Engine oil

The three packs of butter were pretty much burnt out of my arteries by the time I was 100 yards up the road after lunch (High Hill Lane was the clue).  I was eating into the jacket potato and cheese by the time I hit the cobbles so I was glad that when the 1:5 sign showed up, the caffeine had had time to kick in.

I've had a wicked day!

My plan was to head up to the Lakes in the van but Rich announced last night he was working from home and I concluded the wonderful forecast was too good an opportunity to miss on my bike.  So I planned a route without Little Dog.

It involved ending with a train ride from a number of possible stations, all depending on how fit I was feeling.   90 minutes in and I'd decided it was going to be Settle, the closest one.  But, after the sun had started giving it a bit more in the way of warmth, I was thinking Gargrave would be a good end (along with a second tea shop while I waited for the train.)

The greens of a Yorkshire landscape combined with the blues of these skies just make me grin.  And I started grinning not far after leaving home.  In fact, this road up Littondale and along to Pen-y-ghent is beyond beautiful.  It filled me with another layer of energy that I didn't know I had.

So, by the time I'd swooped down into Settle, I was hoping that I'd make it to Skipton (with a tiny flicker of an idea of how great it would be if I made it home under my own steam.)  Ye Olde Naked Man was my lunch stop and it's lucky it was busy because my appreciative noises as I tucked into my food were drowned out by the hubbub in the cafe.  

Once I'd made it up the one in five (and that did take a bit of zig zagging), I was then following another delightful road along to Airton.  On my right I was running parallel with an unexpected rain shower that I was hoping wouldn't catch up with me or vice versa.  I blew a little air out in the hope it might make a difference but we converged inbetween Airton and Gargrave.   It was just the tail end of it though so despite getting a little wet, I felt pleased that I wasn't soaked to the skin.

So onwards I rode towards Skipton with yet another little lift.  Some time last year, I'd spotted a few guys heading off on a side road seemingly to avoid the A65 so I explored up that way and successfully came across my route into Embsay with no traffic.  I was past Skipton by this stage but I knew worst case, I could get a short ride back from Ilkley.

Strangely enough, I felt OK and despite having mentally justified another tea shop at Bolton Abbey to spend my train fare, I felt OK with just a bar to carry on.

And that's how I made it home.  

I didn't think I would ever be able to say I've cycled to Pen-y-ghent and back so I do feel just a little bit chuffed with myself. I topped 70 miles too and despite now purposefully not recording mileage and times because it was stopping me enjoying just being out, I'm pleased with this too.

After dinner, I went out with Little Dog which was a worthwhile stretch of the legs and have come back hungry so I've finished off the evening with a banana and egg pancake topped with Nutella.