Testing Trio

Now that I’ve exfoliated the splattered sheep shoot from my shins, I can reflect on a day of partly Type II fun. There was a point in the morning when I thought said body art would be my Blip of the day. There was another moment when I walked through a wet field in Addingham hoping to find the sheep on its back still alive, only to find it stone cold, that I stopped myself thinking about omens. 

This would be a good day!

And really, it was. Very satisfying in fact.  I’ve been wanting to cycle to Semerwater since we explored by car last year. 

Once I reached Kettlewell, I turned right towards the clag to head over the first hill. For a moment, as I passed the ramp and rounded the hairpin, the wind gave me a gentle pat on the back. But that was sadly short-lived as a headwind took over from there on in, right into Wensleydale in fact. I cycled through cloud as the odd cow loomed out of the mist; soon found myself mighty damp as the air became heavy; and continued to find a mixture of delightful country muck speckling my legs. It was a cold descent too but, once out of the cloud, the headwind was, at least, air drying. Turning to a tailwind and an incline for a few miles had me vaguely warm before lunch. 

Well, first lunch.

I knew when I left the cafe that the other end of Wensleydale would be my next port of call as my food had barely hit the sides. 

The road up to Semerwater was better; cloud lifting and wind in my favour. This view I rather liked until I realised the hill on the right was my way back ‘down’. We had reversed this in the car and it looked quite intimidating head on but, as usual, my slow trundle gets me there in the end.

A repeat jacket, coffee and hot water left me feeling charged enough to head on over Fleet Moss where, nearing the summit, I spotted my first bit of blue just a few hours late! 

The route home was in more enjoyable weather and I had a few more beans than anticipated. Type II had faded rather pleasantly, in the end, into Type I fun.