Beaumont to Barbon Sunday July 10th

CTC Lancaster and South Lakes members met at Beaumont for a 55 miles ride to Barbon via Beetham Garden Centre café, led by Patience Cooper and Len Howard.  By and large they dodged the showers, except for a very wet patch just before the lunch break.

Heading north out of Lancaster the riders paused on the new A6 flyover to take in the extensive view from the top before continuing to Carnforth via Bolton-le-Sands and the canal towpath.  Beetham was approached via the villages of Warton, Yealands and Slack Top, with a few climbs to work up an appetite for the coffee stop.  Numbers were swelled here by members who had travelled separately from the Carnforth and Kendal areas.  We also shared the busy café with several tandem crews who had picked the same destination.

A goodly number proceeded, under threatening skies, to Crooklands then on quiet lanes past Preston Patrick to Gatebeck where we turned eastwards up a long climb to the B6254 at Crosslands Farm.  We turned onto the B road, swooping up and down several undulations to Old Town, where the forecast rain put in its appearance.  Having put on our waterproofs we continued via Mansergh and Rigmaden Park to the bridge over the Lune.  We then joined the little lane, known to cyclists as “puncture alley” and arrived in Barbon a little sodden, but not downhearted.  A sociable lunch was enjoyed at the Church Mouse café whilst the skies cleared and then the group divided as some chose the east and some the west side of the Lune for the homeward leg.  Those on the eastern route had a further stop at Hornby Post Office for some welcome tea and cakes to round off a good day “a-wheel”.