Friday 30 March 2018

EASTER SUNDAY

As you can see on the Runs List, there is no planned ride this Sunday and the alternative coffee stop is still to be announced. So here is the announcement! UPFRONT GALLERY at Unthank.
We have just noticed that the Mill Yard Cafe at Morland will be closed for one day on Wednesday 11th April - unfortunately the day we are due there. So the venue will now be Booths, Penrith. Will try to remember to post a reminder the day before.

Thursday 29 March 2018

Fibre Broadband

As many EV's live in villages which may in the past year have had fibre broadband installed, but like us have not yet opted for it rather than stay with conventional 'slow' non fibre (in our case was 1Mb max as we  are 4 miles from exchange), the following may be useful, warts and all - as I'm no guru!

Just signed up for BT fibre broadband, great offers at the moment and cheaper than our present non-fibre 1Mb max with Plusnet. 

BT presently I think don't allow in low usage areas any other providers such as Plusnet to use BT's fibre except on what they call a 'trial' basis with non discounted prices. Only BT seem to be able to offer value packages, though this could change in the future.

£29.99 per month BT Infinity Unlimited 50Mb including line rental. Easter offer saves £50 activation charge.  £9.99 postal charge for delivery of router.Includes free weekend calls to landlines and caller display.  It is an 18 month contract.

This assumes you have fibre to the premises ie into a duct in the road outside your house. Note (guessing) many villages do not have what is called fibre to the box (which is what most towns have), out here it is fibre to the premises this limits offers from other providers.

Signing up online gets a £150 BT Reward Card to spend at any Mastercard retailer - including supermarket shopping! You could opt for the £5 per month cheaper Infinity limited to 30Gb package (ample if not streaming films etc), but that doesn't get the reward card. So £5 per month extra x 18 months = £90, but get £150 reward card - no brainer!

Plus we've taken a BT add-on  extra £5 a month for a mobile SIM only package (uses EE network) of unlimited texts & calls and 0.5Gb data. We will use the mobile to make all outgoing calls, as works out cheaper than buying a landline anytime call package - more and more folks are going that way. Note that none of these mobile SIM only packages I think include calls to 0870 and 0845. Bonus with new roaming rules, for 36 European countries, usage is included just as in the UK. Plus access to all 5 million BT wifi UK hotspots whatever they are!

Anyone else you think may be interested, pass it on.

Apologies it's not about bikes, does anyone object?

Tuesday 27 March 2018

moderate ride Wednesday 28th

The forecast bad weather has not materialised so the  ride will be as advertised.
Starting at Dalston to Animal Refuge via Wreay and Cotehill, then over the viaduct to Warwick Bridge via Cumwhitton and back via Newby East and Carlisle, about 40ish miles.
Tea on offer at Dalston.

Dallas

Monday 26 March 2018

3 bike club ride from Wetheral - Wed 28th March

The ride will start from the Green in Wetheral 9.30am   11's will be at the garden centre in Brampton - NOT Longtown.   My mistake!    The route to Greenhead will be gently undulating.  (we will not be going up 'Banks')  Greenhead Hotel will be open for lunches.   I phoned  Greenhead tea room today to find out if they would be open but there was no reply.   The tea room may be closed on mondays.

The total distance of the ride I regret to say will only be about 50 miles.   To make up for the lack of distance, we will after lunch be going into indian territory (lots of arrows) culminating in a visit to Forrest Head.     So not so gentle!

The forecast at the moment is for showers in the afternoon

I hope to see lots and lots of you at the start.

Friday 23 March 2018

Rides on Sunday 25th

Myself and Rosie will be leading 2 rides from Shap village car park leaving at 9.30. Rosie will ride a loop which will lead to Orton Scar Cafe for lunch at 12ish. A hilly ride of about 28 miles. One stop so bring a snack. I will lead an extended loop which depending on the group may end up at Sedburgh for lunch, so around 60 miles. We are travelling independently so do not expect to return to Shap at the same time.

Monday 19 March 2018

Ride ON Wednesday 21st March

Ride will start from Greystoke car park at 9:30. Route will be to Keswick along the A66 corridor for coffee after about 14 miles. Lunch at Caldbeck after a further 16 miles and then return to Greystoke for a total distance of about 50 miles. The weather forecast doesn't look bad as I write this so I hope to see some of you at the start.

Sunday 18 March 2018

Exercise Your Musical Talents?

Skirwith village hall (next village to us in Ousby) has a monthly music session aimed at anyone who wants to play, sing, monologue, poetry etc - or just listen. Very informal and relaxed with usually less than a dozen there - perfect if the idea of 'performing' puts you off. Ruth & I support and enjoy it when we are around.



Next session is Monday March 26th at 7.30 pm, rescheduled from 19th due to lack of numbers.



Anyone interested let me know lesandruth@gmail.com   / 01768 881894

Saturday 17 March 2018

Sunday 18th March ride

Weather looking rather iffy.
Will probably have to cancel, but please phone me if you want to go out and we can decide if it's suitable in the morning.


Thursday 15 March 2018

The Perils of Ignoring a Road Closed Sign

We've all ridden past road closed signs - particularly when they've been moved by previous "passers". The following pictures provide a small illustration of what Ludo & I encountered yesterday around the back of Thirlmere. Presumably the carnage occurred during the Beast form the East! There are numerous trees down over maybe a 4 or 5 miles stretch and quite a lot of collateral damage to walls & banking. Although clearance has started at the south end, I would envisage it will take several weeks to clear the road & repair walls etc.

1st Indication that we may have a problem





Monday 12 March 2018

Club Ride Wednesday 14th March

Pace will be 'civilised' as I'm far from cycling fit!

Start our house Ousby 9.30 prompt, or meet Melmerby 9.45. Though most as usual will probably ride direct to 10.30's at Renwick church hall for coffee and biscuits.

Some of you who would otherwise ride to the alternative 11's may wish to join us at Renwick for a change of venue?

Remember the church hall finishes serving at 11 am, so aim to be there at 10.30.

Route is Eastern fellside, loop into Brampton for lunch, back via Weatherall viaduct, Armathwaite with a few undulations.

Weather forecast suggests unsettled - but no snow & ice to play on!








Books for sale - house clearance!

Date Title Author / Editor Description Price
? The Epicyclic Gear Large, folded, good condition £2
? The Tandem Club Envelope re-use stickers. As new. £2
1984 Bicycle Times Peter Lumley Slight damage. VGC for age. Articles on Raleigh Cycles, Trikes, YHA, etc. £3
1981 Handbook Slightly soiled covers and yellowed pages £4
2006 Cycle-Kit 44 pages in colour, VGC £4
1990 Mad Dogs and Cyclists Chris Rooney On two wheels through Northumbria. As new £4
1972 The Velocipede, its history and how to use it 'An Experienced Velocipedist' Facsimile of 1869 booklet. Good condition £4
1985 Fat Man on a Roman Road Tom Vernon Good condition £4
1974 England by Bicycle Frederick Alderson Good condition £5
2010 Bike Snob Eben Weiss As new £5
1971 Cycling: Land's End to John O'Groats Alan J. Ray First edition. Jacket damaged, book good condition £5
1978 The Penguin Book of the Bicycle Roderick Watson  and Martin Gray Good condition £5
1985 Cycle Clips - A history of cycling in the north east Various As new £5
1975 Cycle Racing: Training to Win Les Woodland First edition. Almost perfect £5
2004 A Significant Other Matt Rendell As new £5
1975 Richard's Bicycle Book Richard Ballantine Good, but slight yellowing £5
1972 Bicycling, A History Frederick Alderson Cover faded, pages in good condition £6
1980 Cycling in Posters Jan Michael Practically perfect £6
2012 Unsurpassed Godfrey Barlow As new £8
2007 The Cyclist's Companion George Theohari / Foreword by Jon Snow As new apart from slight marks on jacket £8
1938 CTC Route Book No. 5 The English Lakes Cover worn, pages in good condition £10
1935 Cycling Manual Binding come loose, otherwise good. Date estimated £10
1954 Cycling Book of Maintenance H. H. England VGC. £10
1964 Know the Game Cycling Cyclists' Touring Club VGC £10
1967 Cycling Manual R. John Way First Edition. Cover worn, pages perfect £10
1974 My Nineteenth Tour de France J. B. Wadley Cover worn, pages in good condition £10
1990 Das Fahrrad Karl-Heinz Raach Date estimated. Sumptuous photographic art book. As new. £10
1981 Fat Man on a Bicycle Tom Vernon Good condition £10
1911 The Open Road, for motoring, cycling and walking Pages reasonable, covers have come away and have some damage and discolouration. Date estimated. £10
1927 CTC Touring Route Cyclists' Touring Club Typed / Duplicated route descriptions (3 separate booklets). A bit tatty. CTC opened Craven Hill Office in 1927, these may be later. £12
1956 Round the Island H. W. Freeman Cycle tour in Sardinia. Perfect except for some damage to back of jacket £15
1975 King of the Road, an illustrated history of cycling Andrew Ritchie First Edition. Slight discolouration, VGC for age. £15
1977 Winged Wheel William Oakley VGC. First Edition £15
1980 Wheels of Choice, cycle touring photographs Tim Hughes Almost perfect £15
1900 Philips' Cyclists' Map Northumberland Map in good condition, cover well worn. Date estimated. £20
1934 Land's End to John O' Groats W. B. Dawson Tour description. VGC. £20
1938 CTC Route Book No. 8 The Wye Valley and Welsh Borderland Almost perfect £20
1950 Let's Go Cycling Reginald C. Shaw First edition. Jacket damaged, book VGC £20
1960 Cycling Manual 24th Edition H. H. England Jacket slight damage, book almost perfect £20
1967 An 80 page picture tribute Britain's greatest ever road cycling champion TOM SIMPSON Roger St Pierre with Alan Gayfer, Ken Evans, J.B. Wadley, etc. Rare. Black and white 77 pages,  colour covers. Slightly yellowed pages and slight damage to cover. VGC considering its age. £20
1970 Mick Gambling … on Cycling Mick Gambling / Martin Ayres A humorous look at the sport. Illustrations by Johnny Helms. Good condition. Date estimated £20
1972 Old Roads and New J. B. Wadley VGC. Signed by author. £20
1929 A Thread of English Road Charles S. Brooks Cover discoloured, slightly loose. £20
1963 Laughter on Two Wheels Rex Coley VGC. First Edition £30
1979 The Art of Frank Patterson Jim and Janet Willis First edition. Jacket damaged, book perfect £60
1979 The Frank Patterson Picture Book Jim and Janet Willis First edition. Jacket slight damage, book perfect £75

Saturday 10 March 2018

Ride on Sunday 11th March

At last the forecast is such that I can be confident to announce the ride is on! Leaders have had difficult decisions to make for quite a while now and we should be grateful that they have been prepared to take on the decision making responsibilities. We will not have to cross sections of road where you need four wheel drive as in the photograph below which Bill O and I encountered at How Hill near Lamonby  on Wednesday.

The route on Sunday will be 42 miles composed of 10 miles to coffee at Dirty Harry's at High Hesket on the A6, a further 12 miles to Talkin Tarn followed by 20 miles back to Dalston. Even though it is Mothering Sunday I'm not expecting our stops to be particularly popular for treating mum but the pace will be suitable if you want to bring her along.

You are welcome to tea afterwards.

Thursday 8 March 2018

Hartside Fire & Sustrans Milepost

Cycled (actually a 7 mph unfit crawl) up Hartside this morning.  Brilliant as closed to things with engines, so road deserted - like my very own Tour de Britain - apart from snow plow and cannon coming the other way to finally clear the drifts. Reason for the ride was to see if Sustrans milepost fire damaged or sideswiped by a fire appliance. Good news is that's it's fine, but the Hartside cafe charred remains left me feeling saddened, quite emotive as absolutely nobody around for the 20 minutes I lingered there. On the chilly descent back, gleefully cutting off blind corners, passed  another couple of cyclists going up and the snow plow nearly through to Melmerby. Road will be open by now, so really fortuitous going today - don't think will get Hartside to myself again in a lifetime!




Tuesday 6 March 2018

Two bike ride from Penrith

I, too, have decided not to lead my ride tomorrow. There are still piles of snow around on many roads and, although they are being flattened, they are unlikely to have disappeared by tomorrow morning, especially as the rides are now scheduled to start at 9.30. If you get out, enjoy and take care.

Wednesday 7 March.From Shap CANCELLED

Hi All
More snow. Roads here still have patches of compacted snow and now have another 20mm of fresh snow on top. The planned ride was in an upland area and is likely to be the same.
I will not be leading the ride from Shap and I suggest that if there is a safe route that we to attend 11's at the PotPlace and see what can be salvaged from the day
David

Saturday 3 March 2018

Ride Sunday 4 th March

Hi everybody,
  
I am cancelling Sundays ride from Lazonby. Although conditions are set to improve slightly on Sun I reckon there will still be snow & ice about, and below freezing temperatures at night!
Lets hope we can all get out on the Bikes soon!

Best Wishes, Bill Holmes