Lancaster and South Lakes Cycle Touring Club, Ride to Pilling 25 April

Ah well it’s the return of the Jedi/Prodigal Son or bad Penny take your pick!

Gathering at the usual time at the Boot and Shoe we were aiming for a very leisurely ride to Pilling via Bridge64 cafe. When I say leisurely I mean it as some of us had had weeks of an enforced layoff and weren’t up to miles/hills/speed/fresh air or saddles! so this ride was intended to be short, flat and slow(but without the alcoholic refreshment at lunch!).

We set off through the Uni and into Galgate then after the hard climb to Five Lane Ends we turned right to go down Whams Lane. At the junction we veered off my original route to avoid the major road works on the A6. Instead of going left we went right to join the Old Cockerham Road so we could cross the A6 at Potters Brook. We then weaved our way through the country lanes to get to Ratcliffe Wharf Lane then left at the end for a fair stretch on Park Lane before a right turn onto Nateby Crossing Lane and then finally coffee(what a relief! sausage butty here I come).

To get to Pilling I led them along Longmoor Lane and Skitham Lane before turning right onto Lancaster Road and into Pilling. To get to our lunch stop (and possibly another sausage butty!) a right turn here would have meant a very short ride so I made left turn onto Head Dyke Lane then right down Carr Lane to eventually go down Taylor’s Lane to our lunch stop.

After a simple welcoming lunch in lovely surroundings with plenty of chatting I eventually managed to stir them into action for the return home. But it would probably be slower carrying a couple of sausage butties ha ha ha. Leaving Taylor’s Lane we went past the picnic site then a short section on the main road before we turned left on the Horse Park Lane, Garstang Road, Cogie Hill(KOM!), Island Lane, Broad Lane, Cabus Nook Lane and Daisy Clough.

After another coffee(nothing to eat!) it was the easy simple way home via Forton, Wallace Lane, Whams Lane, Galgate and the Uni.

We try to make these rides as pleasant as we can make them. We always make sure nobody gets left behind, the rides go at the pace of the slowest and we stop often and allow everybody to regroup. We always have an experienced member at the rear so nobody gets lost. The stops are judged so we can spend time socialising, often the socialising time is longer than the cycling time. Come and join us, we are a friendly group(some say! others say mad)

Welcome back to leading rides, Jim. (Ed.)

Anyone who is interested in joining us can find information about our regular club rides on Thursdays and Sundays on our website:  www.ctclancaster.org.uk.