Window Seduction

In search of some new roads to ride, I took a route through Harrogate to Ripley Castle. It was yet another day of clear blue skies, starting with a frost and gradually warming through the day. I thought I'd left it late enough to be able to get away with shorts, but I got it all wrong. The thing is that it feels warm sitting in the sun. But the air temperature is cold, especially when you factor in moving through it at 20mph. I was fine for a while, before I got thoroughly chilled and unable to get warm again. It knocked me out for the whole day.

It's years since I'd last been to Harrogate. It was busy, with loads of people sitting outside eating and drinking in the sun. It all looked very European - but for the temperature. There was a long queue outside Bettys. Their window displays are always fabulous, even more so when they bring inside all the Victorian architecture. I was seduced by the reflections, the kids by the cakes. Despite having forgotten to pack any food, I didn't join the queue. I took an ice-cream stop a little later, hoping to bask in the sun and absorb some heat while stationary. That ten-minute break coincided with the only time a big cloud came over. It was the story of my day.