Sunday Ride to Sedbergh on 15 June 2025

CTC Lancaster and South Lakes – Ride Report – Sunday 15th June 2025

A Ride of Two Halves

Nine members of the club met at Nether Kellet motorway bridge car park for a ride to Casterton and Sedbergh.  The forecast had been for an overcast morning, but we were pleasantly surprised by the arrival of the sunshine as we made our way through Nether and Over Kellet, then on to Capernwray, turning left at the church, then right half a mile later, around to Docker Park.  The roads were quiet and the recent rain had brought a shine to the greenery in the fields.  Joining the main Kirkby Lonsdale road at Newton, we progressed through Whittington, then over the A65 for the final mile or so to Casterton Golf Club.  We met 3 more of our members at the club and enjoyed a relaxing half hour in the sunshine outside, consuming our morning refreshments.

As we prepared to continue, clouds were building in the north and east, but a stiff breeze pushed us up the climb over Barbon Fell to Gawthrop in Dentdale.  This is one of my favourite routes in the Dales, with a long but steady climb in glorious remote country, surrounded by imposing fells.  At Gawthrop we turned left along the narrower and quieter road along Dentdale, taking care on the more gravelly sections and the occasional huge puddles, evidence of recent heavy rain.  Fortunately we made it to Sedbergh before the rain began in earnest.  Most of the group went into Smatt’s Duo café for lunch, with the hardier few having sandwiches by the Sedbergh School cricket pitch.

As we were preparing to continue after lunch the weather changed to give a very different aspect to the second half of the ride.  We were now riding into rain and a headwind, not a pleasant combination!  Just beyond Sedbergh, we took the road towards Kirkby Lonsdale, then turned right to cross over the River Lune and take the quieter lanes to the West of the river, towards Rigmaden Park, then continuing on towards Kerstwick and Kirkby Lonsdale.

Here, the group began to splinter, with two riders taking a more direct routes back to Lancaster via Tunstall and the Carnforth road.  The rest crossed over the A65 towards Biggins, then up towards the timber yard by Johnson House on the shoulder of Hutton Roof.  Further departures from the group were at the junctions to Whittington and Keer Holme, leaving just 3 of us to continue downhill to Burton.  One turned here to Cinderbarrow, another turned off at Priest Hutton, leaving the leader to ride in solitary splendour down to Warton, around Crag Bank, and back home along the A6.  We may have finished the day wet and a bit chilly, but the scenery and company more than made up for the hardship towards the end.

CTC Lancaster and South Lakes welcomes new riders.  We have regular club rides on Thursdays and Sundays, and a shorter morning ride on Tuesdays.  Please see our website for further information and contact details:  www.ctclancaster.org.uk.

A couple of shots of the sunnier part of the ride near Newton.