Ride to Sizergh Castle, Sunday 23rd September 2018

With no ride scheduled for Sunday it was decided to have an ad hoc ride starting from Lancaster’s Millennium Bridge at 09:15. Mike Hutchinson had agreed to lead a ride to coffee at the reserve at Leighton Moss with the lunch venue to be decided on the day according to how the ride was going.  Despite a forecast posted mid week of dreadful weather on the Sunday there was a large turnout at the start. Perhaps the revised forecast had lifted spirits?

Mike’s ride took in the climb up to the Kellet mast, Nether Kellet and the cycleway through to Leighton Moss. Here numbers were further boosted by an additional five riders. After a welcome break the party split into those heading back to Lancaster, some heading for Milnthorpe or Arnside and five remaining with Mike en route to Sizergh Castle. The route taken by Mike followed the cycleway as far as Levens Hall and then continued along the old route of the A6 until the bypass at which point they took a series of minor roads, plus the steps down to the underpass and past the salmon leap to Sizergh.

After lunch the chosen return was via Hincaster, Ackenthwaite, Holme, Holme Mills, Burton in Kendal and Longlands. At Over Kellet the group split once again and the riders made their own ways home. It had been a ‘moderate ride’, in glorious weather, with the top mileage only just over 51 miles.

Next week’s ride starts at The Boot and Shoe, Scotforth and is to Light Ash Farm for coffee, and lunch at Caldervale for their harvest lunch.