Ride Report – CTC Lancaster and South Lakes – Sunday 19th March 2023 Lancaster to Beetham and Kendal

A forecast for dry weather and lengthening daylight hours tempted 10 riders from CTC Lancaster and South Lakes out to the meeting point at Beaumont in Lancaster for the clubs first ride to Kendal in several months.  As we climbed past the TV mast on our way to the Kellets we enjoyed the views across the bay before the glorious swoop down to Nether Kellet, where our numbers were swelled with the addition of the club secretary.

We took the familiar route to Beetham, via Over Kellet, Capernwray, Borwick and Priest Hutton, past fields with surprisingly large lambs and plenty of birdlife.  The A6070 to Burton was fortunately fairly quiet, but uncomfortably bumpy due to the awful road surface on the Lancashire side of the county boundary.  At Burton we turned left onto Neddy Lane and made our way to Holme Mills and Holme, where we turned left again, then left for a third time after the bridge over the Bela, on the back lane to Beetham Garden Centre.

Being Mothering Sunday, we found the car park expectedly busy, but were fortunate to find space in the smaller half of the café, some choosing to sit inside and some outside.  We met 3 more members here, swelling our numbers heading to Kendal.

The onward route went via Ackenthwaite, Heversham and Levens, then steeply up the big climb over Helsington Barrows from Brigsteer.  The big climb up was rewarded with fantastic views down over Kendal and Natland.  In a bid to avoid the Mothers’ Day crowds lunch was taken in Booths Supermarket café, with a few hardy members having their sandwiches outside.

The return route saw us heading out of town, through Natland, then left at Barrows Green and past Crosscrake School and on to Stainton bridge, where we paused to view the re-watered stretch of the Lancaster canal.  Carrying on, we kept to the little lane between the canal and the A590 until we met the Milnthorpe to Crooklands B road, which we joined briefly to cross the A590, then continuing on through Wath Sutton to the A6070 which we took southwards for a mile before heading across to Hale.

Having crossed the A6 a series of 3 climbs took us up through Hale and the Yealands then down through Warton and onto the Crag Bank circuit, avoiding Carnforth town centre.  The return to Lancaster was on the A6, with members peeling off to their various homes.  50 miles was clocked up by the leader.

Patience Cooper.

More information on our rides can be found on our website: www.ctclancaster.org.uk.  New riders are always welcomed.