depending on too many things.
Route #1: Follow the Dee up Dentdale (either side of the valley) keep going past the road closed signs and end up on the Hawes-Ingleton road, head towards Ingleton, turn off just before Ribblehead station/Pub, down the Ribble to Settle.
Route #2: Head to Dent (as above), when you are in Dent village turn right and following a bridleway and small stream head up the hill, when it reaches a T junction with another track turn left follow this track until you hit a (minor) road. Follow this uphill, you’ve missed the really steep bit coming along the bridleway Deepdale is not for the weak of heart, scared my going down the hill, and I don’t really want to try going up it – ever. Follow this road down the hill and into a long narrow Valley, past Kingsdale head (which my Gran wrote about) and then Braida Garth (there is also a Botany Bay down here), then before climbing back out of the valley at the far end take a left and follow the bridleway to Twistleton Scars (not 100% sure on the destination, but over a little bridge and then over the hill. On the next road, follow it downhill for Ingleton then follow signs for Settle (there are minor roads from Ingleton all the way to Settle if you’d prefer to avoid the A65 (I do).
Route #3: Same as before but this time stay on the southern bank of the Dee (you can cycle along the other side but will need to cross back), you’re aiming to get to Dyke Hall Lane, so staying on the road for now, from Dent take the second right (road) go down through the woodland and take the track to the left immediately after the woodland, (might be signed “Dales High Way”). Follow this past the turning that will probably be marked “Whernside”, until you have crossed the railway on a bridge that shares the track with a stream (I walked across this when I was about ten), follow the railway (this is the Settle Carlisle line, and either go under the track and through some gates or follow the tracks till you hit the Ribblehead viaduct (careful this section seems to be used by cyclists but is probably a footpath. You can then turn for Ingleton or follow the Ribble down to Settle.
Or you can mix and match the various different routes, to achieve whatever destination/distance you prefer.