Day 11

Day 11 Pateley to near Thirsk

My excuse is that I need the calories from the Barden Tower cream scones to tackle the climb up & out of Pateley Bridge! I love that place and Phil seemed only too happy to join me in a little indulgence before dropping me off at the day's starting point. Bet old Walter never had such a goodbreakfast.

Must have had my head down too much to notice the turn off for Ripon as I struggled up the hill and, although I really enjoyed the free wheel down to Summerbridge, the steep walk,(no attempt at cycling) from there up to Brimham rocks felt like a harsh punishment for my lack of attention. The 360 degree view was stunning - I could see way beyond Ferry Bridge power station and it felt that the whole of my completed route was spread out before me.
 
It was market day in Ripon & I was keen to take a look at it since, before I started school, my Mum & I used to go there on the bus every week. I had not been there for 25 or 30 years. Walter Wilkinson was very charmed by the market, commenting that it was the most 'genuine country market' he had seen in years since that it looked like many growers were there, selling flowers, fruits and animals while farmers' wives & daughters were standing about baskets of fresh eggs & new-made butter.

I arrived when some of the stalls had already been packed away, but most of those which remained were selling cheap clothes and electrical goods. It was all very different from when I was a child in the early 1960s and a world away from what the puppeteer saw. One cheese stall filled me with enthusiasm, however - I was able to buy some of the best Blue Wensleydale I've had in ages and to sample a wonderful mature Cheddar-type cheese which the stall holder told me they made on their own farm. All is not totally lost.

Called in for tea & cake at Jenny Ruth Workshops, a group which the Community Foundation has assisted and, one I saw their goods, I was immediately making Christmas present lists for a return journey. ("Christmas?"Aggh!)

'Having a laugh with the folks from Jenny Ruth workshops'

Made a detour to go and stay with my Mum and got to within half a mile of the house when the second puncture struck. It turned out that a small piece of glass from the incident in Ilkley had been nestling under the tyre, waiting to strike. Amazing that I managed to do all those miles via Pateley Bridge without it doing its worst in a much less convenient location.

Back to diary