Hi Folks,

For those of you who have yet to master the art of doing absolutely nothing in retirement, fear not. HAB has another perfectly good excuse to avoid the gardening, the DIY and any other domestic responsibilities that your better half has on their wish list. Join us for a cracking 105-mile ride through the Yorkshire Dales and Forest of Bowland, taking in a mixture of flowing roads, entertaining twists and turns, and some beautiful countryside. There should be plenty to enjoy, both on the bike and in the scenery.

Meeting point: Booths Car Park, Ilkley, LS29 8EE
Arrive: 9:15am.
Departure: Promptly at 9:30am.
Expected return to Booth’s around 3:45pm.

Naturally, this is an advanced riding group, so we’ll be demonstrating smooth, progressive riding and exemplary observation. The only things likely to be less predictable than the roads are the weather, the occasional tractor and livestock that seem to believe they have right of way everywhere.

Of course, all that concentration requires sustenance. We’ll be making the obligatory stops to keep all riders adequately fed and watered:
Morning brew: Wild Buck Café, Waddington, BB7 3HP.
Lunch: Puddleducks Tea Rooms, Dunsop Bridge, BB7 3BB.
Afternoon tea: Abbey Tea Rooms, Bolton Abbey, BD23 6HP.

Worried that 105 miles is a like a long day in the saddle, think again! There’s no need to commit yourself to the whole route before you’ve even set off. Come along, enjoy the ride and see how you feel. When we reach Waddington, you can grab a coffee, have a chat and decide whether you fancy carrying on. If you’ve had enough, simply say your farewells and make your own way home. On the other hand, you might find that you’re enjoying the roads, scenery and company so much that the remaining miles don’t seem quite so daunting! There’s no pressure to complete the whole route, just come along, enjoy yourself and see where the day takes you.

As always, the aim is a safe, progressive and enjoyable ride, with some excellent roads, good company and plenty of banter. The weather forecast has been advised of our plans and instructed to behave accordingly. Whether it complies remains to be seen.

Hope you can join us -the roads are calling and the lawn can wait another day.

Derek Saunders.

PLEASE NOTE: If this will be your first HAB ride out, please email me beforehand at ds55dcs@outlook.com

GPX Route: https://www.myrouteapp.com/embed/route/14590298?lang=en

Garmin users: Download .gpx 1.1 (route, track, POI) and, in your navigation avoidances, only tick:

✔ Car Share Lanes
✔ Unpaved Roads

Participation in this group ride is exclusively for paid up Members & Associates of Harrogate Advanced Bikes. To find out about joining HAB go to:
https://harrogateadvancedbikes.co.uk/